Should Utah Outlaw Cell Phone Use While Driving?

We as motorists and pedestrians are all aware of the inherent dangers of driving while intoxicated. For our own safety as well as the safety of everyone else on the road we as responsible citizens must all make an effort that if we have had anything to drink we must not drive. However despite our efforts to stop drunk driving and save lives, we may be ignoring a potentially more dangerous habit, cell phone use while driving. A hazard that is far more prevalent than intoxicated driving has ever been.

Psychologists from the University of Utah have released a study that shows some startling results. Based on their findings the team has concluded that people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood-alcohol limit of 0.08 percent, which is the minimum level that defines illegal drunken driving in most U.S. states. The study was conducted with volunteers driving a virtual realty car simulating an average neighborhood driving experience. Each of the study's 40 participants "drove" a driving simulator four times: once each while undistracted, using a handheld cell phone, using a hands-free cell phone and while intoxicated to the 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level after drinking vodka and orange juice. Participants followed a simulated pace car that braked intermittently.

Despite the danger and warnings Utah does not have any type of statute that limits this behavior at all. An average eight (8) to ten (10) percent of drivers are using cell phones while driving at any given time of day. Could you imagine how we would feel if one (1) out of every ten (10) cars we saw on the road were being operated by a drunk driver? There are many types of cell phone usage laws being implemented through out the country. For example:

• Handheld Cell Phones: 8 states (Calif., Conn., Del., Md., N.J., N.Y., Ore. and Wash.), D.C. and the Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving.
  • Except for Maryland, all laws are primary enforcement—an officer may cite a driver for using a handheld cell phone without any other traffic offense taking place.
• All Cell Phone Use: No state bans all cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for all drivers, but many prohibit all cell phone use by certain drivers:
  • Novice Drivers: 28 states and D.C. ban all cell phone use by novice drivers.
  • School Bus Drivers: Bus drivers in 18 states and D.C. may not use a cell phone when passengers are present.
• Text Messaging: 30 states, D.C. and Guam ban text messaging for all drivers. 11 of these laws were enacted in 2010. 26 states, D.C., and Guam have primary enforcement. In the other four, texting bans are secondary.
  • Novice Drivers: An additional 8 states prohibit text messaging by novice drivers.
  • School Bus Drivers: 2 states restrict school bus drivers from texting while driving.
• Some states such as Maine, N.H. and Utah treat cell phone use and texting as part of a larger distracted driving issue. In Utah, cell phone use is an offense only if a driver is also committing some other moving violation (other than speeding).

Crash Data Collection: Many states include a category for cell phone/electronic equipment distraction on police accident report forms. Recently proposed federal legislation would require states to collect this data in order to qualify for certain federal funding.

Preemption Laws: Many localities have passed their own distracted driving bans. However, some states – such as Fla., Ky., La., Miss., Nev., and Okla. – prohibit localities from enacting such laws.

So the final question should be "is it time that we crack down on this growing problem?" Or better yet is this even something that we can actively prohibit as a state?