WASHINGTON — Novice drivers should be barred from using cell phones -- even hands-free units -- while behind the wheel, a federal safety agency recommended Tuesday in its first effort to acknowledge a growing concern.
The National Transportation Safety Board stopped short, however, of endorsing broader restrictions on cell phone use now being considered in California. NTSB Chairman Ellen Engleman said scientific data about the safety consequences of talking on the phone while driving remain unclear.
Tuesday was the first time that the NTSB has dealt with the safety implications of cell phone use on the road. Drivers under age 20 account for about 7% of motorists, but are involved in 14% of fatal accidents, according to government figures.
With 145 million cell phone subscribers in a nation of 191 million licensed drivers, the devices are "potentially a key factor in driver distraction," Engleman said.
But she cautioned: "When we are talking about a safety issue that could involve 145 million people, we would like to have solid data behind any recommendation that goes forward."
At least two academic studies have documented a link between cell phone use and traffic accidents, but obtaining accurate data remains a problem because police in most states do not routinely collect information on the role of phone use in crashes.
California is considering legislation to ban the use of hand-held phones while driving, but would allow hands-free devices. New York already has such a law, and the federal government discourages its employees from using hand-held phones when driving official vehicles.
But Engleman said some studies suggest there is little difference between using hands-free and hand-held phones.
"It is the cognitive aspect of the conversation that is the distraction, not whether you are holding a phone in your hand," Engleman said.
What seems to distract drivers is conversation with a person who is not in the vehicle. By contrast, a conversation partner in the vehicle is usually aware of the road and is less likely to interfere with the driver in a hazardous situation, NTSB investigators said.
On Tuesday, board members heard detailed reports on two crashes in 2002 in which cell phone use was cited as a factor. One was a highway accident near Washington involving an inexperienced driver, and the other a train wreck in Texas.
