Cell phone ban?

Back in December, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a recommendation calling for a nationwide ban on the use of all cell phones while driving (emergency calls would be exempt). This is a nonbinding recommendation, and it is up to legislative bodies to actually adopt any portion of this proposal. Whatever the proximal effect of this action, though, the NTSB raises interesting and difficult questions about how to respond to the recent explosion of mobile technology in light of the overriding social interest in maintaining safe roadways.

Various states and municipalities have already issued bans on using certain kinds of mobile technology while driving. New York, for instance, prohibits hand-held cell phone use while behind the wheel (hands-free devices like Bluetooth headsets are permitted) and Massachusetts does not allow teenagers to text while driving. The NTSB is suggesting a much broader action, though, and the theory makes sense. Being distracted by mobile devices is deceptively debilitating as far as your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle is concerned. Whether you're texting, dialing, or playing Angry Birds, distraction is distraction. It seems to me that if you're going to ban one distracting activity because it poses a safety risk, then you should probably ban them all.

The overall gravitation nationwide does seem to be in this direction. Some insurance companies, for instance, have recently begun imposing fines for drivers of emergency vehicles caught texting while driving (existing laws generally exclude emergency services personnel from device-use-while-driving restrictions). And as public awareness of the dangers of distracted driving continues to rise, it's unclear what shape the next wave of responses will take. Will states adopt policies similar to what the NTSB is recommending (or strengthen existing laws)? Or will people simply self-police and stop using their mobile devices while driving? Both?