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Data find all cell phone use dangerous

Since 2003, federal officials withheld information that indicated using hands-free cell phones while driving was as dangerous as handheld phones, according to consumer groups who obtained the relevant documents.

In recent years, cities and states passed laws requiring drivers to use hands-free phones, but lacked the information the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had in studying the issue, according to Public Citizen and the Center for Auto Safety. No state completely bans handheld and hands-free phones for all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Administration.

“People died in crashes because the government withheld this information,” said Clarence Ditlow, Center for Auto Safety executive director. “States passed laws and took action to restrict only handheld cell phone use assuming hands-free cell phones use was safe. The studies NHTSA concealed showed that all cell phone use is as hazardous as drinking and driving.”

Currently, the NHTSA website’s notes that “available research indicates that whether it is a hands-free or hand-held cell phone, the cognitive distraction is significant enough to degrade a driver’s performance. This can cause a driver to miss key visual and audio cues needed to avoid a crash.”

CAS is now petitioning the NHTSA to restrict the availability of two-way communication features through in-vehicle systems while the vehicle is in motion, and is asking NHTSA to support state programs to limit use of hands-free and handheld phones by drivers.

Last year, the agency originally fought the Freedom of Information Act request by CAS by claiming an exemption to the FOI law that allows nondisclosure of deliberative documents that pre-date policy decisions.

Public Citizen and CAS argued the documents were not deliberative, but consisted of factual accounts, statements and summaries on cell use and driving.

Public Citizen attorney Margaret Kwoka said that while FOI Act protects an agency’s decision-making process, “these documents reflect facts about safety risks that the public had every right to see.”

Cell phone conversation while driving creates “inattention blindness,” a cognitive state that slows a driver’s reaction time and limits his ability to detect changes in road conditions. NHTSA analysis found drivers using hands-free technology talk on the phone with greater frequency and for longer intervals.

The FOI Act and related NHTSA documents are available at www.autosafety.org .

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