US Won't Back Ban on Phones for Drivers

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he won't back a proposal to prohibit drivers from talking on cellphones, even hands-free devices, giving a boost to car makers and mobile-phone companies that stand to lose if regulators impose a ban.

The National Transportation Safety Board last week asked states to ban cellphones while driving in response to a deadly collision in Missouri last year that the agency blamed in part on a driver who was texting while driving. The NTSB wants the ban to include hands-free devices, which let drivers keep their hands on the wheel while talking through speakers or a headset. Secretary LaHood declined to endorse the NTSB's proposal. Hands-free calling "is not the big problem in America," Sec LaHood said. "If other people want to work on hands-free, so be it." An NTSB spokesman said the board has no response to LaHood's comments. "Our recommendations are out there and we stand by them," he said. The Dept of Transportation has rule-making authority over auto safety; the NTSB doesn't. So his comments are likely to bring relief to auto makers and the wireless industry,