Ban on Cell Phone Use while Driving

An Everett Herald article noted that many people ignore Washington State's ban on using a cell phone while driving (It can only be cited if the driver is pulled over for some other offense such as speeding). The article drew more than the usual number of comments from readers. Here is what I wrote:

Gee, is this a hot button topic or what?
Most Herald articles get no responding posts -- maybe one or two at the most!

My two-cents: My employer (a state agency) prohibits use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. It happened several years ago when an employee was killed on her way home for the day in a collision caused by a driver who was on a cell phone.

Yes, it's true that there are other distractions that can lead to collisions. But, it is easier to document and defend a citiation for violation of a specific prohibited behaviour rather than the more vague "inattentive". It also helps when there is data that demonstrates that a specific activity is hazardous.

A study was done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2006 which involved wiring 100 vehicles with cameras and sensors that recorded their activities for 18 months. The vehicles logged nearly 2,000,000 miles and generated 42,300 hours or 6.3 terabytes of data. The 241 drivers of the vehicles were involved in 82 crashes, 761 near crashes and 8,295 critical incidents.

Researchers found that:
+ 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within 3 seconds before the event.
+Drowsiness is a significant problem that increases a driver’s risk of a crash or near-crash by at least a factor of four. But drowsy driving may be significantly under-reported in police crash investigations.
+The most common distraction for drivers is the use of cell phones. However, the number of crashes and near-crashes attributable to dialing is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening. Dialing is more dangerous but occurs less often than talking or listening.
+Reaching for a moving object increased the risk of a crash or near-crash by 9 times; looking at an external object by 3.7 times; reading by 3 times; applying makeup by 3 times; dialing a hand-held device (typically a cell phone) by almost 3 times; and talking or listening on a hand-held device by 1.3 times.
+Drivers who engage frequently in distracting activities are more likely to be involved in an inattention-related crash or near-crash. However, drivers are often unable to predict when it is safe to look away from the road to multi-task because the situation can change abruptly leaving the driver no time to react even when looking away from the forward roadway for only a brief time.

So, the data supports prohibiting cell phone use while driving -- and apparently several other specific hazardous activities. Like other states with similar laws, it won't be taken seriously until it is made a primary offense.