Council adopts cell phone resolution drafted by David
January 05 ,2007
Cell phone resolution rings true for
Council
by Dan Crowley, Daily Hampshire Gazette
by Dan Crowley, Daily Hampshire Gazette
NORTHAMPTON - The City Council Thursday unanimously
backed a resolution urging state lawmakers and Gov.
Deval Patrick to ban the use of hand-held cell
phones by drivers in Massachusetts.
Citing a growing body of research linking the devices to motor vehicle crashes, the resolution states that the availability of "inexpensive hands-free cellular phone technologies" makes prohibiting the use of hand-held cell phones while driving a practical step towards reducing road accidents.
"Study after study shows the danger of cell phone use," said Ward 4 City Councilor David J. Narkewicz, who drafted the resolution. The resolution was unanimously recommended by the Transportation and Parking Commission, and was the idea of Edward Hagelstein, of 171 Nonotuck St., who is a frequent commentator on transportation issues.
"This is such an important issue," Hagelstein told the council Thursday. "It's a matter of life and death."
The council does not have the authority to enact a local ban. A state attorney general ruling in 2001 struck down a bylaw in Brookline that banned the use of hand-held phones while driving on local streets because it unconstitutionally superseded a state law that allows such use "as long as one hand remains on the steering wheel at all times."
Since then, several bills calling for some type of ban on cell phone use while driving have circulated in the state Legislature. Councilors said a ban on hand-held cell phones probably has a better chance of garnering support from state lawmakers than a total ban on all types of cell phones, including hands-free devices.
The resolution approved Thursday notes that Connecticut, New York, the District of Columbia, and some 20 countries around the world have enacted laws banning hand-held cellular phone devices while the user is operating a motor vehicle. It also cites research supporting the dangers of cell phone use while driving, including studies by psychology researchers at the University of Utah and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
An NHTSA study last year found that "the relatively infrequent act of dialing a hand-held cell phone had double the crash risk of the actual cell phone conservation itself," according to the council's resolution. Ward 6 City Councilor Marianne L. LaBarge described the resolution as "very valuable" and indicated that if the state doesn't pass a law banning hand-held cell phones for drivers, "somebody is really going to get killed."
Citing a growing body of research linking the devices to motor vehicle crashes, the resolution states that the availability of "inexpensive hands-free cellular phone technologies" makes prohibiting the use of hand-held cell phones while driving a practical step towards reducing road accidents.
"Study after study shows the danger of cell phone use," said Ward 4 City Councilor David J. Narkewicz, who drafted the resolution. The resolution was unanimously recommended by the Transportation and Parking Commission, and was the idea of Edward Hagelstein, of 171 Nonotuck St., who is a frequent commentator on transportation issues.
"This is such an important issue," Hagelstein told the council Thursday. "It's a matter of life and death."
The council does not have the authority to enact a local ban. A state attorney general ruling in 2001 struck down a bylaw in Brookline that banned the use of hand-held phones while driving on local streets because it unconstitutionally superseded a state law that allows such use "as long as one hand remains on the steering wheel at all times."
Since then, several bills calling for some type of ban on cell phone use while driving have circulated in the state Legislature. Councilors said a ban on hand-held cell phones probably has a better chance of garnering support from state lawmakers than a total ban on all types of cell phones, including hands-free devices.
The resolution approved Thursday notes that Connecticut, New York, the District of Columbia, and some 20 countries around the world have enacted laws banning hand-held cellular phone devices while the user is operating a motor vehicle. It also cites research supporting the dangers of cell phone use while driving, including studies by psychology researchers at the University of Utah and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
An NHTSA study last year found that "the relatively infrequent act of dialing a hand-held cell phone had double the crash risk of the actual cell phone conservation itself," according to the council's resolution. Ward 6 City Councilor Marianne L. LaBarge described the resolution as "very valuable" and indicated that if the state doesn't pass a law banning hand-held cell phones for drivers, "somebody is really going to get killed."