National Bill To Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving
Representative Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., will announce legislation today with the goal of altogether banning handheld use of mobile devices while driving at the national level.
McCarthy cited National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics that found at least 5,400 people died due to distracting driving in 2009, and that “using a cell phone makes drivers four times more likely to be in an injury-causing accident.”
There is currently nothing in place on a national level which prohibits handheld cell phones from being used while driving to make calls or place text messages.
Nine states and the District of Columbia currently prohibit drivers from using handheld phones to place calls while driving, and there are 34 states that currently ban text messaging.
