AMA’s Rx: No handheld devices for drivers

The American Medical Association — already on record against text messaging while driving — has endorsed laws that ban all forms of handheld devices for those behind the wheel.

Members called the use of handheld devices such as cell phones and texting devices “a very serious public health problem.”

“We’re very supportive of legislation to deal with this,” said AMA board member Dr. Edward Langston. “We want your hands on the steering wheel.

“A Harvard study estimates that about one in 20 traffic accidents involve a driver talking on a cell phone. By banning the use of handheld devices while driving, we can help prevent accidents and ensure the driver’s full attention is on the road.”

The AMA’s call for bans on drivers’ use of handheld devices includes cell phones, largely forgotten in the 2009 legislative rush to deal with texting by motorists.

The official position in favor of handheld cell phone laws was adopted the AMA’s semi-annual policy meeting on Nov. 10.

Last year the group of almost a quarter million physicians threw its weight behind various state efforts to ban text messaging while driving. “No one should have to worry that other drivers are focused on texting instead of traffic,” the medical association said at the time.

NSC talks tough on cell phone bans

The National Safety Council wants a total ban on cell phone use while driving, regardless of whether a hands-free accessory is in the loop.

The 94-year-old safety group made national headlines in mid-January with its cell phone-ban initiative, which recommends laws that are more restrictive than almost all of those under consideration or adopted by the states. Almost all legislation allows for hands-free cell phone use.

“It’s time to take the cell phone away,” NSC president Janet Froetscher said.

The NSC plans to lobby the individual states as well as private businesses. It has sent letters to state governors and key legislators in favor of statewide cell phone bans for motorists.

Many state legislators are resistant to cell phone bills that allow for hands-free use, although text-messaging prohibitions seem to be an easier sell in the current legislative season. Legislation that calls for a total ban on motorists’ use of cell phones typically is designed to later add the hands-free provision as a compromise with opponents of the bill.

“Employers understand how dangerous the behavior is and their potential liability,” Froetscher said. “We are asking all businesses to join us by adopting policies banning calling and texting while driving on the job.”

The NSC plans to step up education efforts about the dangers of distracted driving. It cited the famous 2006 University of Utah study that found on-the-road cell phone use was as bad as drunken driving.

The group points to its past success with seat belts as proof that important auto safety initiatives can be successful over the long term.

“There will be a day when we look back and wonder how we could have been so reckless with our cell phones and texting devices,” Froetscher said.

In October, the NSC came out with guidelines for state teenage driver policies, which include no use of cell phones or text-messaging devices.

Update: Not surprisingly, the emerging hands-free device industry is alarmed by the prospect of a total ban on cell phones while behind the wheel.

Parrot Inc., which calls itself the largest manufacturer of hands-free car kits, conducted a poll of U.S. adults that showed two-thirds of them would retaliate against legislators who voted for a total ban on cell phones while driving. Almost 85% of drivers aged 18-34 felt people would vote out the lawmakers.

And the pollsters found that 46% of the respondents would not support a ban on “true, voice-activated hands-free systems.”

The hands-free poll was conducted online by Harris Interactive, with 2,491 participants. As with any vested-interest poll, it should be taken with a grain or two of salt. (Parrot did not provide the poll questions’ wording.)

“Ultimately, the survey results mirror Parrot’s beliefs,” said Christian Coly, director of technology at Parrot.

Cell phone safety: Bet you didn’t know …

Cell phone safety would seem largely a matter of common sense. Pay attention, watch the road and you’ll arrive safely.

But researchers who have been studying cell phone-related accidents since the 1990s say there are some surprising ways in which wireless phones endanger drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

For example, the simple act of talking on a cell phone actually decreases the quality of visual information received and processed by the brain. Talk more and you see less!

State legislators are increasingly mandating hands-free cell phone use for drivers. Hands-free devices such as Bluetooth headphones can prevent accidents and save lives, but motorists need to be aware of how these cell phone accessories change the dynamics of driving and talking.

Handsfreeinfo.com has rounded up some leading cell phone safety tips provided by traffic researchers and public safety groups. Here are 15 of the best:

Keep calls short: Drivers increasingly lose focus during lengthy cell phone calls, research shows. If the conversation lasts more than 5 minutes, hang up and call back once you’ve parked.

Get to know your phone: Fumbling through a cell phone’s menus while on the road can be extremely dangerous. Practice speed-dialing, redialing and routing calls to voice mail.

Compensate: Some studies equate cell phone driving with drunken driving. Others cite “instant aging” — that a 20-year-old’s reaction times are reduced to those of a 70-year-old’s. A University of Utah study found that when 18- to 25-year-olds were placed in a driving simulator and talked on a cellular phone, they reacted to brake lights from a car in front of them as slowly as 65- to 74-year-olds who were not using a cell phone. These are controversial findings, but everyone agrees that cell phone use impairs driving ability. Be aware that you’re not operating the motor vehicle at 100% of your ability. Compensate with extra caution.

Don’t look at caller ID: Most cell phones can be programmed to provide different ring tones for the people in your directory, such as family and friends.

Two things at a time: Many accidents are caused when cell-phoning drivers attempt to do other things — plugging in a power chord, fumbling for a pen, reading directions. Don’t compound the cell phone safety challenges.

Dial while stopped: If you must dial when the vehicle is in motion, hold the phone level with the windshield. Shift your eyes back and forth from the road to the cell phone. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says phone equipped with hands-free headsets and voice-activated dialing systems usually require more time to dial, increasing distractions.

Get an assist: Ask passengers to use their own mobile phones or to do the dialing on yours. Teach older children how to operate your cell phone.

You’ve got voice mail: If a call comes in while you’re in an intersection, entering a freeway or engaged in similar activities, let voice mail answer the cell phone.

Curb your enthusiasm: Numerous studies link the emotional content of a conversation with the level of danger while driving. This also applies to complicated, frustrating or exciting topics. If you’re upset or confused, hang up or pull over in a safe spot.

That’s a stretch: Make sure the cell phone and any accessories such as a hands-free headset are close by while driving.

Just say no: Tom Magliozzi of the popular “Car Talk” radio show says, “For non-emergencies like saying hi — checking in — or making calls you could just as easily make from your home, your office or a parking lot — take our advice and drive now, talk later.” Studies suggest that cell phone users use 60% of their airtime while driving.

Now hear this: Wireless phones often switch from one transmitter station to another during a drive. This leads to varying levels of audio quality. If reception is poor, compensate for the distraction — or better yet, hang up and call back once parked.

Watch out: Researchers in Tokyo found that when attention is focused on listening, vision is affected. The brain can’t give full attention to the visual demands of driving and the audio demands of listening at the same time. Focus on watching the road.

Watch your speed: The Swedish National Road Administration reports that drivers wearing hands-free headsets drive faster than drivers who are holding cell phones. It’s also easy for your speed to creep up while you’re dialing.

Dial in shifts: If you must enter a phone number while driving, don’t do it all at once. Dial a few numbers, return your attention to the road, and then dial the other numbers.

The message:Almost all of the above applies to text messaging, which has been banned for drivers in three states: Washington, New Jersey and now Minnesota. A 2008 survey by Nationwide insurance reported that 18% of motorists said they text-messaged while driving. It’s not just kids: The portability of office-related data has made adults dedicated multitaskers (diverted drivers), text-messaging commuters trying to get a jump on the day’s tasks.

Drivers better off talking to passengers

Cell phone calls are far more distracting to drivers than chats with their passengers, a new study finds. The results apply to hand-held phones as well as those equipped with hands-free devices such as wireless headphones.

Researchers at the University of Utah examined the simulated driving patterns of 41 adults and their passenger friends, concluding that “the difference between a cell phone conversation and passenger conversation is due to the fact that the passenger is in the vehicle and knows what the traffic conditions are like, and they help the driver.” Most of the study subjects were young adults. (continued)

Graduate students demonstrate the driving simulator used at the University of Utah

“Friends don’t talk to their driving friends on cell phones,” researcher Frank Drews says.

Drivers using mobile phones drove much worse than motorists talking with passengers. The cell-phone users were more likely to drift in their lane, and kept a greater distance between their car and the car in front, signaling a lack of attention. They were four times more likely to miss pulling off the highway at a rest area specified by researchers.

Passenger conversation seemed not to affect performance.

The university has been active in research on cell phone use by drivers; its work includes the famous 1996 study that concluded motorists using cell phones are as bad at driving as drunks. The researchers maintain that both handheld cell phones and those with the hands-free devices are a hazard. They also concluded in another study that young adults using mobile phones exhibit reaction times as slow as those of seniors.

The new study also found that drivers tended to talk more when using the cell phone. This could be due to the drivers trying to control the conversation to mask the fact that they were distracted inattentive to the person on the other end of the line.

The Utah researchers did not address the affects of text messaging, a major national concern in recent months.

The Utah cell phone study first appeared in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, dated Dec. 15.

Distracted driving dangers, up close

Cell phoning while driving is the best-known behavior categorized as distracted driving, but there are countless other dangerous things people routinely do behind the wheel.

The National Safety Council’s International Symposium on Distracted Driving, Oct. 14-17 in Arlington, Va., examines the problem with participants from the fields of transportation and safety, the auto business, science and government, among others.

“Distracted driving contributes to hundreds of thousands of injuries and deaths each year,” said Janet Froetscher, NSC’s president and CEO. “People who drive while talking on a cell phone, for instance, are four times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers who aren’t on cell phones.

“This symposium will accelerate critical conversations about how we can most effectively combat distracted driving as a national issue, drawing from a variety of perspectives to save lives,” Froetscher said.

The broad topic of distracted driving often enters legislatures’ debates on bills that seek to prohibit handheld phone use while driving. Behaviors such as applying makeup, reading newspapers, attending to young children and even watching videos are examples of distracting driving. “Will we ban these activities in vehicles as well?” cell phone law opponents often ask.

Sessions include “Understanding the Science of Distracted Driving,” “Legislature and Laws,” “Employer Policies” and “Technology.”

The symposium’s co-sponsor is Nationwide Insurance.

“It is high time to focus public attention on this serious and growing national problem,” said Bill Windsor, associate vice president of safety for Nationwide. “The symposium will yield information that may benefit everyone who drives.”