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In August of last year, a 19-year-old pickup driver received 11 texts in as many minutes while traveling down a Missouri highway outside Gray Summit. The truck rear-ended a stopped tractor trailer at speed, which was then struck by not one, but two school buses, resulting in a massive, multi-car pileup that left 38 people injured and two dead – including the serial texter and a 15-year-old student riding in one of the buses.

The crash made national news and gained even more press after the driver’s phone records were released. Today, the National Transportation Safety Board is recommending a nationwide ban on using a mobile phone while driving.

The key word there is “recommending.” The NTSB doesn’t have the power to enact legislation; it can only persuade lawmakers to pass a bill making it illegal for the driver to operate a mobile phone unless it’s an emergency. But the NTSB is taking it a step further. The government group doesn’t want drivers to use any electronic or Internet-connected device in the car, and that could include some of the newest ‘Net-enabled infotainment systems embedded into vehicles. Further, the proposed ban means even using a Bluetooth headset to take calls could be illegal.

Currently, mobile phone bans are enacted by states, with nine states and the District of Columbia prohibiting their use while behind the wheel, and 35 states banning texting while driving. Those figures doesn’t include the other states that ban novice or bus drivers from using a mobile phone while driving.

The NTSB’s hearing was held earlier today, but the official text of the recommendation has yet to be released. We’ll update this post accordingly when the NTSB offers us more than its initial findings and a tweet.

UPDATE: The text of the NTSB’s recommendation is available after the jump, and as suspected, it’s a sweeping suggestion for all States and the District of Columbia to not only ban mobile phone use, but any electronic device while driving.

Continue reading NTSB wants to ban mobile phone and electronics use in cars across the country [UPDATE]

NTSB wants to ban mobile phone and electronics use in cars across the country [UPDATE]