Texting while driving is certainly not a very clever move – that’s why it’s been banned in 35 states in America already. Speaking on a handheld cellphone ranks a close second, since it distracts the driver and makes steering the vehicle more difficult.
Transport Secretary Ray LaHood is campaigning against distracted driving – and in that he has the support of car manufacturers, too. On the other hand, NTSB, a safety board, wants to ban all cell phone use while driving, including those made using hands-free devices.
LaHood, who certainly endorses safety, told reporters yesterday “the problem is not hands-free. That is not the big problem in America.”
So far, only nine states have banned handheld phone use while driving. LaHood urged drivers to stop using their cellphones when they are behind the wheel: “We need people to take personal responsibility. Put the cellphone in the glove compartment”, he said.
He also referred to NTSB’s campaign: “Anybody who wants to join the chorus against distracted driving, welcome aboard. If other people want to work on hands-free, so be it.”
NTSB chairwoman, Debbie Hersman, does not agree with the Transport Secretary, saying that “hands-free is not safer than handheld in many circumstances.”
“We’re not here to win a popularity contest,” she said on C-SPAN this week. “While it may not be the popular recommendation, it is the safe recommendation.”
LaHood has already said that he won’t support a ban on hands-free calls unless research data shows that it must be done.
Story References: Detnews
