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Keep Your Ears on the Road, Says Researchers
July 02, 2008 03:48 PM
Cell phone bans have drivers buying headsets so they can keep on talking in their cars, but hands-free devices might not be any safer.
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California and Washington join New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., in banning hand-held cell phone use for all drivers. Other states have bans for specific drivers, such as teenagers and school bus drivers, or bans on text messaging.
California, like the prior states, has made driving with a cell phone a primary offense, meaning that drivers can be pulled over even they are driving properly. Washington enacted the ban as a secondary offense, meaning that only drivers who are pulled over for traffic violations can be penalized.
All states do allow for the use of headsets or hands-free devices. California electronics stores have reported a large jump in sales of hands-free cell phone devices leading up to the ban.
However, many studies have shown that hands-free devices do little to improve driver safety. According to these studies, the distraction caused by using a phone causes unsafe driving much more so than driving with one hand. “It has not anything to do with manipulating the phone or holding it,” says University of South Carolina psychologist Amit Almor. “It’s the attentional demands of conversation that matters.”
California, like the prior states, has made driving with a cell phone a primary offense, meaning that drivers can be pulled over even they are driving properly. Washington enacted the ban as a secondary offense, meaning that only drivers who are pulled over for traffic violations can be penalized.
All states do allow for the use of headsets or hands-free devices. California electronics stores have reported a large jump in sales of hands-free cell phone devices leading up to the ban.
However, many studies have shown that hands-free devices do little to improve driver safety. According to these studies, the distraction caused by using a phone causes unsafe driving much more so than driving with one hand. “It has not anything to do with manipulating the phone or holding it,” says University of South Carolina psychologist Amit Almor. “It’s the attentional demands of conversation that matters.”
Headline Link: California and Washington bans go into effect
Authorities in California and Washington stressed that drivers must obey the law or face fines. They encouraged drivers to buy hands-free devices. “When you’re driving you need to be driving,” said Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste. “We’d prefer that drivers didn’t talk on their cell phones at all. But if you must, please stay safe by using a headset or speaker phone.”
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Reaction: Californians buying headsets
In the days leading up to the ban, electronics stores in California were faced with a flood of customers buying headsets and other hands-free devices. “We were expecting an onslaught right around this time,” said Hosain Rahman, CEO of headset-maker Aliph. “Awareness of the legislation is making people look more at solutions.”
Source: San Jose Mercury News
Background: Cell phone driving laws
New York was the first state to outlaw cell phones on the road, in 2001. The ban allowed emergency use and hands-free devices.
Source: New York Daily News
The California law was passed in 2006, but wasn’t put into effect for two years to give the DMV time to update its manuals and for drivers to buy hands-free devices.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Though most drivers are aware of the danger posed by cell phones, many feel that they have a right to use them. Louisiana Rep. Barbara Norton believes that driving while on a cell phone is part of the “American way.”
Source: findingDulcinea
Cellular-News has a chart showing cell phone driving laws in each U.S. state, as well as a host of countries worldwide.
Source: Cellular-News
Opinion & Analysis: Do bans make us safer?
Many lawmakers believe that using cell phones while driving increases risky driving because the driver has only one hand on the wheel. However, most studies on the issue find that act of speaking and listening on a phone is the true cause of risky driving because the brain cannot handle both tasks at once. “There are limits to how much we can multi-task,” says University of Utah psychologist David Strayer, “and that combination of cellphone and driving exceeds the limits.”
Source: Los Angeles Times
“So will Washington’s no-cell-while-driving law make us safer? Probably not, at least not by much,” writes Tracy Warner of the Wenatchee World. “Cell phones are just one distraction. Talking on a bluetooth headset is a distraction too, probably just as bad, but legal. Talking to a passenger is distracting. So is fiddling with the stereo, eating french fries, sipping a latté, reading a billboard, looking for addresses, telling the kids to pipe down, checking the GPS, etc.”
Source: Wenatchee World
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