| Wireless communication has dramatically | | | | Washington, D.C. and Connecticut. In 2008, |
| improved daily life, but mobile phone | | | | California will join the ranks of states |
| technology also has a dramatic downside: the | | | | banning hand-held phone use by drivers. In |
| proliferation of cell phone use by drivers | | | | November 2006, it was determined by the |
| has made the roads considerably more | | | | National Conference of State Legislatures |
| dangerous. | | | | (NCSL) that there were 14 statewide bans on |
| | | | cell phone use by minors operating an |
| Cell Phones are a Leading Cause of Driver | | | | automobile. |
| Distraction | | | | |
| | | | Hands-Free is No Safety Guarantee |
| A joint study released by the National | | | | |
| Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) | | | | Many drivers have switched to hands-free |
| and the Virginia Tech Transportation | | | | mobile phone devices in an effort to cut down |
| Institute in April 2006 concluded that nearly | | | | on their risk of being involved in car |
| 80 percent of car crashes and 65 percent of | | | | accidents. However, recent evidence suggests |
| near-crashes occur within three seconds of | | | | that even a hands-free cell phone presents a |
| some kind of driver distraction. Dialing a | | | | danger on the road. According to the |
| cell phone ranked among the most dangerous | | | | Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study |
| distractions, tripling the risk of being | | | | conducted in Perth, Australia in 2005, |
| involved in an auto accident. However, while | | | | switching from hand-held cell phones to |
| dialing was extremely dangerous, the study | | | | hands-free devices does not reduce the risk |
| discovered that merely having a conversation | | | | of car crashes. Another study conducted by |
| on the phone while driving was less of a | | | | the University of Utah, and published in the |
| hazard than reaching for a falling object or | | | | summer of 2006, the issue of human factors |
| driving while drowy. However, the prevalence | | | | also concludes that hands-free cellular |
| of cell phone use by drivers makes it the one | | | | phones carry the same risk as hand-held |
| of the most common - and therefore most | | | | phones. Research is being conducted on how |
| dangerous - factors in car and truck crashes. | | | | high the risk is of hands-free mobile phone |
| Currently, as per the NHTSA, there are more | | | | devices are -- as many claim that the driver |
| than 10 million U.S. drivers talking on | | | | is more concentrated on a conversation via |
| cellular phones at any given moment, an | | | | the phone than on their driving skills. |
| alarming figure given the link between cell | | | | |
| phones and distracted driving. | | | | It is advisable for an individual who has |
| | | | just been in an automobile accident a |
| Cell Phones Bans on the Rise | | | | driver's cell phone use increased the chance |
| | | | of the wreck occuring, contacting a personal |
| In response to the increasing evidence | | | | injury lawyer could be beneficial. Upon |
| linking cellular phone use and auto | | | | contact with an automobile accident attorney, |
| accidents, a number of states have started to | | | | you will likely receive a consultation on |
| ban their use on the roads. States with | | | | your case and how potential monetary |
| legislation restricting cell phone use while | | | | compensation can be derived. |
| driving include New York, New Jersey, | | | | |