In 2003, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed to do a study of 10,000 drivers to determine the risk of cellphone use while driving. The NHTSA wanted this large study to conclusively say what smaller studies have said: driving while talking on a cellphone is dangerous.
The proposal was allowed to die after members of the US Congress and the Department of Transportation threatened the NHTSA with funding cuts. The reason: it will enrage American drivers and the telecos already have 'invested' millions of dollars into congress.
Dead was a draft letter the highway safety agency prepared for (Transportation Secretary Norman) Mineta to send to governors. The letter, as well as a draft policy, said that driver distraction contributes to a quarter of traffic accidents and “the use of cell phones while driving has contributed to an increasing number of crashes, injuries and fatalities.’’ The letter also stated that hands-free phones were no more safe than handheld phones and thus any laws that would ban handheld phones but permit hands-free devices “will not be effective’’ and “may erroneously imply that hands-free phones are safe.’’ (Boston Globe)
This fact was revealed under the US's Freedom of Information Act. It is hoped that the Obama administration will soon reveal the NHTSA 2003 efforts and commission the 10,000-driver study.
The real score
Studies have repeatedly shown the link between cellphone use while driving and the increased risk for crashes or collisions. A New England Journal of Medicine study concluded that using a cellphone while driving increased the risk of a collision four times.
