STAFF EDIT: Calling for safety

If Massachusetts legislators restrict cellphone use on the road, they would drive home the importance of road safety in the commonwealth.

While some states have banned all but hands-free cellphone use and others have restricted new drivers from speaking and steering, Massachusetts actually has a law on the books that specifically permits the use of mobile phones and citizens band radios, so long as the driver keeps one hand on the wheel at all times.

The law, passed in the 1970s, prohibits drivers from doing “anything which may interfere with or impede the proper operation of the vehicle,” with this notable exception. In the last two decades, cellphone use has exploded, and drivers who use them run a higher risk of causing accidents.

Now, the State House should decide on a ban to literally take the distraction out of drivers’ hands and restrict cellphone use to hands-free earpieces and Bluetooth devices.

The main point of an argument, either in favor or against cellphone bans, is the distracted driver factor. Skeptics may question whether only taking cellphones away from young drivers will adequately mediate the risks for distraction on the road when passengers can also engage the driver. However, cellphones present a special kind of distraction for drivers. Driving while talking to passengers is inherently different than talking on a cellphone to someone who is in a remote location. While passengers see the dangers around them and may react appropriately or cease conversation when a danger pops up on the road, those on the other end of a phone conversation do not know when the driver is in busy traffic or about to merge. Plus, text messaging is a particularly distracting component of cellphone use that would be cut out by total or hands-free restrictions.

Drivers who are holding a cellphone to their ears also limit their full range of motion, making complete blind-spot checks difficult and reaction times slower. Hands-free devices may not eradicate all mental distractions, but they can improve the driver’s reactions.

While the real solution for drastically reducing distracted driving is prohibiting all cellphone use, among the young and old, such a proposition would be unreasonable and impossible to enforce. For new drivers who hold junior driver’s licenses, a full ban can be upheld with some tough penalties — a proposed maximum one-year license suspension — and can prevent distraction for the least-experienced drivers.

In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a cellphone ban into law Sept. 13. Beginning next July, all drivers under 18 will be forbidden to use any electronics, including iPods and cellphones, while driving in California. Adults will only be able to use hands-free devices while driving.

As in the case in California, asking Massachusetts residents to regulate their cellphone use would not be unreasonable. It almost worked in at least one instance. In 2000, the Brookline town government approved a town-wide restriction on cellphone use. Then-Attorney General Tom Reilly rejected the town’s law, citing the contradiction with state law.

Residents can accept the arguable inconveniences of hands-free cellphone devices in exchange for increased safety. Completely restricting junior license holders from using cellphones would allow them to keep their minds and eyes on the road, and their hands on the wheel, when they most need to be alert to driving dangers.