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Phoning-While-Driving
Ban Gets New Life With New Committee
By
SARAH HOYE
Capital
News Service—ANNAPOLIS
A bill
to stop the use of hand-held phones while driving, which has
failed four other times, may have a chance this session with
a new committee.
Delegate
John S. Arnick, D-Baltimore, introduced the legislation four
times, only to see it killed in the former House Commerce
and Government Matters Committee. The committee's former chairman,
Delegate John F. Wood, D-St. Mary's, did not think the problem
was as big as people made it out to be.
"Nobody
addresses the lady putting on makeup or the guy eating a sandwich,"
Wood said. "They have not proven it is a bad thing."
This session,
Arnick, along with Delegate Adrienne A. Mandel, D- Montgomery,
once again introduced a bill to stop the use of hand-held
phones while a car is in motion - unless it's an emergency.
It was assigned to the Environmental Matters Committee where
Arnick is a member.
It's unknown
what the Environmental Matters Committee will do with the
measure.
Arnick
drafted the bill after receiving complaints from constituents
about people on cell phones while driving. His opinion was
bolstered by new safety studies.
"It is
a dangerous thing not to pay attention while driving," Arnick
said.
"I don't
think that when you are going 80 miles an hour you need to
use your phone or are going to call in an accident."
Mandel
likes cell phones and says their benefits will only grow when
they are used in a safe manner.
"When
it's in the law, people think twice about doing something
and we need that kind of leverage," said Mandel. "There are
many distractions for drivers, and we can't control all of
them, but this is something we can control."
New York
is the only state to have passed legislation banning the use
of hand-held phones. No information is available showing if
the action has lowered car accidents.
Both Arnick
and Mandel cite a recent study by the Harvard Center for Risk
Analysis that estimates nearly 2,600 deaths may result from
a driver's use of a cell phone. The study, which analyzed
previously collected data, also determined "the benefits of
a ban would be worth $43 billion."
However,
even the study's researchers say more information is needed
on the issue.
"Those
two big numbers call for attention," said Joshua Cohen, senior
research scientist for the study. "There is not enough research.
In 2000, we said more study was needed and there is not enough
(data) to make major policy."
Without
confirmation that cell phone use while driving causes accidents,
the debate continues.
"There
is no proof that using a hands-free (device) is any safer
than using the phone," said Kimberly Kuo, spokeswoman for
the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association.
"Our point is that we can't ignore distractions, but it's
part of a larger issue than using cell phones."
Two other
studies put cell phones way down the list of accident-causing
distractions.
A study
in Florida found that of 256,169 crashes, a cell phone was
to blame just 335 times, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported
Tuesday.
A North
Carolina accident study found that something outside of the
car distracted drivers 29 percent of the time, while cell
phones distracted drivers only 1.5 percent of the time, according
to the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research
Center in a study funded by the AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety.
"The research
on this is really mixed and a lot is being undertaken," said
Executive Director Barbara Harsha of the Governors Highway
Safety Association. "There is not really clear evidence that
banning cell phone use alone [while driving] will be helpful."
"What
we recommend is don't use cell phones at all," Harsha said.
"If you have to use a cell phone get off the road . . . or
get to somewhere safe."
1/24/03
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