Tri-State Drivers Ignore Ban Against Driving With Handheld Cell

by Glenn Swanson

October 4th, 2007 8:35 AM

tri state drivers ignore ban against driving with handheld cell

Connecticut, New York and New Jersey all prohibit drivers from yakking on a cell without a hands-free device. A new study of 902 tri-state drivers commissioned by Parrot, a Texas-based manufacturer of said technology, reveals that 72 percent of these mobile mobile users now own a hands-free device. Now the bad news: only 14 percent of them use the equipment religiously (regardless of denomination). Jersey drivers are the worst offenders; 43 percent of their in-car calls are held via the handset. "The challenge of hands-free compliance is not only perception but also reality,” says the irony-loving Ed Valdez, president and COO of Parrot. “The reality is that the majority of tri-state drivers are still using their hand-held cell phones because they don't perceive that the law applies to them.” Reflecting the “it’s the other guy who’s driving sucks” gestalt, the debate over the statistical danger of cell phone distracted drivers (as opposed to tiredness, children, food, etc.) continues. Meanwhile, anecdotal evidence of cell-related tragedies– such as this morning’s report in the Houston Chronicle— sustains the momentum for outright bans against drivers using hand-held cells.

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Chuckgoolsbee on Oct 04, 2007

"The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition is so powerful a principle, that it alone, and without any assistance, not only capable of carrying on the society to wealth and prosperity, but of surmounting a hundred impertinent obstructions with which the folly of human laws too often incumbers its operations" --Adam Smith in "Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations"

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Cavendel on Oct 04, 2007
Pch101 : October 4th, 2007 at 10:23 am If cell phone usage was truly the equivalent of drunk driving, then fatality rates should be climbing faster than a hot single up the pop charts. Unless of course it is being balance off by better and safer cars. I can totally believe the results of that study. Driving should take the vast majority of your concentration. People turn down the radio when looking for a destination in an unfamiliar area. Why? Because brains are not good multi-taskers. I wonder what the results of the study would be for having a conversation with the passenger in the car. Is there a difference between that and a person on the other end of the phone?

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Cavendel on Oct 04, 2007
But wait, there’s more. Many countries have banned them, yet have not seen any benefit in their fatality rates, either. Surely, if this menace to society was banned from their highways that they should have seen outstanding results from it? Well, apparently not. Drunk driving doesn't really show up either. They claim stats like 50% of fatalities involve alcohol, but all that means is that someone within 50 meters of the accident has had a drink in the last 24 hours. You have a beer at dinner and then get into an accident 6 hours later, that becomes an alcohol related accident. GIGO.

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Nopanegain on Oct 04, 2007

Hi Glenn, It does not matter much, but Parrot ain't from Texas, they are from FRANCE. Curious to read if there are similar results with Citroen and Renault drivers around Nice.

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