As in other states, distracted driving is a major cause of car accidents in North Carolina. Last month the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended that all states ban cellphones while driving. The recommended ban includes the use of hands-free devices while behind the wheel. Although committed to reducing distracted driving around the country, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced his department would not back the proposal.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, North Carolina currently bans text messaging while driving for all drivers and completely bans the use of cellphones while behind wheel for teenagers under the age of 18. Nine states and Washington D.C. ban handheld phone use while driving and 35 states including D.C. ban texting while driving. No state currently has a complete ban on cellphones.

The National Transportation Safety Board believes that while hands-free devices allow drivers to keep their hands on the wheel by talking through a headset or in-vehicle speakers, drivers are still dangerously preoccupied by the conversation. Last year LaHood spoke about a possible complete cell phone ban but the Transportation Department did not create a plan.

More recently, LaHood said the NTSB's proposal is not necessary because hands-free cell phone use is not a "big problem" in the United States. The Transportation Department has the authority to create new rules on distracted driving but the NTSB does not.

Carmakers have begun to produce cars with hands-free communication systems. The debate over the relative safety of hand-held and hands-free devices is not complete. Another federal agency is set to release a study comparing the two at the end of 2012.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, "U.S. won't back ban of phones for drivers," Sharon Terlep, Dec. 22, 2011