NTSB calls for nationwide ban on in-car handsets

by Steven Mostyn - Dec 14 2011, 17:18

In a move to help reduce the amount of people dying on U.S. roads, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called for the implementation of a nationwide ban on the in-car use of electronic devices.

As things stand, some 35 states across the U.S. (and the District of Columbia) enforce a ban on text messaging, and nine states have banned sending or receiving calls on handheld mobile phones.

However, the safety board wants to see a blanket ban across all states preventing the use of any portable electronic device while behind the wheel—including gadgets with hands-free capabilities.

A recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that there are some 13.5 million drivers using handheld electronic devices across the U.S. at any given moment.

“According to NHTSA, more than 3,000 people lost their lives in distraction-related accidents,” outlined NTSB chairperson Deborah Hersman. “It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving,”

“No call, no text, no update, is worth a human life,” the board added before also pointing to a particularly telling 2010 traffic accident in Missouri that led to the death of two people.

According to an ensuing investigation, the driver responsible for causing those fatalities and for injuring 38 other people had sent and received 11 text messages during the 11 minutes directly preceding the crash.

The blanket ban would not cover emergency communications or devices pre-installed by the vehicle manufacturer. The use of electronic devices by passengers would also not be affected.

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