Fatal flaw in Ban on phone use in vehicles

The authorities should have imposed a stricter rule and not allowed drivers to use hand phones at all in a moving vehicle, with or without hands-free devices.

Published on May 10, 2008

It remains to be seen how effective the partial ban on using mobile phones while driving will be in reducing the number of road accidents.

In drawing up the new rule, the authorities ignored a study by Kasetsart University's Faculty of Engineering which showed that drivers jabbering away on their mobile phones, whether hand-held or through a hands-free device, are three times more likely to be involved in an accident.

The study found that people talking on the phone, even those who used accessories that let them keep both hands on the wheel, tended to be distracted by the conversation and therefore react more slowly in emergency situations.

Similar studies in several other countries also found that drivers' reflexes were slower while using a mobile phone, even with hands-free accessories.

It is clear that this half-hearted measure introduced by our law-enforcement and transport officials was influenced less by a genuine desire to reduce road mishaps than by a fear of a general revolt by motorists. Thais' love for their mobile phones is legendary.

This compromise is just another example of laws being introduced so that the authorities are seen to be doing something about a problem without really solving anything. Vendors of hands-free accessories, particularly the Bluetooth wireless type, will be doing brisk business.

Misleading motorists

Conscientious and responsible motorists already know better than to make or receive calls while driving, but now that the law is in effect, many motorists will be lulled into believing that talking on the phone is perfectly safe if you have both hands on the wheel, when in fact it isn't.

Government agencies should at least tell the public the truth, that driving while chatting on the phone through a hands-free device is not much safer than actually holding the phone to your ear. Motorists should be taught that talking on the phone through hands-free accessories should be done only when absolutely necessary.

While they are at it, the authorities should also pay attention to the dangerous proliferation of small LCD televisions in vehicles. Watching television requires the driver to frequently take his eyes off the road, which is much more dangerous than talking on the phone. The law must require all such TVs to be switched off while on the vehicle is on the road.