Cellphone ban while driving

Twice as likely to die on Kiwi roads

It's taken a long time, far longer than any European country, but it finally seems mobile phone-use while driving will be outlawed.

GIVEN a rate of road accident fatailities that doubles that of the UK, you might think any opportunity to claw back the reputation-damaging statistics would be jumped at, but it has taken many years for New Zealand to finally ban mobile phone use while driving.

ThisNZLife reported on OECD figures for New Zealand road deaths here, and on bad driving habits here, and the figures have remained stubbornly high over the years.

Experts suggest cellphone use contributes to 100 accidents per year and cell phone-using drivers are nearly ten times more likely to crash than other drivers.

Now, it seems the sensible policy will be adopted, as reported in the Dominion Post today.

A ban on using hand-held cellphones while driving looks set to be in place by October as officials prepare to report back to Transport Minister Steven Joyce this week.

Comments

[lavenderbongo]

Thats very good news - can we now have a law that stops people driving directly behind my bumper, or beeping if you spend more than 20 seconds at a junction.

[William Knight]

Wouldn't that be nice, Lavenderbongo?