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US Agency Blocked Cellphone / Driving Safety Study

By now you've probably seen the NY Times's long piece on distracted driving — about how most drivers and most legislators willfully ignore the evidence of the dangers of talking on a cellphone, texting, and other electronic distractions while behind the wheel. According to this article, cellphone use while driving causes over 1,000 fatalities a year in the US. Another shoe has now dropped: it seems that the US National Highway Safety Administration blocked a proposed definitive study of the risks. The NHSA now cites concerns about angering Congress. Two consumer safety groups had filed a FOIA request for documents about the aborted study, and the Times has now made the documents public — including the research behind the request for a study of 10,000 drivers.

5 of 464 comments (clear)

  1. First Po by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    *SCREEEECH* *KABOOM*

  2. Stop being such pussies. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    How can we expect to remain the most powerful country in the world if we turn into a bunch of big pussies, trying to stop anyone from taking any type of risk? I am much more productive if I can talk on my cellphone and respond to e-mails during my commute. Sometimes there is an accident; such is life. Eggs must be broken to make omelets. What happened to the can-do, damn-the-torpedoes attitude that got us to the moon?

    1. Re:Stop being such pussies. by Clockwork+Apple · · Score: 5, Funny

      "What happened to the can-do, damn-the-torpedoes attitude that got us to the moon?"

      It got outsourced to China?
      C.

      --
      "Doctor, it's not the voices I hear in MY head, but the voices I hear in YOUR head that really frighten me."
  3. And so it was... by msimm · · Score: 5, Funny

    in the year 2009 the majority of earths then human population began the struggle to implement true multithreading.

    --
    Quack, quack.
  4. Ban Ban Ban, I wanna be sedated by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Driving while arguing with a woman is also dangerous. I ran 2 stop-signs because of such. Are they going to ban that too?