[Techtaffy Newsdesk]

The National Safety Council has released its State of the Nation 2012 report in conjunction with Distracted Driving Awareness Month, which addresses improvements made to combat cell phone use while driving. In the three years since NSC called for a nationwide ban, progress has been made in legislation and enforcement, corporate policy, public perception and technology, says the council.

“We are pleased to see the traffic safety landscape is shifting and cell phone use while driving is being addressed,” said Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of NSC. “However, much work still needs to be done, especially in educating the public on the dangers involving hands-free devices. In addition to education, a combination of laws and high-visibility enforcement campaigns will be necessary. We’ve seen this formula work well for impaired driving and safety belt use, and we are confident it will help with this epidemic as well.”

In January 2009, NSC became the first national organization to call for a total ban of cell phone use – hands-free and handheld.

[Image Courtesy: National Safety Council]