AA demands cell phone ban

Oh dear – the AA is complaining that the Government has not yet banned cellphone use in cars. And well done that they have not.

The LTSA itself has statistics showing that of all in-vehicle distractions in crashes, cell phone use made up only 10%, slightly more than the radio/cd. Passengers made up around 28% and reaching for or adjusting an object around 25%.

So by this logic we should ban passengers, radios and maps from cars!

Fast and Safe has a useful page which shows cell phone usage is a factor in only around 0.5% of crashes. And with an overseas survey observing around 2% of drivers are using a cellphone, there is clearly no evidence at all that cellphone use is a significant road risk.

As the LTSA itself noted in the article, people can be prosecuted under existing legislation targeting careless and reckless driving if their use of a cellphone in a car is dangerous.