Cellphones

"There's no way to rule innocent men.  The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals.  When there aren't enough criminals, one makes them.  One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws." - Ayn Rand

Cellphones & driving     Cellphones & radiation

Common sense

Overreactions     Stupid & funny stuff

Cellphones & driving

Texting bans don't reduce crashes - September 28, 2010

"It's illegal to text while driving in most US states. Yet a new study by researchers at the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) finds no reductions in crashes after laws take effect that ban texting by all drivers. In fact, such bans are associated with a slight increase in the frequency of insurance claims..." [Response from National Safety Council.]

A Results-Free Cell Phone Law - February 2, 2010

"Last week, an insurance industry report found that bans on using hand-held cell-phones while driving in California, New York, Washington, D.C. and Connecticut did not reduce the number of car crashes." [More here.]

Experts don't know if cellphones cause accidents - January 12, 2009

“Determining whether a particular call or text message ‘caused’ an accident isn’t as important, he said, as simply documenting when such communications are involved. Connecting cause and effect can come later through number-crunching and related analyses. ‘It’s like smoking and cancer,’ Honea said. ‘You infer it. Statistics show something is happening, but you have to have the statistics to do that.’�

Data shows cellphones do not cause accidents - August 13, 2007

"It's conventional wisdom that talking on cell phones while driving is risky business, but two University of California, Berkeley, graduate student economists report that a spike in cell phone use in recent years and on weekday evenings is not matched by an increase in fatal or non-fatal car crashes from 2002-2005."

Accident statistics indicate bans are overreaction - July 7, 2001

"According to an American Automobile Association study -- one of the key studies used by the insurance industry in setting rates across the country -- cell phones did not rank in the top five causes of auto accidents last year. Of the 32,000 analyzed accidents, cell phones contributed to only 1.5 percent."

Cellphones & radiation

WHO says cellphones increase cancer risk - May 31, 2011

"Radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The agency now lists mobile phone use in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. Before its announcement Tuesday, WHO had assured consumers that no adverse health effects had been established."

Cell phones increase brain activity - February 22, 2011

"Fears concerning the possible dangers of prolonged cell phone use won't go away, despite numerous studies showing no conclusive link between cell phones and brain tumors or cancer. Now new data from the National Institutes of Health suggesting that cell phone radiation boosts brain activity is poised to stir the debate even further."

Are Cell Phones Safe? - August 2, 2010

"While some studies have suggested that frequent use of cell phones causes increased risk of brain and mouth cancers, others have found no such links."

WHO study has no clear answer on phones and cancer - May 16, 2010

"Experts who studied almost 13,000 cell phone users over 10 years, hoping to find out whether the mobile devices cause brain tumors, said on Sunday their research gave no clear answer."

Warning: Your Cell Phone May Be Hazardous to Your Health - February 2010

"Ever worry that that gadget you spend hours holding next to your head might be damaging your brain? Well, the evidence is starting to pour in, and it's not pretty."

Common sense

Reasons why cellphone bans are bad idea - January 20, 2009

"Here are some of the reasons you may want to use a cell phone while driving:"

Will banning cellphones make a difference? - December 29, 2000

"...a ban on drivers' use of cell phones might not make much difference anyway. Our best estimates of accident and fatality reductions do not take into account how drivers would alter their behavior in response to regulation; if police tried to enforce a ban, drivers might simply switch to other dangerous activities. Thus, the net reduction in accidents and fatalities is likely to be overstated, so the benefits of regulatory intervention could be quite small."

Overreactions

NYC lawmaker wants ban on talking and walking - January 25, 2011

"After targeting distracted drivers, some New York lawmakers want to go after distracted walkers. They are looking to ban them from using iPods, music players and cell phones while walking and crossing the street."

Short-circuiting cellphones in cars - January 20, 2011

"Cellular carriers, having spent years trying to blanket the nation with phone service, are now working on ways to stop people from getting calls and texts when they are behind the wheel."

U.S. proposes ban for truck drivers - December 17, 2010

"The U.S. government on Friday proposed prohibiting commercial truck and bus drivers from using cellphones while behind the wheel. The Transportation Department rule would affect approximately 4 million drivers, who are already banned by the government from texting while working."

DoT wants to disable cell phones - December 3, 2010

"The Transportation Department is looking into technology to disable cell phones in vehicles, according to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "There's a lot of technology out there that can disable phones and we're looking at that," LaHood said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe.""

Obama's power-mad cell phone czar - November 19, 2010

"Making the cable TV rounds to unveil a public service announcement campaign against "epidemic" cell phone use and texting on the road, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood revealed bizarre and alarming plans on Wednesday to install devices in cars that would block a driver's ability to communicate."

LaHood weighs ban on all phone use in cars - October 7, 2010

"LaHood, whose campaign against texting and making calls while driving has led to restrictions in 30 states, says his concerns extend to vehicle information and entertainment systems such as Ford Motor Co.’s Sync and General Motors Co.’s OnStar."

Ban proposed in El Paso - February 24, 2010

"Talking or texting while you drive could soon be against the law in El Paso. The City Council is moving in that direction, just weeks after a similar law went into effect in Las Cruces."

Will California-style texting ban make nation safer? - August 5, 2009

"ALERT is modeled after a similar texting ban in California, which invites a closer look at that law's track record. By targeting specific technologies over behaviors, the evidence suggests, California’s law has actually made it easier for drivers to avoid responsibility, which may make the roads even more dangerous."

Experts question study comparing phones to drunk driving - April 1, 2009

“‘Obviously, driver distraction is never ideal, but talking on a hands-free cell phone is like talking with a passenger in a car,’ said Sonia Arrison, director of the Center of Technology Studies at the San Francisco-based Pacific Research Institute. ‘Would the National Safety Council also ban conversations with passengers? Comparing talking on a cell phone to intoxicated driving is misguided and seriously downplays the horrible consequences resulting from drunk drivers,’ Arrison added.�

Stupid & funny stuff

Maria Shriver caught driving while on phone - October 13, 2009

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is calling out his wife, Maria Shriver, for apparently violating a state law he signed—holding her cell phone while driving. The celebrity Web site TMZ.com posted two photographs Tuesday showing Shriver holding a phone to her ear while she's behind the wheel. It says one was snapped Sunday and the other in July."