NTSB: Ban Teen Cell Phone Use in Cars

Teen drivers could soon have to put down their cell phones when driving if states follow the recommendations of the National Transportation Safety Board. The government agency pushed for new regulations at a hearing on highway safety on Tuesday.

"An average of more than 120 young people die every week in vehicle crashes in this country," said Acting NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. "We must do everything we can to reduce these needless deaths and we strongly believe that banning wireless communications devices for teenagers learning to drive will help significantly."

The board has added restrictions to when young drivers can use wireless devices to its "Most Wanted" list of safety improvements. Currently, 11 states have laws pertaining to the use of wireless communications and young drivers, however only eight actually prohibit use during the learning period.

"Learning how to drive and getting comfortable in traffic requires all the concentration a novice driver can muster," the NTSB argues.

"Research has shown that the cognitive effects of conducting a conversation on a wireless telephone can decrease situational awareness and that wireless telephone use can decrease reaction time."

The NTSB pointed to recent studies that suggest many drivers engaged in conversation are unaware of what is going on around them. Suffering from "inattention blindness," drivers could be going through the motions of driving a car yet not fully comprehending what is occurring on the road.

The board plans to push states to enact laws prohibiting the use of cell phones among inexperienced drivers.

The law was first suggested two years ago after a 2002 Maryland crash that killed five people. The cause of the accident was a young woman who became distracted while talking on the phone, flipping her car that landed on a minivan in the opposite lane.

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