Should cell phone use while driving be banned?

An interesting AP article yesterday addresses the increasing numbers of motor vehicle accidents resulting from cellular phone usage.

Colorado State Troopers are now asking people involved in crashes whether they were using cellular phones at the time. These troopers may be able to gather enough evidence to argue for a legal ban on cell phone usage while driving.

Beginning January 1, troopers now record and file the information on accident reports.

“Over the years, we’ve seen an increase in cell phone usage in accidents, but we’ve never had a system to track how much of a factor cell phone use was,” Trooper Gil Mares said Tuesday.

“We don’t have any numbers, but we think using a cell phone while driving is a contributing factor in accidents,” he said.

Colorado passed a law last year that limits new drivers’ cell phone use. Other states have passed laws that ban limit cell phone use while driving.