Ever since the late '80s when kids on Beverly Hills, 90210 had Beamers equipped with "car phones," Americans have been more than happy to gab away while cruising the streets. But those days could soon come to an end, if a federal safety board is able to influence state legislators.
The National Transportation Safety Board voted to recommend a complete ban on the use of cellphones by drivers, noting the risks of distracted driving. That would mean no talking and, obviously, no texting. Their recommended ban even applies to hands-free devices (like Bluetooths), which is well beyond what any state law has in place right now. The board advised that, of course, drivers should be able to use their phones in the case of an emergency. But outside of that, nope, no sirree!
The panel acknowledges the ban, which would have to be enacted by individual states, may be "unpopular among some people." Personally, I hope all 50 do the right thing and make it happen!
Silencing and abandoning our cellphones as soon as we start driving needs to become as common as clicking in our seatbelts the minute we get in the car. As Deborah A. P. Hersman, chairman of the N.T.S.B. put it, “No call, no text, no update is worth a human life." And as much as people might want to argue that they're a-okay to talk and drive, text and drive, use Facebook or Twitter and drive (so crazy), it's a lie. Even using a hands-free device is dangerous, because there's still a part of your brain that's concentrating more on that conversation you're carrying on than the road.
In fact, research shows that drivers using hands-free devices (and of course those using handheld phones) have a tendency to "look at" but not "see" objects. Estimates indicate that drivers on cellphones fail to really "see" up to 50 percent of the information in their driving environment. CASE CLOSED!
I know what I'm saying might irritate some of my closest friends, who have a habit of making calls while commuting in the evenings. But when I tell them to hang up and call me back when they get home, it's because I love them, and I don't want to be chatting it up with them if it means they're more likely to run a red light or fail to see that other driver or pedestrian until it's too late.
This ban may "sound extreme" now, but the good it could do is tremendous. It's exactly what this country needs to save drivers from themselves.
What do you think about this ban? Do you think all states should adopt and enforce it?
Image via Jason Weaver/Flickr
This Hot Dad Wants to Vacuum Your Rug
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
KStew Refuses to Shower
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
Comments 56
Sorry, but if you are going to ban hands-free devices, you should also ban talking in the car. Have they ever done a study to see how talking to other passengers compares to talking hands free? Because I KNOW that having a conversation with my 3 year old makes me WAY more distracted than talking on my cell. Just having that kid in the CAR while I'm driving is a huge distraction. So, ban cell phones, but please ban kids in the car, too. Or, maybe, we could focus our attention on OTHER things, such as DRUNK DRIVING??!!
No kids in the car. No husbands. No besties. No pets. No eating. No drinking (soda/coffee/water). No smoking. No MP3 player. No audiobooks. No CD's. No cassettes. No changing the radio station. No radio at all, because you might be singing along, or arguing with the talk show host. No GPS. No maps. No heater. No air conditioner. No CB radio. No stick shift. No hairbrushes. No makeup. NOTHING. Only driving. Alone in the car, because ANYTHING can become a distraction if you let it.
And that's the point. No law is going to prevent distracted driving. DRIVERS prevent distracted driving, to the best of their ability. And they can't prevent it all. The NTSB need to sit down and shut up.
Once again I agree with ponychaser. I understand no texting and even to a point, no talking on the phone without a hands free headset but to ban them altogether is just overkill. Its another thing our government is trying to control and make money off of. People just need to be responsible for their own driving.
And I have to wonder... let us project ourselves into a "no distractions" future. All "distractions" have been removed from the car, from the heater to the smartphone to the kids and other passengers.
What are they going to do about all of those deer out there? Ban them? How about the kids playing ball in a park that a road goes past? Ban the ball? How about billboards? I'm distracted by billboards a LOT. Especailly the ones with hot guys on them. And what about those billboards that are like giant TV screens, and the picture is constantly changing? Ban them. Ban construction zones, too. Those are FULL of distractions. (ok, I can totally get behind banning construction zones)
Gotta ban big trucks, too. They can be distracting when they're coming up behind you, or passing. Pretty trees. Cool buildings.
I could go on forever. This is fun.
Yes it should be banned TEXTING while driving is the new DUI , Also answering the cellphone .it's bad enough we have drunk drivers or others driving under the influence of other drugs, adding cellphones increases the accidents ratio and kills more people. I mean is it really that important to talk to someone while driving, is that text that important when it comes to your life or someone else. and seriously how many of us have that many friends that we conversant with all the time anyway. Do you really have to tell them your stopping at McDonald's are going to the bathroom or some body just beeped you are cut you off while driving. GET OFF THE PHONE THE NEXT LIFE YOU SAVE COULD BE YOUR OWN OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE!!!!
In my state textingwhile driving and talking on a cell phone without a hands free device are already illegal. I agree with those laws but I don't think that talking on the phone with a hands free device should be banned. How is that anymore distracting than talking to someone else in the car with you? Next thing you know you will only be allowed to ride in your car alone to be sure you're not talking to anyone. Or listening to the radio while driving will be banned. If someone is such a bad driver that everything distracts them then they shouldn't be driving in the first place. The government doesn't need to control every aspect of our lives people need to learn to be responsible without the government hoovering over their shoulders like a helicopter parent
PonyChaser said it best. It's ridiculous.
Well said PonyChaser.