Federal Accident Experts Call For Ban On Cell Phone Use While Driving

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As a car and truck wreck lawyer in Atlanta, I have been waiting for the day when some federal agency or committee stepped forward to call for a total, nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving. That day has come. The NTSB has stepped forward and, in the most far-reaching recommendation ever set forth by such a significant agency, has called for a ban on non-emergency cell phone calls and text messages for all vehicles on the road.

Before you write an e-mail or letter to your congressman, note that the proposed ban does not apply to hands-free devices or passengers. While we are all guilty of talking on the phone too much in the car, ask yourself, “does that make it right?”. Study after study has shown that talking on a cell phone is tantamount to drunk driving and the similarities with respect to perception time and stopping distances are striking. No one is arguing that those who talk on cell phones while driving are guilty of the same level of conduct as those who drink and drive. However, one cannot dispute the objective, scientific evidence that cell phones are a very, very dangerous distraction.

Our Dekalb and Fulton County based law firm has represented numerous people who have been very seriously hurt after being hit, either as pedestrians or while driving, by motorists who were on cell phones. The issues is serious enough that the CDC has published an entire section on distracted driving in their “Injury Prevention & Control” section.