Holiday Drivers Should Stash the Cell Phone
By: Laura Mazzuca Toops, NAII

More people take to the highways during the
holiday season and insurers urge drivers to avoid unnecessary cell phone
use and other distractions when behind the wheel.

"Driver distractions date back to the days when automobiles first shared dirt
roads with horses and buggies, but today's technology adds a new
dimension to an old concern," said Dave Golden, director of commercial
lines for the National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII). "Exercising
a little bit of common sense behind the wheel can avoid a lot of trouble down
the line."

Cell phone use can result not only in accidents, but in costly lawsuits as well,
and two recent cases could be the cutting edge of a major trend in
negligence lawsuits, Golden said.

Last week a Florida jury awarded a 79-year-old woman $20.9 million for
severe injuries sustained after the car she was riding in was struck by a
salesman on a cell phone. The at-fault driver was further implicated by his
cell phone records, which proved he was using the phone only seconds
before the accident. The plaintiff sued both the driver and his employer.
Another case still at issue, involving the death of a young woman who was
hit by a lawyer, seeks $30 million and targets both the lawyer and his
employer.

Although many legislatures considered some kind of ban on cell phone use
while driving this year, laws dealing with their use vary from state to state.
Some cities and the state of New York put partial bans in place, and so far,
all have focused on hand-held phones.

But research shows that the primary cause of distraction is not the device,
but the involved act of the phone conversation itself, Golden said. "Recent
studies are showing that the use of a hand-held phone just makes a bad
situation a little worse," he noted.

Preliminary results from a recent University of Utah study indicate that drivers
engaged in cell phone conversations missed twice as many simulated traffic
signals as when they were not talking on the cell phone, whether the phone
was hand-held or hands-free.

Meanwhile, recent surveys suggest that the American public is becoming
less tolerant of behind-the-wheel cell-phone blabbers. A Gallup poll
conducted this summer found that 62 percent of the respondents favored
outright bans on cell phone use while driving - nearly as high as the 70
percent who favored banning use of hand-held devices. Fifty-six percent
said using a cell phone while driving was very dangerous, and 89 percent
said it was at least somewhat dangerous.

"Cell phones can be a lifesaver in the event of a roadside breakdown or
other emergency, but abuses are clearly linked to diminished acuity behind
the wheel," Golden said. "If you must use your cell phone while driving -
even if it's a hands-free device - consider the traffic around you."

A safer alternative might be to wait until stopping to have a conversation,
Golden added. "Ask yourself, 'Will it kill me to wait a little while to make this
call?' Because it just might kill you or someone else if you don't wait."
Golden also recommended avoiding other distractions, such as engaging in
complex or intense conversations with other vehicle passengers; viewing
navigation or other visual computer systems; reading newspapers, books or
maps; or reading behind the wheel.

The NAII, based in suburban Chicago, is the nation's leading
property/casualty trade association with more than 690 member companies
writing more than $98 billion in annual premium. NAII members write more
than 33 percent of the property/casualty insurance in the country, including
more than 45 percent of the nation's personal auto coverage and more than
31 percent of its commercial auto insurance.