That bumper sticker -- "Hang Up and Drive" -- deserves wider distribution.
It also could use some help from the law. Our national habit of driving and talking on our cell phones is killing us. That's not an exaggeration. Last month, the National Safety Council said it estimates that 28 percent of all traffic crashes are caused by drivers using cell phones or texting. That's 1.6 million accidents a year.
Texting while driving is demonstrably the most dangerous habit of all, and this state has banned it, but simply talking on a phone is dangerous, too. Safe driving requires continuous concentration. Conducting a phone call while driving interrupts that concentration.
Some states have tried to improve safety by requiring drivers to use hands-free devices when they make calls from behind the wheel, but it doesn't help much. Most cell-phone-related crashes aren't caused by having a phone in hand. They're caused by inattention.
Some studies have shown that talking on the phone while driving causes as much impairment as moderate alcoholic intoxication. Driving under the influence is illegal. Driving while talking on the phone is legal, except for minors, and it's nearly as dangerous.
That's not good, and a growing segment of the American population realizes it. National surveys show about half of the public supports a ban on cell phone use while driving.
State Rep. Paul Luebke of Durham told The News & Observer that he will push legislation in 2011 to limit cell phone use by drivers, if he's re-elected in the fall. Luebke has sought restrictions in the past, but doubts a complete ban would pass, although he was more optimistic about a hands-free requirement.
We understand his pessimism.
Banning phone use while driving would cramp most lawmakers' own habits, preventing them from using their commuting time for phone calls. But a partial step in the right direction would be better than nothing.
Well, slightly better.
But as the evidence about the danger of phoning while driving grows more convincing, it's going to be harder to deny. The American cell phone habit is wreaking havoc on life and limb, and we need to make some changes.
