Feds Call For Nationwide Ban On Driver Use Of Cell Phones

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called on all 50 states - at least those that have not yet done so - to ban the use of cell phones and other electronic devices by people behind the wheel.

The recommendation came at the conclusion of an NTSB hearing into a 2010 accident in Missouri that involved two school buses, a piece of construction equipment, and a passenger vehicle. Two people were killed and 38 others injured.

The NTSB ruled the probable cause of the accident was the 19 year old driver of the passenger vehicle sending 11 text messages in the 11 minutes before the fatal crash. The young driver was one of the two fatalities.

The board also faulted the drivers of the two school buses; the first for inattention behind the wheel and the second for tailgating.

Up 50%

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study released last week said texting behind the wheel increased 50 percent last year. Twenty percent of drivers admit they've dashed off a text message while driving. The study found the younger you are, the more likely you are to have done it.

Driving while talking on a cell phone, also against the law in a number of states, is an even more common practice, the survey found. Most drivers surveyed said they will take a cell phone call while driving.

Nine states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. Except for Maryland, all laws are primary enforcement—an officer may cite a driver for using a hand-held cell phone without any other traffic offense taking place. Thirty-five states, D.C. and Guam ban text messaging for all drivers.