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In some countries such as the U.K. it is already illegal to use your cell phone while driving, although enforcement is another matter, with many people still going ahead and doing it anyway, such as the man I saw with his head down and texting while driving the other day and failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing! In the U.S., however, it is still legal to use your cell phone while driving in some states, although there have been campaigns to try and get people to stop doing so voluntarily. This could all change, though, if U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has his way, as according to a report from Reuters, LaHood is calling for a federal law that would ban talking on a cell phone or texting when driving any vehicle in any road in the country. LaHood was speaking at a distracted-driving summit in San Antonio, Texas, to an audience of doctors, advocates and government officials. LaHood referred to distracted driving as a national epidemic, and said that police should be able to ticket drivers who are foolishly thinking they can drive safely or use a cell phone and text and drive. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,000 fatal traffic accidents in the U.S. in 2011 were due to distracted driving.
Gary Biller, president of the National Motorists Association, disagrees with LaHood, saying that laws that ban specific driving distractions, such as using a cell phone, are unnecessary, because such actions are already covered by existing laws. But everyone has a cell phone and too many of us think it is OK to talk on our phones while we are driving, countered LaHood. Thirty-eight states in the U.S. already ban the use of electronic devices while driving, but LaHood is calling for a federal law, rather than just supporting bans in individual states.
Source: U.S. ban sought on cell phone use while driving | Reuters
via The Verge
