Don't ban cell phones, yet--U.S. Safety Council
By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2001-08-19
As U.S. states rush towards banning cell phone use while driving, some safety stakeholders are holding back. In a recent interview (Aug. 16), CNN's Carol Lin talked with Chuck Hurley of the U.S. National Safety Council and Jonathan Adkins of StateHighwaySafety.org , an organization that advocates for highway safety.
There were three important findings in a recent study released by the University of Utah, said Hurley: "One is that study participants, while talking on the phone, missed twice as many simulated traffic signals as when they weren't talking on the phone. Second, they took longer to react to traffic signals. And third, that there was no difference between hand-held and hands-free performance. I should stress this was a small sample size in a simulated study. But it does raise the concern."
The National Safety Council and StateSafety.org support a strong education program for drivers, and it supports a ban on cell phone use for teenagers participating in a graduated licensing program. Read the full article .
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