Traverse City Record-Eagle

Other Views

January 7, 2012

Another view: Cellphone ban good

New Castle (Pa.) News

As of Jan. 2, it

is illegal for

commercial truck

drivers to use hand-held

cellphones on the nation’s

highways.

A new federal rule bans

the practice. Truckers will

be able to use a handsfree

device or pull over to

make calls. But they face

penalties for employing

traditional cellphones

while behind the wheel.

The purpose of this new

rule is simple: safety.

Studies of cellphone use

while driving confirm

what more than a few

casual observers have noticed

— driving with one

hand, while focusing on a

conversation coming out

of a tiny device in your

other, is distracting.

And distractions while

driving cause motor vehicle

accidents.

In fact, some studies

equate the level of distraction

from cellphone

use to be on par with low

levels of intoxication.

This is precisely why the

National Transportation

Safety Board recently

called for states to ban

cellphones while driving,

including the use of

hands-free devices ...

Unfortunately, a law

alone will not lead to

safer highways. People

have to obey that law, and

recognize it’s on the books

for their own long-term

good.

 

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