PHILADELPHIA, PA – At-Large Councilmembers Bill Green and Bill Greenlee today announced legislation that would require Philadelphia drivers to put down their cell phones when stepping behind the wheel.

“A distracted driver is a dangerous driver,” observed Councilman Bill Greenlee. “Experience shows that a driver using a cell phone to dial a number or to send a text message is not giving his or her full attention to the road and that puts us all at risk – drivers, bikers and pedestrians alike.”

Studies confirm that drivers who use cell phones while driving are more distracted than those who do not. One study found that the distraction from mobile-phone usage makes drivers as accident-prone as having a blood-alcohol level of .08%, the legal limit for drunken driving (“A Comparison of the Cell Phone Driver and the Drunk Driver,” David L. Strayer, Frank A. Drews and Dennis J. Crouch, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah). The mere act of dialing a cell phone increases the risk of accident by 180% (“Dialing While Fishtailing: How Mobile Phones, Hands-Free Laws, and Driving Conditions Interact to Affect Traffic Fatalaties,” Jed Kolko, Public Policy Institute of California).

“Today, cell phones are an integral part of our daily lives. They provide an instant connection to family, friends and business contacts,” observed Councilman Bill Green. “Unfortunately, the simple act of dialing a phone number or sending a text message while driving can turn a trip to the grocery store into a trip to the emergency room.”

“By requiring the usage of hands-free devices, we expect to see a significant reduction in the number of accidents. The purpose of this law is to not only educate the public about the dangers associated with cell phone usage, but to effect a change in behavior,” explained Councilman Green. “We’d like to see drivers talk less behind the wheel and give their full attention to operating their vehicles.”

To date, every G7 country except for the United States has banned non-hands free mobile usage while driving. In the United States, New York, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, California and Washington, as well as a number of municipalities in Pennsylvania, have enacted hands-free laws.

Green and Greenlee’s legislation is modeled on similar laws passed around the country. Councilman Greenlee explained, “The legislation is still being fine-tuned to ensure that it is an appropriate fit for the City of Philadelphia.” In addition to requiring hands free devices, the bill would ban text messaging and web surfing. “For obvious reasons, emergency-phone calls are exempt from the restriction,” added Councilman Greenlee.

Councilmen Green and Greenlee will introduce the legislation when City Council returns from its summer recess, on September 18, 2008. Public hearings on the legislation will be held this fall.