B**W
发帖数: 2273 | 1 A federal agency on Tuesday called for a ban on all cellphone use by drivers
— the most far-reaching such recommendation to date — saying its decision
was based on a decade of investigations into distraction-related accidents,
as well as growing concerns that powerful mobile devices are giving drivers
even more reasons to look away from the road.
As part of its recommendation, the National Transportation Safety Board is
urging states to ban drivers from using hands-free devices, including
wireless headsets. No state now outlaws such activity, but the board said
that drivers faced serious risks from talking on wireless headsets, just as
they do by taking a hand off the wheel to hold a phone to their ear.
And Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the N.T.S.B., an independent federal
agency responsible for promoting traffic safety and investigating accidents,
said the concern was heightened by increasingly powerful phones that people
can use to e-mail, watch movies and play games.
“Every year, new devices are being released,” she said. “People are
tempted to update their Facebook page, they are tempted to tweet, as if
sitting at a desk. But they are driving a car.”
The agency based its recommendation on evidence from its investigation of
numerous crashes in which electronic distraction was a major contributing
factor.
Ms. Hersman said she understood that this recommendation would be unwelcome
in some circles, given the number of drivers who talk and text. But she
compared distracted driving to drunken driving and even smoking, which
required wholesale cultural shifts to change behavior.
“It’s going to be very unpopular with some people,” she said. “We’re
not here to win a popularity contest. We’re here to do the right thing.
This is a difficult recommendation, but it’s the right recommendation and
it’s time.”
The agency’s recommendation is nonbinding, meaning that states are not
required to adopt such a ban. And it will likely be frowned upon by state
lawmakers makers who are loath to infuriate constituents who have grown
accustomed to using their device behind the wheel.
But, the recommendation may also provide cover for legislators, safety
advocates and others who support such a broad-based ban. Many polls show
that while people continue to use their devices behind the wheel, they also
widely consider such behavior to be extremely dangerous.
The ban is also noteworthy because it is the first call by a federal agency
to end the practice completely, rather than the partial ban that some
legislators have put in place by allowing hands-free talking.
State Senator Joe Simitian of California, who succeeded in getting a law
passed in 2006 that bans drivers there from talking on a hand-held phone,
called the board’s recommendation “a wake-up call about the dangers of
distracted driving.”
Yet, he also said he doubted it would achieve the desired result because it
was unlikely that legislators in California or elsewhere would be able to
pass such a ban. Mr. Simitian noted that he spent five years trying to push
a ban on hand-held devices, and faced intense opposition from the phone
industry.
“It’s a political nonstarter,” he said, adding that he would not attempt
to propose a total ban on drivers using their devices. “I don’t believe
you’ll see such a ban in my lifetime.” For all his skepticism, though, he
acknowledged that political winds could shift. “A decade ago, people didn’
t think we’d have a hands-free law in California. Only time will tell.”
Nine states now ban the use of hand-held phones, and 35 states ban texting
by drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, which
represents state traffic agencies. The group’s executive director, Barbara
Harsha, called the N.T.S.B. recommendation “courageous” and said it would
prompt the group to reconsider its policy, which calls for banning drivers
from texting but not talking on the phone.
“People may not be ready for that,” she said of such a ban. “But there
will certainly be discussion about it.”
Many mobile phone companies dropped their opposition over the last decade to
any restrictions on the use of phones in cars, and have in recent years
joined calls to ban texting while driving. In a statement, CTIA, the
cellular telephone industry trade group, said it deferred to states about
whether to enforce such bans.
A complete ban on phone use by drivers would have enormous impact on many
car makers that are offering integrated hands-free, voice-activated systems
that allow drivers to talk and do other tasks, like calling up their phone
directory.
The Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers, a trade group for the industry,
said in a statement that it was reviewing the N.T.S.B. recommendations. But
it also defended the integrated systems, saying they allow drivers to keep
their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while they remain connected.
“What we do know is that digital technology has created a connected culture
in the United States and it’s forever changed our society: consumers
always expect to have access to technology; so managing technology is the
solution,” the alliance said in a statement.
Ms. Hersman, the chairwoman of the N.T.S.B., said the safety concerns were
not just about keeping hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, but also
about making sure people focus on the act of driving.
“It’s about cognitive distraction. It’s about not being engaged at the
task at hand,” she said, adding: “Lives are being lost in the blink of an
eye. You can’t take it back, you can’t have a do over, and you can’t
rewind.”
The issue is gaining greater internationally, too.
Last year, Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the United Nations, called for
an end to the culture of multitasking behind the wheel. Already, 30
countries have some limitations on the use of phones by drivers, including
complete bans in Germany and Portugal, said Bella Dinh-Zarr, road safety
director of international road safety with the FIA Foundation, a road safety
advocacy group.
Because of the growing research and concern about the issue, she said, “
More and more countries are going to be looking at it.” | e***s
发帖数: 1397 | 2 以后开车和客座上的人说话行不行？
听收音机行不行？- 或者可以听音乐，不许听talk show?
drivers
decision
accidents,
drivers
as
【在 B**W 的大作中提到】
: A federal agency on Tuesday called for a ban on all cellphone use by drivers
: — the most far-reaching such recommendation to date — saying its decision
: was based on a decade of investigations into distraction-related accidents,
: as well as growing concerns that powerful mobile devices are giving drivers
: even more reasons to look away from the road.
: As part of its recommendation, the National Transportation Safety Board is
: urging states to ban drivers from using hands-free devices, including
: wireless headsets. No state now outlaws such activity, but the board said
: that drivers faced serious risks from talking on wireless headsets, just as
: they do by taking a hand off the wheel to hold a phone to their ear.
| l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 3 嗯, 以后还要规定不准在车里做爱, 只可以在床上,其他地方都不行.
【在 e***s 的大作中提到】
: 以后开车和客座上的人说话行不行？
: 听收音机行不行？- 或者可以听音乐，不许听talk show?
:
: drivers
: decision
: accidents,
: drivers
: as
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