Officials Wants States to Report Crashes July 2, 2003 -- Washington - In an effort to track accidents caused by cell phone use, highway officials are encouraging states to report when crashes are caused by distracted drivers. Under new guidelines issued Tuesday, police are being asked to say whether the driver was distracted and if that distraction was caused by a cell phone, a radio, another passenger, another vehicle or something else. States are asked to collect a total of 111 pieces of information from each crash under voluntary guidelines jointly developed by federal highway safety agencies and the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway officials. Almost all states use some form of the voluntary crash reporting guidelines, which were first issued five years ago to help standardize crash reports so it's easier to compare data from state to state. The data can then be used to determine accident trends and develop laws to reduce traffic deaths. So far, New York is the only state to ban drivers from using cell phones, and safety officials are debating whether there's enough data for other states to follow. Only 16 states now collect data on cell phone usage after a crash, GHSA executive director Barbara Harsha said. "We really don't have any idea as to the scope of the driver distraction problem," Harsha said. The other major change to the guidelines issued Tuesday is the type of crash that is considered reportable. Under the 1998 guidelines, states were encouraged to report any accident that involved an injury or a towed vehicle. Highway safety officials found requiring states report crashes that cause a $1,000 minimum property damage standard would capture a wider variety of crashes. -AP
