Why just new drivers?

January 26, 2008
Bill targets teen drivers talking on cell phones By JASON CLAYWORTH REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Some Iowa lawmakers want young drivers to put down their cell phones when they're behind the wheel.A bill introduced this week in the Iowa House would make it illegal for drivers with a learner's permit or intermediate license to use a cell phone or send text messages while driving.
If approved, Iowa would join about 20 other states that have approved similar legislation. Iowa's measure, like those in many other states, would not apply to experienced drivers."Not that it's a good thing to talk on the phone or text while you're driving, but somebody who has been driving for 20 years is probably more likely to pull it off than somebody who is brand new at it," said Rep. McKinley Bailey, a Webster City Democrat.The penalty for violations would be a $30 fine. But more important for many young drivers, under Iowa law it takes longer to qualify for an unrestricted license if the driver has an accident or gets a ticket.
Bailey drafted House File 2059 after two teenagers were killed in his district last year. The driver was using a cell phone.Bailey uses a Blackberry but insists he does not send e-mails while driving. He acknowledges, however, that he does talk on it while driving."I'm sure there will be people calling for" a complete cell phone ban, "but it's not anywhere I want to go right now," he said.The proposal didn't win much support Thursday from students who congregated outside during lunch at Des Moines' East High School.
Ellen Palmer agreed with her friends that they would ignore such a mandate. Palmer, 18, a senior, admitted that she writes text messages while driving. "I just swerve a lot," she joked.In Iowa, people between the ages of 14 and 24 represent 17 percent of licensed drivers but 40 percent of all fatal and serious traffic injuries, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.Similar legislative proposals have been introduced in previous years but faced opposition from communications companies and failed to become law, said Elizabeth Baird, a lobbyist for the state's transportation department. Companies in opposition of such legislation point out that other distractions tend to be more dangerous while driving.
A study conducted in 2006 by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that about 80 percent of crashes involved driver inattention. The most common distraction was cell phones. However, cell phones were less likely to cause an accident than other distractions, such as reaching for a falling cup, the study indicated.Rep. Clel Baudler, the top-ranking Republican from the House Public Safety Committee, said he doesn't anticipate that the idea will gain much legislative traction.
Baudler, a retired trooper from Greenfield, noted that Iowa already has a law against drivers who allow themselves to be distracted. He said he once pulled a woman over for reading a book while driving. Officers would have a difficult time distinguishing between minors and adults, he added."I think it would be an enforcement nightmare," he said.Rod Van Wyk thinks the proposal is a good idea for young drivers but he's not sure about adults. Van Wyk is the CEO of Drive Tek, a driver education business in Ankeny and Urbandale.
"I use them, you use them, but the research says these things are detrimental to driving," Van Wyk said.