Daily Poll: Should Ferndale Ban Cell Phones for Drivers?

The National Transportation Safety Board is seeking a first-ever national ban of personal electronic devices for drivers, according to a news release published Tuesday.

"According to NHTSA, more than 3,000 people lost their lives last year in distraction-related accidents", said Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman in the release. "It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving."

"No call, no text, no update, is worth a human life."

The recommendation was announced the same day the board discussed an August 2010 multiple vehicle crash blamed on texting that involved a school bus on I-44 in Missouri.

"The NTSB's investigation revealed that the pickup driver sent and received 11 text messages in the 11 minutes preceding the accident," the news release said. "The last text was received moments before the pickup struck the truck-tractor."

The proposal also calls for increased enforcement and public campaigns to publicize any new law, the release said.

"The data is clear; the time to act is now. How many more lives will be lost before we, as a society, change our attitudes about the deadliness of distractions?" Hersman said.

Ferndale Police Chief Tim Collins said a ban would be labor intensive but "blatant violations would be fairly easy to detect if the law stated no use what-so-ever.

"Any time a police officer observed someone on their cell phone," Collins said, "they could stop them and cite them -- providing that is what the law says.

"As far as recommending this as a law, I would have to say that distracted driving is a safety issue for the motoring public, however a complete ban may be over reacting."

Collins said that a more blended approach could be a better solution in which hands free mobile technology and other things of that sort could be allowed.

In any event, Collins said he suspects that cell phone use is a factor. "Although I have not seen stats on this, I would suspect that cell phone use is a factor in many accidents," he said.