The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is, for the first time, calling for a nationwide ban on drivers using personal electronic devices (PEDs), including cell phones.
The NTSB recommended that all 50 states and the District of Columbia ban the non-emergency use of all PEDs while driving after discussing a 2010 Missouri multi-vehicle accident in which two people were killed and 38 injured. The NTSB investigation revealed that the driver of the pick-up truck that started the chain-reaction crash had sent and received 11 text messages in the 11 minutes preceding the crash.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 3,000 people were killed in 2010 in crashes related to distracted driving.
The New York Times reports that the NTSB is recommending that states even ban drivers from using hands-free devices such as headsets. According to the Times, no state currently bans the use of these devices.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) 10 states, including Connecticut, now ban talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving. IIHS says that 35 states, including Connecticut, ban text messaging while driving.
