Safe Driving  

CTIA Position:
CTIA-The Wireless Association® and the wireless industry believe that when it comes to using your wireless device behind the wheel, it’s important to remember safety always comes first and should be every driver’s top priority. While mobile devices are important safety tools, there’s an appropriate time and an inappropriate time to use them. 

The wireless industry defers to consumers and the driving legislation they support – whether that’s hands-free regulations or bans on talking on their mobile devices while driving.
 
At the same time, we believe text-messaging while driving is incompatible with safe driving, and we support state and local statutes that ban this activity while driving. 

We also agree with proposals that restrict or limit cellular use by inexperienced or novice drivers. Just as many states have graduated drivers' laws, such as restricting the number of passengers or nighttime hours of driving, the industry believes restricting a young driver's use of wireless while becoming better-skilled at the primary driving tasks makes sense.

In September 2009, CTIA, in partnership with the National Safety Council, launched a teen-focused education campaign to provide parents and teens with information on the dangers of distracted driving. As part of the campaign, a television public service announcement (PSA) and website were developed to remind teens and novice drivers that when they’re “On the Road, Off the Phone.” As part of the continued partnership, NSC and CTIA released a sixty-second national radio PSA in June 2010, which was distributed to 5,000 radio stations across the country. 

Key Points:

• Education is Key to Making Drivers More Aware of their Responsibilities Behind-the-Wheel. 
  CTIA, in partnership with the wireless industry, has developed programs and sponsored public service announcement (PSA) campaigns designed to educate distracted drivers. Many of the programs target young drivers, on the theory that more experienced drivers are better prepared to handle distractions behind the wheel. The wireless industry also encourages drivers to follow some basic driving do’s and don’ts to ensure that a wireless device doesn’t become a distraction.
• There are Numerous Potential Driving Distractions. 
  Since safety should be the first concern when behind the wheel, drivers need to be aware of the wide array of potential distractions, including drowsiness, reaching for moving objects, pushing audio buttons, eating, personal grooming, other passengers, and reading to name a few. Wireless use has often been listed behind many of these activities in terms of how distracting of a behavior it might be while driving.
• New Research and Technological Advancements Provide Innovative Solutions to the Problem of Distracted Driving. 
  Wireless companies are developing inventive solutions, such as “hands-free car kits” and the “Polite Phone” prototype, to utilize ground-breaking Bluetooth technology to provide a voice-command interface between the car and the cellphone. This enables actions such as hands-free voice dialing, answering, and hanging up. The next generation of hands-free cellphone technology for vehicles will help to decrease distraction and ensure that drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

Last Updated: November 2010