Technology News And Reviews

On Tuesday, the consumer advocacy groups Public Citizen and the Center for Auto Safety issued a press release, detailing that since 2003, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) has known of the dangers of distracted driving while using cell phones, yet concealed that data. The NHTSA documents were obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit.

Copies of the document are available on the Center for Auto Safety’s website. The press release shows just how the two consumer advocacy groups feel about the withholding of data. It’s subtitled: “Public Citizen Lawsuit Yields Hidden Records, Exposes Extent of Cover Up.”

Worse for the NHTSA, Dr. Jeffrey Runge, then the head of the agency, told the New York Times that he decided not to publish the documents because of “political considerations.” As the article further said, in an effort “to not anger Congress.”

In reality, this sounds more like an effort “to not anger lobbyists.”

The documents also assert that hands-free use does not increase safety. The NHTSA even drafted a letter for then-Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. The letter, which was never sent, warned governors not to waste their time implementing hands-free laws. It said (emphasis mine):

NHTSA estimates that driver distraction contributes to about 25 percent of all traffic crashes. Though all distractions are a concern, we have seen the growth of a particular distraction, namely cell phone use while driving. While the precise impact cannot be quantified, we nevertheless have concluded that the use of cell phones while driving has contributed to an increasing number of crashes, injuries and fatalities.

A significant body of research worldwide indicates that both hand-held and hands-free cell phones increase the risk of a crash. Indeed, research has demonstrated that there is little, if any, difference between the use of hand-held and hands-free phones in contributing to the risk of driving while distracted. In either operational mode, we have found that the cognitive distraction is significant enough to degrade a drivers’ performance.

The letter went on to recommend drivers not use cell phones while driving except for emergencies.

It is also unnerving that this research was done in 2003; other distractions for drivers have increased tremendously since then, as has cell phone use.

Both Public Citizen and the Center for Auto Safety laid lives at the feet of the NHTSA. Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety (emphasis mine):

“People died in crashes because the government withheld this information. States passed laws and took action to restrict only handheld cell phone use assuming hands-free cell phones use was safe. The studies NHTSA concealed showed that all cell phone use is as hazardous as drinking and driving.”

Public Citizen attorney Margaret Kwoka, who handled the lawsuit (emphasis mine):

“It is a travesty that NHTSA kept secret factual information that could have saved lives. Although FOIA protects an agency’s decision-making process, these documents reflect facts about safety risks that the public had every right to see.”