Effectiveness of distracted driving laws questioned
Maryland is preparing to enforce a new law banning drivers from using handheld cell phones, but it’s not clear how effective such laws are in curbing distracted driving.
Maryland’s law, which goes into effect Friday, requires drivers who want to make calls to use a hands-free headset. But the measure makes using a handheld device a secondary offense, which means police first must stop a driver for another reason.
Some safety advocates and transportation experts doubt the law will make Maryland’s roads safer. Skeptics say any cell phone conversation distracts a driver and making the law a secondary offense down plays its seriousness.
“Secondary laws don’t have a lot of teeth,” said Kara Macek, spokeswoman for the Governors Highway Safety Association. But Maryland’s new law is “better than nothing,” she said.
Just seven other states and the District ban handheld devices for drivers. All except Maryland make it a primary offense.
Transportation officials recently have focused on curbing distracted driving, and a national summit in D.C. last week highlighted the issue.
Some worry that Maryland’s law could promote more hands-free phone conversations — which researchers have found to be just as dangerous as chatting with the phone up to the driver’s ear.
A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study last year found that headsets aren’t much safer than handheld devices because they still require callers to take their eyes off the road to answer and dial.
“We’re a little concerned that people will assume it’s safe to use a hands-free device, which could increase risky behavior on roadways,” said David Teater, senior director of transportation initiatives for the National Safety Council, which works to improve workplace and highway safety. The council and other groups have called for a total ban on cell phones in cars.
Still, the law should spur awareness about distracted driving, said Robert McKinney, president of the Maryland Highway Safety Foundation.
He likened the requirement to laws mandating seat belt use, which gradually gained acceptance.
“People started recognizing that they were safer with a seat belt on,” McKinney said. “People know that when they’re on their cell phone and driving an automobile, they’re not as focused as they should be.”
Local law enforcement officials said drivers using handheld phones should prepare to be cited for the violation if an officer catches them committing another traffic offense, such as speeding and negligent or reckless driving.
The fine for first-time violators is $40, and subsequent offenses will incur a $100 fine.
Anna Waugh contributed to this report.
