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NTSB Calls for Nationwide Ban on Use of Mobile Electronic Devices While Driving


By Julie Alvin


By AutoWeek Tue 12:41 PM

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called for a nationwide ban on the use of personal electronic devices while driving.

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

NTSB wants every state to ban the nonemergency use of these devices and use increased enforcement to implement the law.


“No call, no text, no update is worth a human life,” Hersman said.


You can read the full NTSB press release below:<!--EndofExcerptMarker-->


No call, no text, no update behind the wheel: NSTB calls for nationwide ban on PEDs while driving


December 13, 2011

Following today's Board meeting on the 2010 multi-vehicle highway accident in Gray Summit, Missouri, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) called for the first-ever nationwide ban on driver use of personal electronic devices (PEDs) while operating a motor vehicle.

The safety recommendation specifically calls for the 50 states and the District of Columbia to ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices (other than those designed to support the driving task) for all drivers. The safety recommendation also urges use of the NHTSA model of high-visibility enforcement to support these bans and implementation of targeted communication campaigns to inform motorists of the new law and heightened enforcement.

"According to NHTSA, more than 3,000 people lost their lives last year in distraction-related accidents", said Chairman Deborah A.P. 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."

On August 5, 2010, on a section of Interstate 44 in Gray Summit, Missouri, a pickup truck ran into the back of a truck-tractor that had slowed due to an active construction zone. The pickup truck, in turn, was struck from behind by a school bus. That school bus was then hit by a second school bus that had been following. As a result, two people died and 38 others were injured.

The NTSB's investigation revealed that the pickup driver sent and received 11 text messages in the 11 minutes preceding the accident. The last text was received moments before the pickup struck the truck-tractor.

The Missouri accident is the most recent distraction accident the NTSB has investigated. However, the first investigation involving distraction from a wireless electronic device occurred in 2002, when a novice driver, distracted by a conversation on her cell phone, veered off the roadway in Largo, Maryland, crossed the median, flipped the car over, and killed five people.
Since then, the NTSB has seen the deadliness of distraction across all modes of transportation.

In 2004, an experienced motorcoach driver, distracted on his hands-free cell phone, failed to move to the center lane and struck the underside of an arched stone bridge on the George Washington Parkway in Alexandria, Virginia. Eleven of the 27 high school students were injured;

In the 2008 collision of a commuter train with a freight train in Chatsworth, California, the commuter train engineer, who had a history of using his cell phone for personal communications while on duty, ran a red signal while texting. That train collided head on with a freight train - killing 25 and injuring dozens;

In 2009, two airline pilots were out of radio communication with air traffic control for more than an hour because they were distracted by their personal laptops. They overflew their destination by more than 100 miles, only realizing their error when a flight attendant inquired about preparing for arrival.

In Philadelphia in 2010, a barge being towed by a tugboat ran over an amphibious "duck" boat in the Delaware River, killing two Hungarian tourists. The tugboat mate failed to maintain a proper lookout due to repeated use of a cell-phone and laptop computer;

In 2010, near Munfordville, Kentucky, a truck-tractor in combination with a 53-foot-long trailer, left its lane, crossed the median and collided with a 15-passenger van. The truck driver failed to maintain control of his vehicle because he was distracted by use of his cell-phone. The accident resulted in 11 fatalities

In the last two decades, there has been exponential growth in the use of cell-phone and personal electronic devices. Globally, there are 5.3 billion mobile phone subscribers or 77 percent of the world population. In the United States, that percentage is even higher - it exceeds 100 percent.

Further, a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study of commercial drivers found that a safety-critical event is 163 times more likely if a driver is texting, e-mailing, or accessing the Internet.

"The data is clear; the time to act is now. How many more lives will be lost before we, as a society, change our attitudes about the deadliness of distractions?" Hersman said.

 

Wow. I'm surprised nobody's actually tried that for real. That takes skill!

Is it just me, or does that picture seem a little dirty?

 

Yes, Lou, it's just U ~>
Yes, it does seem `dirty I don't think she had time to take a shower b-4 she departed for work (she was 2 busy text'in)~>...I think she is a dirty girl ~> We should ban her LOL
p.s., Yes, I do think it takes some skill 2 be able to do that.
I heard that practice - makes perfect LOL

I should not be making funnies with such a serious topic
I shall put myself in "Time Out"

 

Yes, I do believe you do need a time out. Perhaps she will give you a severe tongue lashing.

sorry... now I need a time out.

 

Oh if they remotely knew how much more multitasking those of us in the military are called to do on a regular basis they'd probably crap themselves. I don't regularly text behind the wheel but if I get an important call I answer it. I can name a lot more things that are FAR more distracting than cell phones (namely dealing with kids in the car).

 

You bring up a good point Sarge. Any little thing that takes your hand off the steering wheel, is automatically criticized as distracting. And people call for it to be banned. But emergency personnelle and military have a lot more "distracting" equipment installed in their vehicles than most normal people would ever have.

Not saying all of their equipment should be banned. That's all stuff they need to do their job. But just interesting. Although I don't think the military is driving around texting "OMG!!! HALF OFF @ MERVYNS!!! OMG OMG OMG"

 

Ban it all!!!

I'm a very very firm believer that when you are behind the wheel you should just DRIVE.

Believe it or not, not too long ago we didn't have all this crap. People survived!!! Nothing is really so important that it ABSOLUTELY can't wait, or you can't just pull off to a rest stop or a parking lot and sort out issues.

I keep a phone with me, but it stays in my shoulder bag in the passenger seat. If it rings, I know who it is from ringtones. If I think it might be important, I'll wait for either the 2nd call, or the voicemail and I'll pull over and deal with it.

 

I agree with mod Mike. I don't take my phone out for anything. I don't take calls either unless it's from my Dad or my finance and I have bluetooth through my Garmin. I never make calls. And this is why I afraid to drive Precious anywhere now - too many people not paying attention. I have been hit twice in the rear bumper with Silver just sitting at stop lights.

 

i only text at red lights, and i am fine driving and talking on the phone, i never had an issue, but other people are the worse, i say they should ban some elderly drivers, i dont know how many times i have almost been killed!! lol

 

Anything that takes focus of the road is dangerous. There is a texting ban in Michigan but I still see people do it. If i'm gonna have a long conversation I like to use a headset.