favor driving and dialing legislation
CHICAGO-Consumers may have a slightly different view than expected on many of the issues that are currently tying up the wireless industry in courtrooms around the country, according to a study by Research International USA.
Concern surrounding “driving and dialing” has led the state of New York to ban driving and holding a cell phone while talking all together. Research International reported that less than one in ten users said they have had problems driving while using their phones and almost 25 percent of all subscribers never use their phones while driving. In addition, according to the report, only 3.3 percent of wireless users see holding a phone while driving as an actual danger. Meanwhile, 9.9 percent believe the conversation itself distracts, 12.3 percent said looking up numbers is dangerous, and 28.7 reported dialing numbers is dangers. However, 42.2 percent answered all of these activities are equally dangerous and a meager 1.9 percent said none posed danger.
Regarding legislation, 50.2 percent of all consumers (and 51.1 percent of wireless users) said they favor laws requiring hands-free use while driving, as in New York’s new law. However, 16.3 of all consumers (and 21 percent of wireless users) said there should be no laws regulating use of wireless phones while driving.
The effect of cellular phone use on health is another hotly debated topic in the industry. According to this study, most users are not overly concerned about health risks from their phones and fewer than one in ten use hands-free devices to minimize any risk. However, mirroring the sentiments of many government officials, 61 percent of respondents believe more research is needed in the area.
The Research International study was based on 2,022 interviews, of which 1,244 respondents were current wireless pone subscribers.
