There were lots of anecdotes and few hard numbers last week at a House Transportation subcommittee meeting on the danger of using mobile phones while driving.
According to published reports, witnesses testified about friends and children who died because of crashes involving cell phones. But House representatives seemed to be less than inclined to restrict drivers from using cell phones while driving.
Twenty-seven states are looking at passing laws restricting cell phone use, but so far none have passed. About a dozen cities and counties have such laws.
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas said, "I'm not certain we can legislate this behavior," even though she has a friend who died in a car crash while talking on a cell phone.
Patricia Pena of Pennsylvania, told the committee how her 2-year-old daughter died when a driver ran a stop sign while talking on a cell phone. Pena founded Advocates for Cell Phone Safety after her daughter's death. She told the committee that while opponents of restricting legislation would point to many other distractions in vehicles, "Cellular telephone use is a more complex and demanding task. There are simply not comparable distractions."
Some of the other distractions mentioned during the hearing included reading the paper and children in the car.
The mobile phone industry testified about the benefits of mobile phones: family members who helped catch a kidnapper because they called police on their cell phone after spotting the suspect's van on the road; a medical technician who got help over his cell phone while treating a 10-year-old boy lying unconscious after being hit by a car.
Rep. Rob Simmons of Connecticut suggested the government look at ways to make the equipment easier and safer to use instead of restricting it.
According to published reports, witnesses testified about friends and children who died because of crashes involving cell phones. But House representatives seemed to be less than inclined to restrict drivers from using cell phones while driving.
Twenty-seven states are looking at passing laws restricting cell phone use, but so far none have passed. About a dozen cities and counties have such laws.
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas said, "I'm not certain we can legislate this behavior," even though she has a friend who died in a car crash while talking on a cell phone.
Patricia Pena of Pennsylvania, told the committee how her 2-year-old daughter died when a driver ran a stop sign while talking on a cell phone. Pena founded Advocates for Cell Phone Safety after her daughter's death. She told the committee that while opponents of restricting legislation would point to many other distractions in vehicles, "Cellular telephone use is a more complex and demanding task. There are simply not comparable distractions."
Some of the other distractions mentioned during the hearing included reading the paper and children in the car.
The mobile phone industry testified about the benefits of mobile phones: family members who helped catch a kidnapper because they called police on their cell phone after spotting the suspect's van on the road; a medical technician who got help over his cell phone while treating a 10-year-old boy lying unconscious after being hit by a car.
Rep. Rob Simmons of Connecticut suggested the government look at ways to make the equipment easier and safer to use instead of restricting it.
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