NTSB tells workers to hang up and drive

Posted 18m ago
By Alan Levin, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The people who investigate the nation's most high-profile transportation accidents must now practice what they preach: They will no longer be allowed to use cellphones while driving.

Debbie Hersman, the new chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said Tuesday that employees of the agency are barred from using any wireless device behind the wheel while on duty. The restriction applies whether the device is hands-free or not.

The action appears to make the NTSB the first federal agency to adopt an outright ban of wireless devices while driving, according to the agency and highway safety experts. It also puts stricter rules on NTSB employees than the citizens of all 50 states.

The NTSB, which investigates accidents but has no regulatory authority, has issued several recommendations to state and federal agencies in recent years calling for restrictions on wireless devices for motor vehicle drivers and train operators. A collision last year between two trains in Chatsworth, Calif., has been linked to text messages sent by the conductor of one train. The crash killed 25 people.

"Our own investigations have confirmed what safety researchers know," Hersman said in remarks delivered at her swearing in. "Using a telephone or other electronic device while driving, even with a hands-free kit, significantly increases the risk of an accident. ... We must lead by example."

Jonathan Adkins, spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association, called it "a best practice that we want to see emulated."

Such bans make sense, but questions remain about how to enforce them, said Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which studies how to reduce the risk of crashes.

Seven states plus the District of Columbia ban use of handheld cellphones while driving, but drivers can make calls on hands-free devices.

Research shows drivers talking on any type of cellphone are at greater risk of an accident, said Arthur Goodwin, senior research associate at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.

Hersman said she had been an enthusiastic user of her cellphone in the car, but the growing number of accidents linked to the devices persuaded her to change.

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