Safe Driving  RSS Feed

CTIA Position:
CTIA-The Wireless Association® and the wireless industry are strong advocates of safe driving and believe driver education is more effective than legislation to change drivers’ behavior and help them drive more responsibly.

Drivers are constantly confronted with potential distractions that come in many forms, and legislation aimed narrowly toward wireless use doesn’t adequately address the bigger issue of distracted driving.

While research on the subject is mixed, debate should be guided by the facts and refocused on educating drivers to be responsible behind the wheel.   

Key Points:

  • Education, Not Legislation, is the Best Way to Make Drivers More Aware of their Responsibilities Behind-the-Wheel. Safety officials, such as the Chairman of the Governor’s Highway Safety Administration, agree with the industry and numerous elected officials that driver behavior can be more effectively changed through education, and not legislation. Laws aimed just at wireless use create a false sense of security with regard to the issue of distracted driving. In addition, CTIA along with Sprint Nextel, Cingular Wireless, Dobson Cellular Systems, and other wireless companies have developed programs and sponsored public service announcement (PSA) campaigns designed to educate distracted drivers. Many of the programs target young drivers, on the theory that more experienced drivers are better prepared to handle distractions behind the wheel.
  • There are Numerous Potential Driving Distractions. Numerous studies cite reaching for moving objects, drowsiness, pushing audio buttons, eating, personal grooming, other passengers, and reading as some of the many other potential driving distractions. Wireless use has often been listed behind many of these activities in terms of how distracting of a behavior it might be while driving.
  • The Largest Federal Study ever on Distracted Driving Shows Talking or Listening on a Wireless Device While Driving is just as Safe as Not Engaging in Those Activities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in spring 2006 released the results of the largest naturalistic study on distracted driving. Among its conclusions, drivers talking or listening to a wireless device were no more likely to be involved in a crash or near crash, than those not talking or listening to a device. However, dialing a phone while driving more than doubled one’s risk of having a crash or near crash. This highlights the industry’s safe driving tips, which include never dialing or taking notes while driving.
  • Statistics Indicate Wireless use Does Not Equate to Dangerous Driving. Driving statistics from the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that from 1994 to 2004, the number of U.S. licensed drivers and miles driven went up. At the same time, the number of wireless subscribers went up 655% and their average monthly minutes-of-use was up 3,900%. Also, fortunately, in this same period of time the federal government reported the number of crashes decreased by about 5%.
  • New Rresearch and Technological Advancements Provide Innovative Solutions to the Problem of Distracted Driving. Wireless companies are developing inventive solutions, such as “hands-free car kits” and the “Polite Phone” prototype, to utilize ground-breaking Bluetooth technology to provide a voice-command interface between the car and the cell phone. This enables actions such as hands-free voice dialing, answering, and hanging up. The next generation of hands-free cell phone technology for vehicles will help to decrease distraction and ensure that drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.