NHTSA Says Crackdowns Get Drivers To Put Down Phones

WASHINGTON, DC (WWJ) A new government program indicates that laws against texting or talking on a hand held cell phone while driving do better when they have some teeth in them.

The transportation department found a significant increase in compliance when the laws were combined with public education programs and enforcement crackdowns.

"These findings show that strong laws, combined with highly-visible police enforcement, can significantly reduce dangerous texting and cell phone use behind the wheel," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, in a statement. "Based on these results, it is crystal clear that those who try to minimize this dangerous behavior are making a serious error in judgment, especially when half a million people are injured and thousands more are killed in distracted driving accidents."

The results come from government sponsored efforts in Syracuse, New York and Hartford, Connecticut. Both of those states have laws against texting and driving and speaking on a hand held phone while driving. Michigan only bans texting and driving.

The Transportation Department says that during four periods of stepped up enforcement over the past year, Syracuse police issued 9,587 citations for driver violations involving talking or texting on cell phones while operating a vehicle. During the same period, police in Hartford, Connecticut, issued 9,658 tickets for illegal phone use.

The results, according to a press release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

In Syracuse, New York, because of high-visibility enforcement -– both handheld cell phone use and texting behind the wheel have declined by one-third.

In Hartford, Connecticut, where researchers initially identified drivers talking on their cell phones at twice the frequency (which left more room for improvement), there was a 57 percent drop in handheld use and texting behind the wheel dropped by nearly three-quarters.

This will be followed up with programs that operate on a statewide level.

"The success of these pilot programs clearly show that combining strong laws with strong enforcement can bring about a sea change in public attitudes and behavior," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland, in a statement.

The government has been at odds with automakers over what constitutes a distraction behind the wheel. The companies have been introducing new technologies to help make hands free calling easier, and allow drivers to use voice commands. But Secretary LaHood supports a ban on all cell phone use behind the wheel, even hands free.

Government figures from 2009 say nearly 5,500 fatalities and another half million injuries resulted from crashes involving a distracted driver. Overall, distraction-related fatalities represented 16 percent of total traffic fatalities in 2009, according to those numbers.

Nationwide, 34 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam have enacted texting bans. Nine states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands have prohibited all hand-held cell phone use while driving.

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