Driving and Cell Phones Don’t Mix, Safety Council Says

January 15th, 2009

The National Safety Council is throwing down the gauntlet on motor safety. The group is taking a three-pronged approach to stop wireless-device usage while driving: Asking consumers to stop, urging businesses to enact policies prohibiting it, and urging governors and legislators to pass laws.A Harvard Center of Risk Analysis study estimates cell-phone use while driving contributes to six percent of crashes, which equates to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries, and 2,600 deaths each year. The study also put the annual financial toll of cell-phone-related crashes at $43 billion.

“Studies show that driving while talking on a cell phone is extremely dangerous and puts drivers at a four times greater risk of a crash,” said Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the NSC. “Driving drunk is also dangerous and against the law. When our friends have been drinking, we take the car keys away. It’s time to take the cell phone away.”

Click here to read the rest of my story on Sci-Tech Today.

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