from The Arizona Republic
October 16, 2000
Driving, phoning opposed in survey
By Christina LeonardThe cellular phone market in Phoenix may be one of the fastest growing and competitive in the country.
Yet more than half of Arizonans recently polled feel cell phones should be banned while driving.
Go figure.
Fifty-three percent of those polled want to put the kibosh on all use of phones while driving. And only one-third gave the thumbs up to "hands free" cell phone use while driving, according to a September telephone poll by WestGroup Research.
The numbers don't surprise Sen. Tom Smith, R-east Phoenix, who has been trying to get a bill banning cell phone use while driving through the Legislature.
"All I have to do is go to any type of gathering, and people say, 'Tom, push that cell phone thing through.' And they'll tell you a horror story about somebody talking on the cell phone in the car. . . . "
Smith introduced a measure banning all calls last session, but it was soundly defeated. Smith said he wants to introduce another one - a softer version permitting hands-free devices such as headphones or earplugs - this session.
According to the poll, the strongest support for new legislation would come from residents 50 or older with two out of three arguing that any type of cell phone use should be banned while driving. And women were much more likely than men, 61 percent to 44 percent, to ban the phones.
Each month, WestGroup conducts an omnibus poll, and analysts decided to include cell phone questions last month because it's such a hot topic.
"The numbers are surprising," analyst Chris Karis said. "It would indicate the public is aligned toward the negative in a big way."
The survey questioned 402 adult Arizonans and has an error margin of 5 percentage points.
