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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Get where you’re going and then make your call

The Spokesman-Review

The following editorial appeared Thursday in the Everett Herald.

The “Click it or Ticket” seatbelt campaign has been highly successful. So let’s try another one: “Turn off your cell, it’s dangerous as … .” OK, the public relations folks can work on that one. But the fact remains that yet another study has proven how hazardous it is to drive under the influence of a cell phone.

Researchers in Australia found that drivers distracted by cell phone conversations quadruple their risk of a serious accident. The researchers talked to drivers and also used phone company records so they could compare crash risks in the same driver at the same time of day, with the only difference being whether they were using their phones or not.

The study found the link between phone use and increased crash risk held true regardless of driver age, sex, or whether or not he or she was using a hands-free mobile phone. So let’s quit pretending this is just a teens-and-their-cell-phones issue. From talkative teens, to the busy mom using the quiet time in her car to make calls, to the businessperson networking while on his or her way to the next appointment, the message is the same: Hang up. Get where you’re going and then make your call.

It’s not to say that drivers aren’t distracted by other things. They are. And it’s not to say there aren’t horrible drivers out there who aren’t on the phone. There are. But the phones are ubiquitous and the studies offer such scary evidence against them. And in this road-ragey, self-important, multitasking world that we live and drive in, every precaution is needed.

When the Legislature opens in January, Sen. Tracey Eide, D-Auburn, will introduce for the sixth time a bill to ban hand-held cell phones while driving. This bill, which didn’t even warrant a hearing in the Transportation Committee last session, is important to our safety and long overdue. It would make Washington the third state to pass such a law. The only question is whether the bill should go further and ban hands-free phones as well, since the Australian study shows the distraction remains the same.

Regardless, banning hand-held phones is a critical first step. Talkative drivers are a menace to themselves and others.