Newfoundland and Labrador has become the first province to disconnect motorists from their hand-held cell phones. The move came after lobbying by the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association (NLMA), local police and the RCMP, says NLMA President John Haggie.
Figure. Not in Newfoundland, bye! Photo by: Barbara Sibbald
George Sweeney, minister of government services and lands, believes the phones pose a significant risk. “There are limits on human concentration. A driver's preoccupation with dialling and talking means that less attention is paid to driving. … We are convinced cell phone use by drivers constitutes a serious diversion which must be discouraged.”
Newfoundlanders appear to share that sentiment. In a government survey conducted last year, 95% of respondents considered cell phone use by drivers to be either a serious or a very serious health and safety problem. “Only 5% believe that all types of cell phone use should be permitted while driving,” says Sweeney. “Fifty-five percent say the practice should be prohibited entirely, while 39% feel hands-free is acceptable.”
Newfoundland and Labrador is not acting alone. At least 30 countries, including Japan, Russia and Australia, have introduced restrictions on cell phone use while driving. Two years ago, CMAJ called for similar regulations (164[11]:1557).
Studies indicate that talking on the phone distracts drivers, and holding a cell phone while driving inhibits physical movement. In 1997, Dr. Donald Redelmeier of the University of Toronto reported that talking on a cell phone while driving quadrupled the risk of an accident (N Engl J Med 1997;336:453-8).
Drivers in Newfoundland who continue to dial up while driving will face fines of up to $180, with $45 for a first offence. Each conviction will also cost drivers 4 demerit points. — Donalee Moulton, Halifax