Your New England Car dealer, Berlin City Auto Group has always cared very much about the safety of our guests!  That is why we are very happy to hear of a new bill introduced to the House that would help protect our children and families on the roadways.



Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's campaign against distracted driving has picked up a Congressional hitchhiker. Late last week Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of New York introduced the Safe Drivers Act of 2011 (a proposal to prohibit drivers on public roads from using any handheld mobile device while behind the wheel. Hands-free or voice-activated devices would remain acceptable, as would the use of handheld phones in cases of emergency.

Beyond these basic guidelines, the bill directs the Department of Transportation to conduct a thorough study of distracted driving and, within two years, to recommend a standard of minimum penalties for the offense. States that refused to comply with this standard in a timely manner would have a portion of their highway funding withheld (McCarthy suggests 25 percent) - a penalty modeled on current federal blood-alcohol content standards.  As a New England used car owner myself, I would hate to see any of our road funding taken away.  We all know what nasty potholes pop up every time it rains or snows here!  Not to motion all the other roads which are in need of just general repair.

McCarthy's bill would offer distracted driving laws a federal imprimatur they presently lack. Right now regulations vary widely from state to state. At one end of the spectrum are the nine states, plus the District of Columbia, which have banned the use of handheld cell phones for all drivers. (Nevada's ban doesn't go into effect until 2012.) At the other are the nine states with no law against any kind of distracted driving. (This count includes Hawaii, though all of its counties have enacted regulations.)

The scientific research on distracted driving certainly supports McCarthy's proposal; if anything, it suggests McCarthy did not go far enough in her attempt to regulate the destructive behavior. Several psychological studies have concluded that hands-free mobile conversations are just as distracting to drivers as handheld cell phone use. In one test, researchers found both types of phone use to be as dangerous as driving with a .08 blood-alcohol level.  This should be very disconcerting for Gorham Jeep families, especially those who have children reaching the legal driving age.  Another study reported that drivers engaged in cell phone conversations - handheld and hands-free alike - missed more lights and had longer reaction times than those who drove without distractions.

This is very scary information.  Berlin City Auto, one of your ideal car dealerships in New England, asks that everyone take 10-15 minutes and explain to your upcoming drivers how important it is to pay attention while driving, and that cell phones are coming close to the #1 cause of car accidents.  Please help us take care of everyone out there!