Fed Agency Recommends Total Cell Phone Ban In Vehicles [POLL]

A Federal safety agency calls for a cell phone ban in vehicles.

The National Transportation Safety Board recommended the ban for all but emergency use after taking a look at a highway pileup in Missouri that killed two and injured 38 others.

They say the accident was instigated by a 19-year-old driver who sent 11 text messages in 11 minutes prior to the crash. Board Chairman Deborah Hersman said it is clear that the driver was manually, cognitively and visually distracted before smashing into the rear of a truck that started the chain collision that also involved a pair of school buses.

Acting New Jersey Office of Highway Traffic Safety Director Gary Poedubicky says since a New Jersey law went into effect in 2008 that bans the use of handheld devices while driving, more than 400- thousand citations have been issued by police. Beyond that, he says, “we need a public education program, and we need to continue our enforcement efforts.” Poedubicky says many accidents caused by texting still go unreported.

The N-T-S-B’s recommended total ban on cell phoning and driving is their toughest yet.

Courtesy Associated Press