Proposed legislation to ban cell phone usage in cars

Indiana drivers who yap on the phone in their cars could face stiff fines as a result of the proposed legislation to ban mobile phone use while on the road. The proposed bill, Bill 131, was authored by Indiana State Senator Rose Ann Antich-Carr last week, who cited safety as the reason for her proposal.\n"I truly believe cell phones are one of the causes of major accidents," Antich-Carr said.\nThe proposal is in response to growing evidence that motorists' use of cell phones increases crash risk Antich-Carr said. \nIf it becomes law, the legislation would encourage drivers to anonymously report offenders to police using a land line. Violators of the ban would face a $1,000 fine for a Class B infraction. However, drivers would still be able to talk on their cell phones in an emergency situation or by using hands-free cell phone devices, including headsets and other attachments. \nDavid Puchalsky, a New York resident and IU junior said, "If people will be pulling over to make phone calls to the police, it could lead to more accidents as they try to make their way back onto the road." \n"The New England Journal of Medicine" recently reported that motorists who use cell phones are four times more likely to crash and equated their use with drunk driving.\nSimilar cell-phone bills have been introduced in the state legislature over the past three years but died before being voted on. The biggest state effort to ban the use of the mobile devices while driving came in 2001, when State Representative Jeff Thompson introduced Bill 1446, a legislative move to prohibit all mobile phone use by Indiana motorists.\nIn 2001, New York became the first state to ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. Forty states have since then considered laws and adopted minor restrictions to cut cell phone use in cars, and three already have imposed minor restrictions on talking on a cell phone while driving. In addition, at least 23 countries, including England, Italy and Japan, have banned cell phone use while driving.\n"When I'm home, I always see people talking on their phones while they are driving," Puchalsky said. "Whether a ban is in place or not, people will continue to do what they want."\nA 2002 survey conducted by FOX 59 Indianapolis revealed that 76 percent of Hoosiers frequently talk on their cell phones while driving.\nPuchalsky said he doesn't understand the logic of banning cell phones while driving when cars come equipped with other distracting devices such as GPS systems and DVD players.\n"If they ban cell phones, they should ban everything," Puchalsky said. "Who knows, having a passenger in the car could be more distracting than using a cell phone."\nJunior Jon Sosnay said he supports the proposed legislation and uses his cell phone with hands-free capabilities when driving. \n"There are a significant number of car accidents due to people talking on their cell phones," Sosnay said. "The law in general has already made the roads safer in New York." \nAlthough it's not clear how many car accidents are related to cell phone use, Indiana accident report forms do list cell phone use as one of the possible contributing factors in a car crash, Sgt. Dave Hensen of the Indianapolis Police Department said.\n"Until we have any law banning mobile devices, we can't call cell phone usage a primary factor which is punishable by citation or arrest," Hensen said.\nThe next regular session of the Indiana legislature begins in mid-month, and members are expected to debate and vote on the issue.\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.\n-- Contact general assignments editor Lori Geller at lfgeller@indiana.edu.