The study concludes that using headsets does not eliminate a significant risk of accident, and estimates that cellphone usage was responsible for 955 fatalities and 240,000 accidents in total.
"In 2003, researchers at a federal agency proposed a long-term study of 10,000 drivers to assess the safety risk posed by cellphone use behind the wheel.
They sought the study based on evidence that such multitasking was a serious and growing threat on America's roadways.
But such an ambitious study never happened. And the researchers' agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, decided not to make public hundreds of pages of research and warnings about the use of phones by drivers - in part, officials say, because of concerns about angering Congress."
Comments
'Next cellphone shoe to drop...
... could be a class action suit by transit riders involuntarily exposed to 'secondary radiation' every time they ride public transportation...
Scandalous suppression
Last night on the local news they interviewed my state Senator Simitian who took 6 years to get his bill passed and signed to require 'hands-free' cell phoning in CA (took him only one year to prevent texting, though).
He expressed his frustration that this study had been intentionally suppressed as it would have helped him get his bill passed earlier. Someone should investigate!!!
Irvin Dawid, Palo Alto, CA