Would Ban On Cellphones and PEDs Behind the Wheel Include the Police?

No distracting electronic devices in your average police cruiser. No, not at all.

In the wake of a multi-vehicle fatality accident in Missouri that the National Traffic Safety Board blames on a driver distracted by receiving text messages behind the wheel (even though their own report indicates other errors and inattentiveness by drivers contributed to severity of the the incident) the safety agency is recommending that all 50 states ban the use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices while driving. Here is the NTSB’s recommendation in that regard:

1. (1) Ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices (other than those designed to support the driving task) for all drivers; (2) use the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration model of high visibility enforcement to support these bans; and (3) implement targeted communication campaigns to inform motorists of the new law and enforcement, and to warn them of the dangers associated with the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices while driving. (H-11-XX)

The question is whether such laws will be enforced fairly and consistently for all drivers or will police get special privileges.

Continue reading the complete post here.

When he’s not busy doing custom machine embroidery at Autothreads Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth and contributes to The Truth About Cars and Left Lane News