cellphones

Motorists who talk on handheld or hands-free cellular phones are as impaired as drunk drivers, according to a University of Utah study.

Living Streets Aotearoa applauds the Minister of Transport, Steven Joyce, for seeking to ban cell phone calls and texting by drivers.

“Drivers should concentrate on the road, and not on their cell phones”, says Celia Wade-Brown, president of Living Streets Aotearoa.

Living Streets Aotearoa President, Celia Wade-Brown, says the Government's proposal to ban hand held phones is welcome but doesn't go far enough.

"It's not just the physical distraction, it's the sense of the driver being absent from the real driving situation. Trying to catch a driver's eye as a turning cyclist or pedestrian waiting at a crossing is MUCH more difficult if the driver's on the phone."