How To Ban The Use of Cell Phones in Cars

Restricting the use of cell phones while driving can be a good safety measure.

According to a University of Utah study, talking on a cell phone while driving causes impairment on par with drunk driving. Carrying on a conversation takes the driver's full attention away from the road. Many cities and states, including California and New York, have legally banned the use of cell phones while driving. Instituting a cell phone ban can also be a smart safety move for a family or business. Getting everyone on board with such a policy requires educating family members or employees and even installing cell phone software that restricts the use of the devices in cars.

Instructions

1. Check local laws related to driving while talking on a cell phone and driving while texting. Use these as a baseline for crafting your own family or business policy. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 25 states and the District of Columbia currently ban any use of a cell phone, whether it's hands-free or not, for novice drivers. These states include Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. While six states, including California and New York, ban handheld cell phone use by all drivers, laws in other states vary on a city-by-city basis.

2. Determine the extent of your ban. Some businesses may want to specify absolutely no use of a cell phone whatsoever while driving, including using a hands-free headset. This can also be a good idea for families with teenage drivers who are less experienced behind the wheel.

3. Lay out specific guidelines for the use of cell phones while driving. Ask family members or employees to let voicemail pick up incoming calls and keep calls they take using a hands-free headset as short as possible. Also ask them to avoid texting while driving under any circumstance.

4. Communicate the rules to family members or employees. Work cell phone driving ban information into workplace training and include it as an official part of your business policy manual.

5. Install an application on the cell phone that will restrict its use while driving. There are several available applications for a variety of phone operating systems. These software products include Textecution, ZoomSafer and Key2SafeDriving. They disable certain features when the phone detects it is traveling over a specific speed. Both consumer and business-focused versions are on the market.

Tips & Warnings

• Businesses should communicate cell phone driving ban policies to employees from the very start of their employment and revisit the information during ongoing training.

• Set disciplinary policies for violations of the ban. Teenagers may risk having their cell phones taken away. Employees may risk termination after repeated violations.

References

• University of Utah: Drivers on Cell Phone are as Bad as Drunks
• Governors Highway Safety Association: Distracted Driving
• Nationwide: Driving While Distracted: A Threat to Businesses
• Governors Highway Safety Association: Cell Phone and Texting Laws