"Shocking" and "heavy-handed."
That is how some observers reacted last week to a recommendation by a federal government agency to ban the use of mobile phones and other personal electronic devices while Americans are driving.
Horace Cooper, an adjunct fellow with the National Center for Public Policy Research, characterized the National Transportation Safety Board recommendation as a "remarkably heavy-handed action." The NTSB on Tuesday recommended that all 50 states and the District of Columbia ban the non-emergency use of portable electronic devices for all drivers.
"An absolute ban on all cell phone use is more than a wrongheaded intrusion on our freedom – as it implies adults aren't careful enough to make responsible decisions regarding cell phone use and driving – it also will be costly to many Americans and dangerous for some," Cooper wrote.
The reason for the recommendation, however, is simple and compelling: Drivers get distracted with devices like smartphones and endanger the public. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that more than 3,000 people died last year in accidents that were related to distractions.
"It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving," NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said in a statement. "No call, no text, no update, is worth a human life."
Thirty-eight states already have passed legislation that regulates cell-phone use on the roads, according to Matt Howard, co-founder and CEO of ZoomSafer, a provider of software to promote safe and hands-free use of mobile phones while driving. Yet Howard described the NTSB's recommendation as "shocking."
"Never in the history of this debate" at the regulatory or legislative level had "anyone suggested the possibility of an outright ban or cell phones," said Howard last week in an interview. "It was never even brought up."
Still, the feds have been working diligently to address the sometimes fatal problem of drivers who are distracted by their iPhones, BlackBerrys, Android-powered smartphones and other gadgets. Last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a final rule that prohibits interstate truck and bus drivers from using hand-held cell phones while operating their vehicles.
There's also legislation pending in the U.S. Senate. A bill introduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would instruct LaHood to withhold one-fourth of a state's federal highway funding if the state does not impose a ban on texting, according to Cooper of the National Center for Public Policy Research. Separate legislation sponsored by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) would give grants to states that enact a law to address distracted driving, Cooper said.
