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Lawrence, Kansas Says To Hell With Any Mobile Phone Use By Drivers
from the none-of-that-now dept
Following a bunch of studies that have suggested a hands-free kit impacts driving just as much as holding a phone to your ear, it looks like Lawrence, Kansas may be the first city to seriously look at banning all driving-while-yakking, whether hands-free or not. Of course, as we've discussed previously, most people seem to ignore such bans anyway, while there are plenty of other driving distractions out there as well. This isn't to say that people should chat on their phones while driving -- but just that we already have laws against reckless driving. Instead of trying to ban every possible distraction, why not focus on simply going after the bad drivers?
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The rest of the world bans cell phones + driving
If you put a 20-year-old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone, their reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone," said University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer. "It's like instantly aging a large number of drivers." Finally, empirical proof you can blame chatty 20-somethings for stop-and-go traffic on the way to work. A new study confirms that the reaction time of cell phone users slows dramatically, increasing the risk of accidents and tying up traffic in general, and when young adults use cell phones while driving, they're as bad as sleepy septuagenarians. "If you put a 20-year-old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone, their reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone," said University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer. "It's like instantly aging a large number of drivers." The study was announced today and is detailed in winter issue of the quarterly journal Human Factors. Traffic jams and death Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year, according to the journal's publisher, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. The reason is now obvious: Behind the Statistics Are Cell Phones Really So Dangerous? Drivers talking on cell phones were 18 percent slower to react to brake lights, the new study found. In a minor bright note, they also kept a 12 percent greater following distance. But they also took 17 percent longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked. That frustrates everyone. "Once drivers on cell phones hit the brakes, it takes them longer to get back into the normal flow of traffic," Strayer said. "The net result is they are impeding the overall flow of traffic." Strayer and his colleagues have been down this road before. In 2001, they found that even hands-free cell phone use distracted drivers. In 2003 they revealed a reason: Drivers look but don't see, because they're distracted by the conversation. The scientists also found previously that chatty motorists are less adept than drunken drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding 0.08. Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year, according to the journal's publisher, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. ************************ The US is being negligent by not banning cell phone use with drivers. This country is obviously lagging behind the rest of the world. Cell phone use while driving in banned in a majority of countries, globally Australia Yes Banned in all states - fines vary though. Austria Yes Fines vary - up to US$22 per incident Belgium Yes Phones can be used without a hands-free unit when the car is stationary - but not while in traffic (such as at traffic lights) Brazil Yes Ban imposed Jan. 2001 Canada Variable Banned in Newfoundland (Dec2002) fines up to US$180 Chile Yes Czech Republic Yes Denmark Yes Ban imposed July 1998 - US$60 fine for infringements Egypt Yes Fines of about US$100 per offence. Germany Yes Ban imposed Feb. 2001 - usage allowed without a hands-free unit only when the engine is switched off. Greece Yes Hong Kong Yes Hungary Yes Not often implemented by the police India - New Delhi Yes Ban extended to ban all use of cell phones when driving, including use with a hands-free unit - July 2001 Ireland Yes Banned, with a US$380 and/or up to 3 months imprisonment on a third offence. Handsfree kits allowed, although that is subject to review. Isle of Man Yes Banned since July 2000 Israel Yes Italy Yes Fines of up to US$124 per infraction Japan Yes Ban imposed Nov. 1999 Jersey Yes Ban imposed Feb. 1998 Jordan Yes Ban imposed Oct. 2001 Kenya Yes Ban imposed late 2001 Malaysia Yes Netherlands Yes Norway Yes Fines of over $600 per infraction Philippines Yes Poland Yes Fines can be as high as US$1,000 Portugal Yes Romania Yes Russia Yes Ban imposed by Prime Minister - March 2001 Singapore Yes Slovak Republic Yes Slovenia Yes South Africa Yes South Korea Yes Ban imposed July 2001 - US$47 fine + 15 points on the license. Spain Yes Sweden Yes Switzerland Yes Taiwan Yes If the driver is using a reflective screen on the car, local privacy laws forbid stopping the car for violating the ban. Thailand Yes Bill proposed in May 2000 Turkey Yes Turkmenistan Yes Signed into law with effect from May 1st 2003, by President Saparmyrat Turkmenbasy UK Yes No formal ban - but is illegal to drive without "due care and attention" which can be used to bar driving with a cell phone. Ban proposed to come into effect from December 2003 Zimbabwe Yes Ban imposed in Sept 2001, announced via official news agency only though, so not confirmed
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