Jon S. Corzine: “my distracted driving amendment addresses one of the most serious highway safety problems in our Nation: distracted and…”

“my distracted driving amendment addresses one of the most serious highway safety problems in our Nation: distracted and fatigued driving. When drivers talk on their cell phones, change radio stations, eat, or otherwise fail to devote their full attention to driving, they pose a threat not only to themselves, but to others. Drivers who are drowsy or tired pose a similar threat. I am particularly concerned about the use of hand-held cell phones while driving, which the California Highway Patrol recently reported was the number one cause of distracted driver accidents in their State. According to a study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, 'the use of cell phones by drivers may result in approximately 2,600 deaths, 330,000 moderate to critical injuries and 1.5 million instances of property damage in America per year.' Other studies have reached similar conclusions. One, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1997, concluded that the 'use of cellular telephones in motor vehicles is associated with a quadrupling of the risks of a collision during the brief period of a call.'”