The National Safety Council is seeking a nationwide ban on all cell phone and messaging devices while driving, after multiple studies have suggested that drivers using them face an increased risk of being involved in a car crash.

 

The ban the organization is speaking of includes not only handheld devices, but also hands-free ones, since they can be just as dangerous.

 

Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, explained that even if the driver has both hands on the wheel, he pays more attention to the call and less to the driving. She also made a comparison with drunken driving: “When our friends have been drinking, we take the car keys away. It’s time to take the cell phone away.”

 

Statistics have shown that cell phone use while driving is a critical factor in 6 percent of crashes (in 636,000 cases to be more precise), which result in 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 fatalities every year.

 

According to a recent study, drivers talking on their cell phone are more likely to miss an exit compared to drivers talking to another car passenger, because the passenger adds an extra pair of eyes on the road.

 

The National Safety Council representative said they are prepared for a complicated process that is not going to happen overnight. However, they will continue to push for the ban through a three-step approach that includes advocating legislation, educating the public about the risks of cell phone use while driving and supplementing distracted driving content in its training of 1.5 million people annually in defensive driving.