Shhh: NSC Puts the Brakes on Chit-Chat
By Jennifer Hooker, IEN Staff
January 16, 2009—We’ve all seen it and most of us are probably guilty of it…multitasking on the road. Whether it’s chatting on the cell phone, fiddling with the radio, sipping on coffee, or applying that final coat of mascara, we just can’t help ourselves. For lots of people, the time behind the wheel is the only bit of free time in the day. However, the National Safety Council (NSC) is trying to drive home the idea, that time in the car isn’t the time to catch up on calls—it’s a time to concentrate on driving.
The NSC is pushing businesses, governors, and legislators to enact and enforce laws prohibiting a driver from using a cell phone. The organization cities a study from the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis, which estimates that cell phone use while driving contributes to six percent of accidents. This equates to roughly 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, and 2,600 deaths per year. The study also estimated that the cost of these accidents tops out at $43 billion. In these rough economic times, that could be reason enough to hang up the phone.
In the past, the NSC has been successful in demanding stronger laws on seatbelt use and drunk driving, and now it is focusing some of its energy against phone use. “Studies show that driving while talking on a cell phone is extremely dangerous and puts drivers at a four time greater risk of a crash,” said Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the NSC. “Driving drunk is also dangerous and against the law. When our friends have been drinking we take the car keys away. It’s time to take the cell phone away.”
PC World reports that no state has banned phone use while driving completely, but 23 states have passed restrictions. For instance, the District of Columbia along with 23 states have banned teens from chatting behind the wheel. However, only six states include drivers of all ages and they all allow chatting with the use of hands-free devices. The NSC sees the use of hands-free devices as a placebo effect. “When you’re on a call, even if both hands are on the wheel, your head is in the call, and not on your driving,” Froetscher said. She went on to explain that a conversation with a passenger isn’t as districting because passengers provide “another pair of eyes on the road.” The person at the other end of the line has no idea of the conditions on the road while they are blabbering on about the latest episode of American Idol.
Considering all of the other distracting activities that drivers engage in instead of focusing on the road, why is the NSC going after cell phones? Using a cell phone while driving is much more pervasive, making it more of a potential driving risk.
According to CNN, the CTIA wireless association is hoping to educate drivers against distracted driving rather than pass laws against cell phone use. “ Laws aimed just at wireless use create a false sense of security with regard to the issue of the distracted driving,” the agency said in a posting on its website. The CTIA’s vice president of public affairs, John Walls, also stated that the association believes for a brief period of time, cell phones can be used responsibly and safely behind the wheel.
Resisting the temptation to use cell phones and other forms of tech in the car is going to get even tougher with many vehicles offering and planning to offer entertaining gadgets in dashboards. Ford along with many other automakers rolled out their plans to integrate a fully functional dashboard computer…complete with a printer at CES. Looks like the NSC will have a long road ahead of them with this one…