Jury calls for cellphone ban for drivers.

"The jury for Canada’s first inquest involving deaths following cellphone use while driving has called for a ban on such use, even though the Canada Safety Council says better education is the answer. The inquest looked into the deaths of Richard Schewe, 31, of Ajax, Ont., and his 2-year-old daughter Mikaela at a railway crossing on May 7, 2001. Schewe was talking on a cellphone when he drove through flashing lights at a level crossing and into the path of a train. In September the jury concluded that Ontario should consider banning cellphone use while driving, except in emergencies. It also called for a task force to develop education and public-awareness campaigns to combat driver distraction. But Toronto epidemiologist Donald Redelmeier, who was called as an expert witness in the case, says education alone doesn’t provide major benefits (www.hwysafety.org/insurance). Educational efforts to promote seat-belt use only resulted in 20% of people buckling up; it took legislation to raise this past 80%. “Education is not a waste of time, but education with regulation is far more effective,” Redelmeier told CMAJ. He doesn’t advocate banning cellphone use in motor vehicles, but his oft-quoted study found that drivers were 4 times more likely to have a collision when using a cellular phone (N Engl J Med 1997;336:453- 8; CMAJ 2001;164[11]:1581-2). Meanwhile, the Canada Safety Council and the Canadian Automobile Association say the dangers don’t warrant a ban; they advocate more public education. The council points to data indicating that even though the number of cellphones in Canada grew from 1.8 million in 1994 to more than 10 million today, the number of road fatalities declined by 10%. Ontario MPP John O’Toole plans to use the inquest results to push for a ban on the use of hand-held cellphones while driving. Newfoundland and Alberta are also considering restrictions. Twenty-four countries already have some restrictions regarding cellphone use while driving. In the US, 39 states are considering legislation. (Author/publisher)