Posted on 08/06/2003 8:07:30 AM PDT by chance33_98
Highway Safety Group Urges States to Slow Down on Cell Phone Bans
8/6/03 10:00:00 AM
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To: National Desk
Contact: Barbara Harsha or Christine Linn of the Governors Highway Safety Association, 202-789-0942
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following are remarks delivered today by the Vice Chair of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) at a release of new research on distracted driving funded by AAA and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. More information about the research is available at http://www.aaafts.org. More information about GHSA's position on distracted driving is available at http://www.ghsa.org.
Distracted Driving Press Event August 6, 2003, 10 a.m. ET National Press Club, Lisagor Room, Washington, D.C.
Remarks of Colonel Jim Champagne, vice chair, Governors Highway Safety Association
"Thank you, Dr. Stutts for your important research and I also thank AAA and the AAA Foundation for supporting this effort. I appreciate the opportunity to be here today to speak with you about one of the most significant emerging issues in highway safety---distracted driving. I am the Executive Director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and Louisiana's Governor's Highway Safety Representative. Today, I am speaking as Vice Chair of the Governors Highway Safety Association, known as G-H-S-A. GHSA members are appointed by their governor to oversee their state's highway safety office. GHSA members are responsible for implementing a variety of behavioral highway safety programs on issues like drunk driving, occupant protection and distracted driving.
"GHSA has long believed that there are a variety of distractions that either cause a driver to crash or contribute to the crash and the Association's policy reflects this fact.
"Dr. Stutts' research validates what state highway safety offices have long known: distractions such as talking with other passengers, looking at objects outside the vehicle, adjusting the radio and eating, are just as likely if not more likely to distract the driver as a cell phone.
"Part of the challenge of reducing distracted driving is determining the scope of the problem. We need a better idea of the number of crashes in which driver distraction is a cause or contributing factor. Effective highway safety policy must be based on sound research and data, and when it comes to distracted driving, we simply don't have enough information. Only a handful of states currently include distracted driving as a data element on crash forms that are completed by police after a traffic accident. To help remedy this, GHSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently updated the voluntary guideline that states use to collect crash information. The new guideline includes a recommendation that states track whether or not driver distraction contributed to a crash. It also suggests that states track whether the driver was distracted by an electronic communication device such as a cell phone, a distraction inside the vehicle like a radio or an object outside the vehicle such as another vehicle. More information about this new guideline is available on the GHSA website at http://www.ghsa.org.
"So what do we do about driver distraction? While states can help determine the scope of the problem, GHSA urges the federal government to fund more research to help us better understand driver distraction and effective countermeasures. Dr. Stutts research is incredibly valuable and GHSA wants to ensure that funding is available to conduct additional studies. The federal government should also fund a comprehensive media campaign to educate the public about the dangers of distracted driving and the way for drivers to best manage distractions. Educational campaigns helped to greatly reduce drunk driving and helped increase seat belt usage. The same positive effect can be achieved with this issue.
"States can also promote distracted driver education. GHSA supports the model drivers' manual language developed by AAA and urges states to include it or something similar in drivers' manuals.
"I want to take a minute and share GHSA's views on distracted driver legislation. Given that ALL distractions present a danger to drivers, GHSA discourages states from enacting bans that only address talking on a cell phone while driving or only ban hand-held cell phones. Let me be clear. Talking on a cell phone either with or without hands-free equipment distracts a driver and increases the likelihood of a crash. Driving is a very complex task that requires the driver to make multiple decisions in a very short time span. Drivers need to focus 100 percent of their attention on the road. However, GHSA is concerned that simply banning drivers from talking on a cell phone while driving sends a bad and potentially dangerous message. State legislatures should refrain from banning cell phone use without addressing other distracting behavior. We are particularly concerned about legislation that would ban only handheld cell phones because it would give drivers a false sense of safety. Even with hands-free equipment, a driver still can be distracted by the conversation. Hence, a ban on hand-held cell phone use would still enable a person to drive distracted. Consistent with recent recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board, GHSA does support a ban on cell phone use for novice drivers - primarily young drivers receiving their first licenses.
"To conclude, while more research and data collection are occurring, the best course of action is to conduct educational campaigns to alert drivers to the dangers of distracted driving. Once we have additional information about distracted driving, states can then evaluate the merit of any legislative action.
"Again, thank you for the invitation to be here today and I'm glad to answer any questions."
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The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is a nonprofit association representing the highway safety offices of states, territories, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Indian Nation. Its members are appointed by their Governors to administer federal and state highway safety funds and implement state highway safety plans. Contact GHSA at 202-789-0942 for more information.
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