The use of mobile phones while driving could be banned over fears that it is a major factor in road accidents.
Minister for the Environment Noel Dempsey has ordered a special committee on road safety to be set up to establish if there is a need for a ban on mobile phone use while driving.
It's not illegal to use a mobile phone while driving but if it causes careless or dangerous driving, motorists can be charged with those offences.
The committee’s recommendations may be included in a new Road Traffic Bill which will also introduce a penalty points system.
Gardaí have long suspected mobile phone use as a major cause of accidents and have welcomed the establishment of the committee to investigate it further. Garda Superintendent Tom Murphy says that mobile phone use while driving has been a matter of serious concern for a considerable period of time. Gardaí believe that two people who lost their lives in road traffic accidents this year were using a mobile phone at the time.
The Automobile Association (AA) advises against the use of mobile phones while driving but says that there is no need to legislate for it. Conor Faughnan of the AA says,
You don’t solve road problems just by putting ink on paper. You solve them by enforcing the existing law.
Nine European Union countries have already or are about to ban the use of hand held mobile phones while driving. Studies in Germany show that drivers using mobile phones while driving were six times more likely to make mistakes. Even using a hands free device, increases the likelihood of driver error threefold. Research in the US on the other hand shows that reaction times were the same whether using a hands free device or not. The US research found that what affected concentration levels was the nature of the conversation.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 27 August 2001. The reporter is Vivienne Traynor.
