AB 911/1911 Op Ed
Share this pageWhen my common-sense cell phone safety bill died in committee recently, Chronicle columnist Mark Simon good-naturedly observed that, “The unrelenting march of governmental intrusion into our private lives has been dealt a setback.”
Simon was talking about Assembly Bill 911, which I introduced last year. The bill would simply have required drivers who choose to use a cell phone to do so “hands free.” I introduced AB 911 because I knew it would save lives; and because I thought most Peninsula residents would support a sensible, safe and sane approach like the one I proposed and New York state recently adopted.
I still believe that, and for that reason I’ve just introduced AB 1911, a similar bill, in an effort to keep this issue, and California drivers, alive.
The skeptics, including Simon, argue that there are other distractions like eating a hamburger, shaving, or putting on lipstick; what about them? Well, what about them?
No one would argue that just because we can’t eliminate all the distractions affecting driver safety, we shouldn’t eliminate the ones we can. We fix the problems we can fix. With technology that’s widely available, at little or no cost, we can save lives.
And while we’re talking about all those other distractions, some hard data might be helpful. During the first six months of last year the California Highway Patrol identified cell phones as the number one identifiable cause of collisions involving inattentive drivers. More than kids, pets, eating, smoking and personal hygiene combined!
Frankly, it shouldn’t take a study to tell us what both common sense and experience make abundantly clear: When you’ve got one hand on the wheel and one hand clutching a cell phone to your ear, you’re not in complete control of your car.
But if it’s studies you want, there are plenty. We have the results of almost two dozen studies over the past two decades. We also have the experience of a score of countries in Europe and Asia who’ve already taken action. The only question seems to be, just how dangerous is this everyday practice.
While the numbers vary, we’re clearly talking about many thousands of accidents annually across the nation and billions of dollars in damage, in addition to the loss of life. The low-end estimate is that cell phone use causes 100 fatalities a year on our nation’s roads and highways, while other estimates run as high as 600 deaths annually.
When 170 children and adults were killed by the deployment of automobile airbags over the course of a decade, there was, thankfully, enormous public outcry and a strong response by public officials. More recently, the deaths of 150 people have been linked to tread separation on Firestone tires. As you’d expect, there was an enormous public outcry, and a strong response by public officials.
But while as many as 600 people die each year in automobile accidents caused by cell phones, the silence is deafening—and it’s absolutely deadly.
Nevertheless, I’m optimistic. It wasn’t all that long ago that some folks were “pooh-poohing” calls for a mandatory seatbelt law, or the move to get serious about drinking and driving. Over time, though, we made progress. Laws were passed, and lives were saved.
Let’s hope that’s the case with cell phone safety and AB 1911. But until that time, be careful out there.
(State Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D - Palo Alto) represents portions of San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.)