Cell Phone Policy Objections FAQ
Locally raised objections and responses
National Safety Council Policy: http://www.nsc.org/news/policy/multitasking.htm
A major study of 100 cars and 241 drivers using video recording: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-12/100Car_ESV05summary.pdf and the 2nd phase analysis of inattention. (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-13/810594/images/810594.pdf)
Distracted Driving: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-13/newDriverDistraction.html
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has a major article with many references on Distracted Driving, Cell Phone Use and Motor Vehicle Crashes
Work by Art Kramer, UIUC professor: http://www.beckman.uiuc.edu/directory/index.php?qry=BY_NETID&type=BIO&filter=a-kramer
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/transportation/cellphoneupdate05.htmhttp://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones/
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/20/driving.study/index.html
http://www.livescience.com/technology/050201_cell_danger.html
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/15/california-passes-ban-on-mobile-phone-use-behind-the-wheel/Newspaper article on Virginia Tech Study
and from Virginia Tech itself“Role of cellular phones in motor vehicle crashes resulting in hospital attendance” by S. McEvoy et al. published in the British Medial Journal. This was a study in Australia showing drivers using cell phones 4x more likely to be in an accident (with or without hands free) and also talks of an earlier Canadian study: http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr071205.html and here: http://www.newsdial.com/technology/communication/cell-phone-statistics.html, and the same general story from Wired Magazine and at: http://www.allbusiness.com/insurance/insurance-associations/4998912-1.html
Drivers on cell phones clog traffic and like being legally drunk - research by David Strayer, University of Utah and related stories
http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=062206-1
http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=121907-2 and from Science News: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080102083801.htm
Brain activity reduced while driving: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305104905.htm
"ScienceDaily (Mar. 6, 2008) — Carnegie Mellon University scientists have shown that just listening to a cell phone while driving is a significant distraction, and it causes drivers to commit some of the same types of driving errors that can occur under the influence of alcohol. The use of cell phones, including dialing and texting, has long been a safety concern for drivers. But the Carnegie Mellon study, for the first time, used brain imaging to document that listening alone reduces by 37 percent the amount of brain activity associated with driving. This can cause drivers to weave out of their lane, based on the performance of subjects using a driving simulator. The findings, to be reported in an upcoming issue of the journal Brain Research, show that making cell phones hands-free or voice-activated is not sufficient in eliminating distractions to drivers."
National Institute of Health (NIH):
CELL PHONES AND DRIVING"The risk of being in a car accident while talking on a cell phone is higher than any risk for cancer. Regulatory organizations such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Safety Council (NSC) emphasize that a cell phone conversation distracts the driver. Therefore, having a hands-free phone may not reduce the chance of an accident. There is considerable controversy over these safety issues. New laws regarding cell-phone use while driving have passed or are being reviewed. For example, New York has a law prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving. Other states have some restrictions."
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/ethicalesq/2005/03/07
http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/6/rosen.htm
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,56733-0.html
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2006/10/11/tech-cellphonebill-061011.html
http://www.crashprevention.org/
Worldwide, there are a number of bans. For example, text messaging by drivers is banned in Great Britain and that all forms of cell phone use by drivers are banned in Germany - though the current lists don't seem to indicate any places that have banned hands-free except in Calcutta, India.
http://www.cellular-news.com/car_bans/
http://www.iihs.org/laws/state_laws/cell_phones.html
The State of Delaware has a very comprehensive law on reckless/inattentive driving consequences though unless it's drug or alcohol related, the penalties are not much better than Illinois's: http://delcode.delaware.gov/title21/c041/sc09/index.shtml
Sleep deprivation moderate alcohol consumption: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme3/interactionsbetweensleep.pdf
From NHTSA general site: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/alcohol_impaired.html:
A Review of the Literature on the Effects of Low Doses of Alcohol on Driving-Related Skills ( posted 01-00)
A review of the scientific literature of the effects of alcohol on driving related skills examined the lowest BAC at which impairment was reliably present, and the thresholds of impairment for several behavioral areas. Authors concluded that all drivers can be expected to experience impairment in some driving-related skills by 0.08 g/dl or less.Driver Characteristics and Impairment at Various BACs (posted 09-00) Also available in .pdf
This laboratory study examined the effects of alcohol on driving skills at BACs of 0.00% to 0.10% in a sample of 168 subjects assigned to age, gender, and drinking practices groups. The study was designed to determine the BACs at which impairment of specific experimental tasks occur and the interaction of age, gender and drinking practices with BAC on the magnitude of impairment.
2006 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment and the updated State Traffic Safety Information (STSI) web site. The Annual Assessment report provides details of motor vehicle traffic crash fatality counts and estimates of people injured for 2006. and The 2005 version.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/bicycle_safety/index.htm
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped/index.htm
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped/pedforum/pedforum_winter06.htm
http://www.walkinginfo.org/pedsafe/pedsafe_selection.cfm
Many of these sites were contributed by Cynthia Hoyle, a transportation planner active in the Urbana-Champaign area. Other contributers include A. L. Ishii and I. Karliner.http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/index.htm
http://www.completestreets.org