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American Morning
More Communities are Passing Laws Against Driving While on Cell Phones
Aired April 20, 2001 - 09:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Cell phone users listen up to this next story: New York is poised to become the first state to enact a law banning the use of handheld cell phones by drivers, and that could trigger similar laws nationwide.
CNN technology correspondent Rick Lockridge has the story; he tells us that was the plan when an assemblyman from Brooklyn started his fight against cell phones in the first place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK LOCKRIDGE, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Felix Ortiz still vividly remembers the accident he witnessed six years ago that convinced him there ought to be a law against drivers using cell phones.
FELIX ORTIZ, NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY: When I asked what happened the person who was talking on the cell phone threw the cell phone on the seat and said to me, oh, you see, if I was not talking on the cell phone this accident wouldn't have happened.
And I said, well, it could be worse.
LOCKRIDGE: And yet up until now the Brooklyn Democrat has been unable to even get his cell phone bill to a vote in the New York state Legislature. But this year Ortiz says he has enough support to get the bill passed and make New York the first state in the country to ban the use of handheld phones by drivers.
ORTIZ: And if you want to save life, this is the right thing to do.
LOCKRIDGE: A number of Americans who use their cell phones while driving is now approaching 100 million. Certainly there are many drivers who say they need their phones and can handle the distraction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, having a cell phone is definitely a good way to get work done in the car.
LOCKRIDGE: But surveys show many Americans are getting fed up with yackaholic drivers. A Texas study finds nearly 60 percent favor a ban. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's sort of untrue that it's unsafe to drive that way, so I think it shouldn't be done. It's always weird passing a law that forces people to do something.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: When driving a car, we all deal with distractions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOCKRIDGE: The U.S. cell phone industry has spent millions opposing new laws. It's latest ad campaign, about to start running nationwide, advises drivers not to make frivolous calls, but implies other calls are OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Ask yourself: Is this call necessary?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOCKRIDGE: The spots promote the use of hands-free phones, but also convey the unmistakable impression that existing reckless driving laws are sufficient, so no new laws are needed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Remember: State laws prohibit distracted driving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOCKRIDGE: But Ortiz says new laws are needed; and while his bill would permit the use of hands-free phones, he says that's only a temporary compromise.
ORTIZ: I think this is a step in the right direction for me to continue my crusade.
LOCKRIDGE (on camera): Ultimately, Ortiz believes the U.S. will have no choice but to follow the lead of 15 other industrialized nations and pass a comprehensive national driver cell phone law.
Rick Lockridge, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR; Well, an Ohio town is ahead of New York in passing a driver cell phone law. The Cleveland suburb of Brooklyn, Ohio is the nation's first town to ban the use of handheld phones while operating a motor vehicle.
Joining us from Cleveland is Brooklyn, Ohio patrolman Rich Hovan who, as I understand it, does more than just ticket people who break that law. As I understand it officer Hovan, your try to break people's hearts when they break this law -- you hand out a picture of a little girl; what's that all about?
PATROLMAN RICH HOVAN, BROOKLYN, OHIO POLICE: Well, the reason I do this is that our city, being the first in the nation to adopt the handheld cell phone law, we've got a lot of recognition about it. I went on the Oprah Winfrey show to talk about it and met a young family by the name of Rob and Patty Peana (ph). They told a story about November 3 of 1999 when Patty Peana was driving through the city of Hilltown Township, Pennsylvania and her vehicle was broadsided by a man who went through a stop sign, and the reason he went through the stop sign was because he was inattentive because he was on a cell phone. Their little daughter, who was 2 1/2 years old at the time, Morgan Lee Peana (ph) died because of this accident.
HARRIS: So you took this on as your crusade?
HOVAN: After meeting them and -- I thought at the time, you know, this person that caused this accident, I guess he received like a $50 fine. And I thought to myself, Rob and Patty must think that the law enforcement community here thinks that their daughter's life is worth $50.
I had issues with the cell phone thing because one of my best friends was almost run down in front of his kids while on a cell phone. I changed my thinking once I met the Peanas and I did a few things for them.
HARRIS: Well, as I understand it some 400 or 500 tickets have been passed out and you've passed out 80 percent of them -- you passed out some 400 tickets for this?
HOVAN: That's correct. I actively go out and I look for them. When I stop these people I pass out a three-page information sheet and it's all -- and it has pictures of Morgan Lee Peana on it and it explains how this young little girl died, and it was needless.
HARRIS: Well, let me ask you something, because one of the questions that we've had here in our newsroom in the past couple of years as we've looked at different communities that have been trying to address this issue with people using cell phones while they drive -- has what you've been doing made a difference at all? Has assigning tickets or fines or whatever to people -- has that actually made a difference in the number of accidents you've seen over there?
HOVAN: Well, as I've always said before, we'll never know because if our law is working the people aren't using that phone and they're not having those tragedies happen to them. Personally, I think it's working; and if we've saved one or two lives then, I mean, that's all worth it.
HARRIS: As I understand it the ticket cost, what, $3?
HOVAN: Our offense is a $3 -- a first offense is $3 fine. There's no points on your driver's license; no court cost. You simply mail it in.
HARRIS: Well, do you think if boosting that penalty would actually increase the effectiveness of the law?
HOVAN: I don't know so much that. I mean, we adopted our ordinance to be an education tactic. And if you get stopped by me, which is probably 80 percent of the time, I give you a little lecture and try to explain what it's all about to you.
HARRIS: All right folks, you've seen his face now. If you see him coming -- you see Officer Hovan in the rear-view mirror, you know what you did. Officer Hovan, thanks much for your time this morning and good luck.
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