Nanny-State Alert: Austin bans hand-held phone use while driving

The Austin City Council banned talking on a hand-held cell phone driving, not just texting, despite evidence from states which have enacted similar bans that such laws don't reduce accidents. Reported KEYE-TV (8/29):

California may be a good example. The state put a similar ban in place in 2008. While observational surveys show handheld use of cells phones dropped, studies showed no significant decrease in the number of accidents. One reason may be because there are a lot of other things that distract drivers, like the radio, personal grooming, and eating and drinking. Another issue is drivers' willingness to break the law if they think they won't get caught. We see evidence of that when drivers speed, or drink and drive. Despite knowing it's illegal they take a chance. This was brought up at the public safety commission meeting when this ordinance was still in the draft phase. Shupe summed up the problem, saying, "The bottom line is personal responsibility comes into play and drivers need to keep their eyes on the road, and their mind on what they're doing."

Read More at: http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/cell-phone-ban-may-not-reduce-crashes-20441.shtml

California may be a good example. The state put a similar ban in place in 2008. While observational surveys show handheld use of cells phones dropped, studies showed no significant decrease in the number of accidents.

One reason may be because there are a lot of other things that distract drivers, like the radio, personal grooming, and eating and drinking.

Another issue is drivers' willingness to break the law if they think they won't get caught. We see evidence of that when drivers speed, or drink and drive. Despite knowing it's illegal they take a chance. This was brought up at the public safety commission meeting when this ordinance was still in the draft phase.

Shupe summed up the problem, saying, "The bottom line is personal responsibility comes into play and drivers need to keep their eyes on the road, and their mind on what they're doing."

The new offense is a Class C misdemeanor. and only bans phone use while the car is in motion; you can still punch in numbers at a stoplight or while stuck in traffic and put the phone on speaker.

My personal belief is that careless drivers are careless in more aspects of their behavior than just cell-phone use, so this nanny-state tactic likely won't be any more effective than in the Golden State. Indeed, some states which banned texting while driving found accident rates increased because people held their phones in their laps to thwart police detection. Other studies have found that hands-free phone use while driving is as dangerous as holding a phone to your ear; it's the conversation that distracts you from the road, not the act of holding the phone.

For these reasons, Grits sincerely doubts this new law will contribute one iota to reduced traffic deaths, but it may contribute to the city's coffers when ticket revenue starts to roll in. Though no one will say so, that's the most important functional result from this new law. It probably won't make us safer but it may turn out to be a helluva revenue generator. If so, expect to see it replicated in other cities.

California may be a good example. The state put a similar ban in place in 2008. While observational surveys show handheld use of cells phones dropped, studies showed no significant decrease in the number of accidents. One reason may be because there are a lot of other things that distract drivers, like the radio, personal grooming, and eating and drinking. Another issue is drivers' willingness to break the law if they think they won't get caught. We see evidence of that when drivers speed, or drink and drive. Despite knowing it's illegal they take a chance. This was brought up at the public safety commission meeting when this ordinance was still in the draft phase. Shupe summed up the problem, saying, "The bottom line is personal responsibility comes into play and drivers need to keep their eyes on the road, and their mind on what they're doing."

Read More at: http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/cell-phone-ban-may-not-reduce-crashes-20441.shtml

California may be a good example. The state put a similar ban in place in 2008. While observational surveys show handheld use of cells phones dropped, studies showed no significant decrease in the number of accidents. One reason may be because there are a lot of other things that distract drivers, like the radio, personal grooming, and eating and drinking. Another issue is drivers' willingness to break the law if they think they won't get caught. We see evidence of that when drivers speed, or drink and drive. Despite knowing it's illegal they take a chance. This was brought up at the public safety commission meeting when this ordinance was still in the draft phase. Shupe summed up the problem, saying, "The bottom line is personal responsibility comes into play and drivers need to keep their eyes on the road, and their mind on what they're doing."

Read More at: http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/cell-phone-ban-may-not-reduce-crashes-20441.shtml