Built-in systems like OnStar would not be affected

WASHINGTON (Bloomberg) -- U.S. drivers couldn't send text messages or use mobile phones -- even with headsets or portable speakers -- under U.S. National Transportation Safety Board recommendations aimed at preventing distracted-driving crashes.

"Too many people are texting, talking and driving at the same time," NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said at a hearing in Washington today. "It's time to put a stop to distraction. No call, no text, no update is worth a human life."

Systems built into cars, like General Motors Co.'s OnStar, and global positioning systems wouldn't be affected by the ban, said Kelly Nantel, an NTSB spokeswoman.

The NTSB recommends safety improvements for U.S. agencies to act upon. It can't implement them itself. Donald Karol, the NTSB's director of highway safety, said the agency had been recommending collision warning systems since the mid 1990s.

The board strengthened its anti-phone stance after completing its investigation into an August 2010 crash in Gray Summit, Mo., in which a 19-year-old GMC Sierra pickup driver sent or received 11 text messages in 13 minutes before plowing into the back of a tractor-trailer.

Two school buses collided with the stopped trucks. The pickup driver and one bus passenger perished in the crash. The truck driver and 37 other people were injured.

Last year, 3,092 deaths, or 9.4 percent of 2010 U.S. road fatalities were related to driver distraction, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said last week.

Comparable figures to previous years were not available because the agency changed how it keeps the statistic. Overall traffic fatalities dropped 2.9 percent last year to 32,885, the lowest since 1949, NHTSA said.

LaHood's concerns

Safety regulators have been debating how much to regulate drivers' cell-phone use for the past decade. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he believes motorists are distracted by any use of mobile phones while driving, including hands-free calls.

"Other data confirms that driver distraction continues to be a significant safety problem," LaHood wrote in his blog on Dec. 8 "For example, in a survey we're releasing today, more than three-quarters of the drivers told us they answer calls on all, some, or most trips when they're behind the wheel.

"They also said there are very few driving situations when they would not use the phone or text, and that they rarely consider traffic situations when deciding to use their phone. That behavior poses a safety threat to everyone on the road.

"And, because people are reluctant to admit distracted driving at a crash site, NHTSA believes the number of crashes attributed to distraction could be higher."

Information systems and Ford

LaHood, whose campaign against texting and talking on the phone while driving has led to restrictions in 30 states, says his concerns extend to vehicle information and entertainment systems such as OnStar or Ford Motor Co.'s Sync.

The NTSB's recommendation would have to be adopted separately by each U.S. state, since states have authority to regulate driver behavior. States should adopt electronic-device bans, then back up the laws with aggressive enforcement in the same way they have with drunk driving and seat-belt use, Hersman said.

Missouri law prohibits texting while driving by people under the age of 21.

Ford has made its hands-free electronics and telematics products, including Sync, a significant part of its product offerings.

In a statement, the automaker said it has supported legislation that would put a nationwide ban on the use of hand-held devices when driving, but said it would review the NTSB's latest proposal.

"We need to review what NTSB is specifically proposing prior to commenting on their recommendation, but our position is clear," the statement said.

Truck, bus drivers

Fatal accidents caused by distracted operators have increased in all modes of transportation, Hersman said. That includes planes, trains, boats, trucks, buses and private cars and trucks, she said.

The use of phones and e-mail by operators is so prevalent that securing call records and the devices themselves is one of the first steps investigators now take after accidents, she said.

The NTSB called for a total ban on mobile phones for truck and bus drivers in September, when Hersman said distracted driving was "increasingly prevalent, exacerbating the danger we encounter daily on our roadways."

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates trucking and bus companies, banned hand-held cell phones for drivers operating commercial vehicles last month. It banned texting for commercial drivers in January 2010.