Subject: [NEXTEL-1] The Cell Phone Saga Cooper Claims Law Makes Roads Safer

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 07 Nov 2002 18:43:26 -0500

The Cell Phone Saga Cooper Claims Law Makes Roads Safer
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=5957284&BRD=1776&PAG=461&dept_id=6365&rfi=8

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 

Home -> News Stories -> Content

Thursday 7 November, 2002

NEWS SEARCH

Advanced search

News Stories

Top Stories

Community News

Willmotts & Why Nots

Weather

Editorial

Letters To The Editor

Point Of View

Outdoor Corner

Life On The Water

Education

Health & Wellness

This Week

Suffolk Autos

National News

County Chronicle

Political

Sports Wire!

Classifieds

Business Directory

Community

Shopping

Obituaries

Fun and Games

Home & Garden

Careers 2002

Our Newspaper

Consumer Guide

Personal Finance

Lifestyles

Breast Cancer Awareness

SECTION LINKS

Display Ads

Comments?

Advertiser Index

Contact Us

Top Stories

The Cell Phone Saga
Cooper Claims Law Makes Roads Safer

By Amy Basta

November 06, 2002

The accuracy of a press release recently issued by Legislator Jon Cooper (D-Huntington) related to hand-held cellular phone use by drivers, an illegal activity in the state of New York, is questionable.

Cooper's release - which cites a study issued by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that found that the rate of hand-held cell phone use while driving in New York State decreased from 2.3% before the law's implementation to 1.1% after the law went into effect - makes the correlation between this decline and "a safer driving atmosphere for all New York drivers."

The problem? The study Cooper cites makes no such correlation.

"Reductions in hand-held cell phone use may or may not be accompanied by a corresponding reduction in crashes," reads the study. "Whether the New York ban on hand-held phones has reduced motor vehicle crashes, deaths and nonfatal injuries could not be addressed by this study."

Legislation making it illegal for people to use hand-held phones while driving, authored by Cooper, went into effect in Suffolk County in January 2001. Nassau County followed suit in July 2001, as did the state in December 2001.

The study Cooper refers to, entitled, "Drivers' Use of Hand-Held Cell Phones Before and After New York State's Cell Phone Law," examined phone usage in Albany, Binghamton, Kingston and Spring Valley, New York both before and immediately after the statewide law went into effect.

"In the four New York areas combined, the hand-held cell phone use rate decreased significantly, from 2.3% one month before the warning took effect to 1.1% immediately after the fine-with-waiver phase took effect on December 1," according to the study. However, it also is noted that "With seat belt laws, violation rates rose a few months after the law became effective. It is unknown if a comparable rise in cell phone use violations will occur in New York."

"I would hypothesize that over time, people would begin using them [hand-held phones] again," stated Anne McCartt, the study's primary author. McCartt, a senior research associate with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, speculated that if areas in downstate New York had been tested, hand-held cell phone use probably would have been a lot higher.

In fact, a more recent study conducted in April and June of 2002 by the University at Albany's Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research found that 1,160 of the 39,042 drivers observed in 20 NY counties were using cell phones while driving. Of the 1,160, "two-thirds (67%) were holding the phone to their ear in violation of New York's cell phone law."

So while the law's effectiveness remains debatable, even more unclear is whether there is any definitive relationship between the use of hand-held phones and motor vehicle accidents. While Cooper's release states, "The findings in the report indicate that most drivers are abiding by the law, and that has surely prevented accidents from occurring," McCartt is not so sure. "Certainly in New York we weren't able to look at whether the substantial declines in hand-held cell phone use translated into a decline in crashes," she said.

And although she isn't ruling out the idea that the use of hand-held phones may contribute to accidents, she does note, "There are some people who really believe quite strongly that it's not holding the phone as much as talking" that is a distraction.

A study conducted back in 1997 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration examined the safety impacts of using hand-held phones while driving and found that "Among these cases, conversation appeared to be most associated with the crashes reviewed," according to NHTSA executive director L. Robert Shelton. "However, the study also concluded that the data were insufficient to indicate the magnitude of any safety-related problem associated with using a cell phone while driving."

But Cooper remains steadfast in his position that the law has had positive results. "I am absolutely convinced that using a hands-free device is less distracting than hand-held," he said. "I think most people would say there's no doubt it's made the roads safer, it's lowered the accident rate."

"The compelling evidence as to the effect of the cell phone law would be a comparison of the accident rates both before and after the law," stated Legislator George Guldi (D-Hampton Bays). "I have not seen any evidence of statistically significant differences."

According to the Suffolk County Police Department's Research and Development Section, the number of accidents in the county increased from 45,738 in 2000 to 46,988 in 2001. There is no data available regarding whether the use of a hand-held cell phone was the cause of any of these accidents.

Cooper did note that the state is in the process of conducting a four-year study to determine how many accidents actually result from the use of hand-held phones.

©Suffolk Life Newspapers 2002

Reader Opinions

Be the first person to voice your opinion on this story!

Back to top

Questions or comments? Email the Webmaster.

Copyright © 1995 - 2002 PowerOne Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.