FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The National Safety Council is asking motorists to stop using cell phones and messaging devices while driving, and is taking steps to make it mandatory. The group is urging businesses to adopt such a ban as part of company policy, and is also calling on governors and state legislators to make a prohibition the law of the land.

“Studies show that driving while talking on a cell phone is extremely dangerous and puts drivers at a four times greater risk of a crash,” Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the NSC stated. “Driving drunk is also dangerous and against the law. When our friends have been drinking, we take the car keys away. It’s time to take the cell phone away.”

NSC cites a study by the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis that estimates cell phone use while driving contributes to 6 percent of all roadway accidents nationwide, which equates to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 deaths each year. The study also put the annual financial toll of cell phone-related crashes at $43 billion.

The NSC also points to studies from University of Utah researchers that show handsfree devices do not make cell phone calls while driving safe. Another study suggests that talking to passengers, as opposed to talking on a cell phone, actually makes adult drivers safer.

Meredith Morris, NSC communication manager, said Monday that other passengers are “in tune to the same environmental signals, and can point out risks while you’re driving. A person on a cell phone would have no idea if you were in bad or dangerous conditions because they’re not in your environment.”

Sometimes called “back seat drivers,” Morris said a fellow passenger can be a second set of eyes, even while carrying on a conversation.

She noted that although talking on a cell phone may be less distracting than some other activities like reading, applying makeup or eating while driving, cell phone use and texting devices are much more pervasive, making it more dangerous overall.

According to a Virginia Tech 100-car study conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 80 percent of crashes are related to driver inattention. The survey indicates cell phone use occurs more frequently in vehicles than other, riskier activities, and for longer duration, making them the No. 1 source of driver distraction.

The use of handsfree devices do not seem to help prevent collisions, NSC officials contend.

“The cognitive distraction is the same,” Morris said. “We’re more concerned where your brain is — not where your hands are.”

Morris said the commercial use of cell phones while on the road accounts for a significant amount of the problem, and many companies have already adopted policies that prohibit employees from using electronic communication devices while driving.

In a National Safety Council survey, 45 percent of member businesses said they have company policies prohibiting on-road cell phone use. Of those, 85 percent said the policies make no difference in business productivity.

“Anyone with a busy job knows the temptation to multitask and stay in touch with the office while driving,” Froetscher said. “Believe me, I’ve been there. I didn’t realize how much risk I was taking. Most people don’t. Employers understand how dangerous the behavior is and their potential liability. We are asking all businesses to join us by adopting policies banning calling and texting while driving on the job.”

The NSC recently sent letters to all governors and state legislative leaders, encouraging them to adopt statewide bans.

Alabama State Rep. Joe Faust, a Republican from House District 94, said he has not yet received a message from the group, but added he might support a ban on drivers using handheld devices. The next legislative session begins Feb. 3.

“Someone had a bill last year that disallowed anyone under 18 from using a cell phone while driving, but no one would support it unless it covered everybody,” Faust said. “I kind of agree with it (the NSC request), but would have to talk to others to decide if I would say ‘yay’ or nay.’”

He pointed out that although the use of Citizen’s Band (CB) radios has declined over the last few years, they could also be considered a distraction, particularly for truckers, and might need to be covered under similar legislation.

Faust said he occasionally makes a cell phone call while traveling Interstate 65 between Montgomery and Baldwin County, usually to let his wife know when he’ll be home. He tries to avoid using a cell phone on city streets, however.

“I hate to talk while driving,” Faust said. “I could pull off to the side of the road and make that call just as easily.”

Morris admitted it will be difficult to convince legislators in all states a ban is needed. She said, “We are all aware this is not going to be a quick change. It will take months, if not years, to impress the risks upon people.”

She compares the push to ban cell phone use by drivers to the campaign to enact and enforce seat belt laws. Child safety seat laws were also resisted at first, and are now gaining more public acceptance.

“It will take a combination of public education and laws,” Morris said. “Seat belt use has become second nature for many.”

As of October 2008, only three nearby states had enacted any form of cell phone ban, according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety statistics. Georgia bans use of all cell phones (including handsfree) by a school bus driver while the vehicle is in motion; Tennessee and Louisiana ban the use of cell phones by school bus drivers and teenage drivers; but Louisiana is the only of those states that also prohibits text-messaging while driving.

The NSC will take a threefold approach to leading change: advocating legislation; educating the public and businesses about the risk of cell phone use while driving; and supplementing distracted driving content in its training of 1.5 million people annually in defensive driving.

Although cell phone providers, many of which sell handsets and handsfree devices, might seem to be natural opponents of any use restrictions, Morris said that has not generally been the case.

“There are some points we agree on,” she said, such as the use of cell phones by new drivers.”