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Cell Phones and Distracted Driving
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
CAS Actions and Litigation
– CAS Comment Re: NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines – 5/18/12
– CAS Testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee – 11/4/09
– CAS Board Member Nicholas Ashford ON NPR’s Talk of the Nation – 1/11/10
– CAS v. NHTSA Cell Phone Study Settlement – 3/17/2009
– CAS Files FOIA Lawsuit over NHTSA Cell Phone Study – 12/1/2008
– NHTSA Response to CAS FOIA Appeal – 9/12/2008
– CAS FOIA Appeal – 5/29/2008
– NHTSA Response to CAS FOIA – 4/29/2008
– CAS Files Freedom of Information Act Request with NHTSA Re: Cell Phone Study – 3/27/2008
– CAS Files Freedom of Information Act Request with DOT Re: Cell Phone Study – 3/27/2008
CAS Petition Information
– Click here to view the CAS petition to NHTSA – 1/21/2007
– NHTSA Denial of CAS Cell Phone Petition – 6/3/2008
– Article: Safety Group Seeks to Curb In-Car Tech Chatter – 1/23/2007
Related NHTSA Documents
– Visual-Manual NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines for Portable and Aftermarket Devices – Phase 2 – 11/23/16
– Visual-Manual NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines For In-Vehicle Electronic Devices – Phase 1 – 4/28/13
– DOT Press Release: New Research Shows Enforcement Cuts Distracted Driving – 7/11/11
– Draft Letter to Governors from the Department of Transportation
– NHTSA Cell Phone Policy Draft
– NHTSA Distraction Statement Draft
– The Relationship Between On-Road Wireless Phone Use and Crashes – 7/7/2003
– The Relationship Between On-Road Wireless Phone Use and Crashes (Abridged Version) – 7/2003
– Status Summary: Using Wireless Communication Devices While Driving – 7/2003
– NHTSA Communications Plan on Wireless Devices – 7/2003
– NHTSA Talking Points on Wireless Communication Devices – 7/2003
– NHTSA Driver Distraction Expert Working Group Meetings – 11/10/2000
– NHTSA Driver Distraction Internet Forum – 11/15/2000
News and Other Information
– New Study Confirms the Brain’s Inability to Safely Drive and Use a Cell Phone – 6/12/13
– Think You Know All About Distracted Driving? Think Again, Says AAA – 6/12/13
– National Safety Council Study: Crashes Involving Cell Phones – May 2013
– Mixed Message? While Assailing Driving Distractions, Automakers Pack in Tempting Gadgets – 9/22/11
– Have You Driven a Smartphone Lately? – 2/26/11
– DRIVE Coalition Hits a Wall – 7/7/10
– DOT holding firm on campaign to end distracted driving – 7/7/10
– Update: Lobbying document shows pitch for clients to fight against distracted driving – 7/1/10
– Lobbyists Target Distracted Driving Campaigns by Oprah, Ray LaHood – 6/30/10
– UN chief calls for global action against mobile phone use while driving – 5/20/10
– Worst States For Distracted Drivers – 3/17/10
– New Sample Bill will Aid States in Banning Texting While Driving – 2/22/10
– Hands-free cellphones just as likely to distract drivers – 1/29/10
– Distracted By A Cell Phone? Some Cell Phone Users Fail To See Unicycling Clown Passing Them – 10/20/09
– Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces New Details on Distracted Driving Summit – 8/18/09
– U.S. Secretary of Transportation Blog re: Distracted Driving – 8/4/09
– Senate Bill to Encourage Texting Bans – 7/29/09
– Editorials – 7/26/09
– Automakers Promoting Unsafe Driving Through New Technologies – 7/26/09
– Do Cell Phones Kill 1000 People a Year? – 10/31/2008
– Cell Phone Laws may not Make Roads Safer – 3/25/08
– National Safety Council Calls for Nationwide Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving – 1/12/2009
– Article: Safety Group Seeks to Curb In-Car Tech Chatter – 1/23/09
– Lawsuit Verdict For Cell Phone Distraction – 6/12/2007
– NHTSA : Driver Electronic Device Use in 2007 -6/2008
New York Times Series on Distracted Driving
– Lobbyists Try to Reframe Distracted Driving Issue – 7/6/10
– Government Bans Texting By Truck and Bus Drivers – 1/26/10
– Despite Risks, Internet Creeps Onto Car Dashboards – 1/6/10
– Bills to Curb Distracted Driving Gain Momentum – 1/1/10
– Promoting the Car Phone, Despite Risks – 12/6/09
– High-Tech Devices Help Drivers Put Down Phone – 11/22/09
– When Texting Kills, Britain Offers Path to Prison – 11/1/09
– Many in U.S. Want Texting at the Wheel to Be Illegal – 11/1/09
– Texting While Driving Banned for Federal Workers – 10/1/09
– Truckers Insist on Keeping Computers in the Cab – 9/27/09
– Driver Texting Now an Issue in the Back Seat -9/8/09
– Doubts About Scare Tactics on Drivers Who Text – 8/31/09
– Utah Gets Tough With Texting Drivers – 8/28/09
– Federal Agency Plans Distracted Driving Forum – 8/4/09
– Cabbies Stay on Their Phones Despite Ban – 8/3/09
– In Study, Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin – 7/27/09
– The Truth About Cars and Cell Phones – 7/22/09
– U.S. Withheld Data on Risks of Distracted Driving – 7/20/09
– Gauging Your Distraction – 7/19/09
– Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cellphone Risks – 7/18/09