Ban texting and cell phone use while driving, National Transportation Safety Board urges

States should prohibit drivers from using cell phones and other portable electronic devices while behind the wheel, except during emergencies, the National Transportation Board said Tuesday. The recommendation was unanimous among the five members of the board, who said it should apply to hands-free and hand-held phones.

"The board made the recommendation in connection with a deadly highway pileup in Missouri last year," reports Joan Lowy of The Associated Press. "The board said the initial collision in the accident near Grays Summit, Mo., was caused by the inattention of a 19-year-old pickup driver who sent or received 11 texts in 11 minutes immediately before the crash."

The crash involved the pickup, a tractor truck and two school buses. The driver of the pickup and a 15-year-old student on one of the buses were killed. Thirty-eight others were injured.

Though the board cannot impose restrictions on cell phone use, federal and state lawmakers and regulators take their recommendations very seriously.

Accidents involving texting and cell phone calls are becoming increasingly common. It has even become commonplace for investigators to immediately to look at texting records when launching an accident investigation, Lowy reports.

The board previously recommended that commercial truck drivers and bus drivers be prohibited from texting and talking on cell phones. Texting while driving is forbidden in 35 states, including Kentucky. But about 2 in 10 American drivers, and half of drivers between the ages of 21 and 24, said they have texted or sent an email message while driving, a survey from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found. (Read more)

Opinions on health and safety issues differ among regions in Ky.

New data show Kentuckians' views on several major health-related issues vary depending on where they live. Those in Eastern Kentucky, the area with the highest poverty rate, are more likely to worry about having the money to pay for nutritious meals. They also have less access to affordable fruit and vegetables, and have a harder time finding safe places to exercise.

The data were compiled through the Kentucky Health Issues Poll, which was conducted by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. It surveyed more than 1,600 Kentuckians selected at random.

Views on smoking also differ by region. People in Northern Kentucky are less likely to support a statewide smoking ban, while people in the greater Louisville area tend to be more in favor of it. The views reflect local smoking bans that are already in effect; Louisville has banned smoking in public places since 2008, but the movement has stalled in Northern Kentucky.

Northern Kentuckians are also less likely to support legislation that would ban cell phone use while driving. People living in Kentucky's two largest urban centers, Louisville and Lexington, are more likely to use their cell phones while driving. People in Lexington said they're more like to talk, text or send emails on their phones when behind the wheel, while people in Louisville are only more likely to talk. People in Eastern Kentucky are the least likely group to talk or text on a cell phone when operating a vehicle.

Almost 3 in 4 respondents said they would support a complete ban on cell phone use while driving. Nearly as many said they need more information in order to understand the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the federal health-reform law.

The poll is jointly funded by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. (Read more)

Most Kentuckians in favor of banning cell phone use while driving

Though three of four Kentuckians admit to talking on the phone while driving, just as many would support a law banning cell phone use while operating a vehicle, the Kentucky Health Issues Poll has found.

"Although most Kentucky adults use their cell phones while driving, interestingly, they seem to recognize that this isn't a safe behavior," said Dr. Susan Zepeda, CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which co-sponsored the poll. "Research has shown that drivers who are talking on a cell phone perform similarly to drivers who are legally drunk."

The poll found that more than 80 percent of Kentucky adults have a cell phone. Nearly 30 percent said they never use their cell phone when behind the wheel; 25 percent said they almost never do; 30 percent said they occasionally talk on the phone while driving; 10 percent said they talk on the phone almost every time they're in the car and 6 percent said they make calls every time.

While they do use their cell phones to talk, 8 out of 10 Kentucky adults do not text while driving, which is banned in Kentucky. Just 1 in 7 Kentucky adults said they occasionally or rarely use their cell phone to text or write emails when driving. Another 2 percent said they text every time they drive.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has identified texting as the most alarming road distraction and attributed 5,500 deaths on American roads to distracted driving in 2009. About 200 of those deaths happened on Kentucky roads.

The poll, conducted annually by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati, is jointly funded by the foundation and The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. Its statewide sample of 1,677 results in a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points; regional samples are smaller and have higher error margins, around 5 percentage points. The foundation is the principal funder of Kentucky Health News. Other poll results can be found by clicking here.