US: Ford backs proposed nationwide ban on handheld phone use while driving

Detroit Free Press (Washington, D.C.) - Ford is the first automaker to support a bill that would ban motorists nationwide from using handheld cell phones while driving.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., proposed legislation last month directing the federal government to compel all states to prohibit such use, except in certain emergencies.

Pete Lawson, Ford's vice president of government affairs, said Monday that the legislation "represents a practical, commonsense approach to a national problem" and that the company believed "drawing drivers' eyes away from the road -- whether (by) text messaging, manually dialing a cell phone or reading maps -- substantially increases the risk of an accident or near misses."

Verizon Wireless endorsed the legislation last week, saying, "while mobile devices bring great benefits to Americans' lives, they must be used responsibly while driving."

General Motors and Chrysler declined to comment Monday on McCarthy's legislation. Both automakers have previously supported other efforts to curb handheld phone use while driving.

"Working proactively with other supporters in the manufacturing and advocacy worlds, we can reduce the number of injuries and deaths from distracted driving in America," McCarthy said Monday in a statement to the Free Press.

The proposed ban would not apply to hands-free use of mobile phones. But the government would be ordered to study whether phones can be dangerous even during hands-free use. A finding that such "cognitive distraction" poses a safety risk could affect in-vehicle infotainment and mobile phone integration increasingly promoted by automakers.