May soon be against the law to use your cell phone in the car

Are you willing to give up your cell phone in the name of safety?

If you talk on a cell phone while you drive, a government watchdog group says you are being driven to distraction. Now the group wants to make sure you keep your eyes, and your ears, on the road.

It is a fairly common sight; someone talking on a cell phone in the driver’s seat. But it may soon be against the law.

Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the National Safety Council said, “It is a highly risky activity. Very, very risky, but most people don’t understand that.”

Currently, 6 states require motorists to use hands-free phones while driving, but the National Safety Council is calling for a nationwide ban on the use of all cell phones while driving. That sort of restriction doesn’t exist in any city or state.

Advocates of the ban argue that, hands-free or not, using a cell phone behind the wheel is a distraction comparable to driving drunk and increases the risk of getting into an accident by four-hundred percent.

“They think if they’re just careful it won’t be as big a risk. The research is saying, no, for everybody, it is an enormous distraction if you’re on the phone,” said Froetscher.

The safety group is also calling on businesses to prohibit employees from using cell phones while driving on the job.