WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2004
DRIVING
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
.
Jersey, D.C. ban cell phones for drivers
By Marc Ingber
mingber@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Photo illustration Courtney Kuhlen
Washington D.C. and New Jersey became the latest places to wage war on distracted drivers last week by banning hand-held cell phone use while driving. The laws, similar to a New York law passed in 2001, requires drivers to use ear pieces or speaker phones to be in compliance.
But it is doubtful that similar legislation will pass in Lawrence or the state of Kansas anytime soon, said Rep. Barbara Ballard (D-Lawrence).
Ballard said she supported a bill that was brought before the Legislature two years ago that banned hand-held cell phone use while driving, but it failed to pass. She supported it in terms of safety reasons, she said, but knew it would be a struggle because cell phone use had become such a large part of constituents' lives.
"It would still be very difficult," Ballard said about passing the legislation today. "I almost feel cell phones are growing out of people's ears."
Cell phone users and carriers put on a lot of pressure, Ballard said. If legislation like this passed, cell phone users' air time would significantly go down and carriers would
lose millions of dollars, she said.
Katie Hillen, Olathe sophomore, said she thought the bill was a good idea, even though she used her phone while driving.
"I know when I'm on my phone,I'm not paying attention as much," she said.
Enforcement would be a difficult aspect of the law. Police officers in Kansas don't pull people over solely for not wearing a seat belt because it is not considered a primary offense, so it is doubtful they would for cell phone use, Ballard said.
On July 1, Washington D.C. and New Jersey banned hand-held cell phone use while driving.
DESIGNATED DRIVERS
New York is the only other state that has passed this type of law, which it did in 2001.
Approximately 270,000 tickets for cell phone use were issued in New York from 2001 through April 2004.
Thirty-three states have considered 83 distracted driving bills this year.
Twenty-two of those bills have dealt with cell phone use. Other topics include television monitors, DVD players and other auto gadgets.
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, almost 30 percent of the 3 million accidents that occur annually may be caused by distracted drivers.
Source: USA TODAY
Daniel Crosby, Manhattan freshman and retail store manager at T-Mobile in the Kansas Union, said it made sense to make drivers use ear pieces or speaker phones rather than completely ban phones.
"We're too dependent to cut them off from everybody." Crosby said.
According to USA Today, automotive group AAA didn't agree with the ban in Washington D.C. and New Jersey because it said drivers' conversations caused the distraction, not the phone itself. Therefore,
Crosby said T-Mobile provided an ear piece with every phone it sold, but he guessed only about 20 to 30 percent of customers actually used one.
forcing drivers to use ear pieces will not solve anything.
It's doubtful Lawrence will pass similar legislation any time soon, said Crosby, who is known to get angry at drivers using cell phones.
Ballard said all states would have to come up with some form of legislation in the future because cell phone use would only get more popular.
"You have this new generation where the cell phone is their only phone," Ballard said. "Instead of being a luxury, it has become a necessity."
- Edited by Julie Jones