Keep Hand on Wheel, Not Cell, Md. Workers Told

Hands off those cellphones -- at least if you are a Maryland state employee.

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) signed an executive order Thursday that prohibits state workers from hands-on use of cellphones while behind the wheel of a state vehicle. They're allowed to talk by cellphone but must use a hands-free device, such as a headset or earphones. Law enforcement and some state employees who operate emergency vehicles are exempt.

O'Malley, who championed other safe-driving initiatives during this year's legislative session, including a prohibition on text messaging while driving, wants the state workforce to set an example for other Marylanders when it comes to safe driving and "be a driving force for safety."

State workers are also being encouraged to brush up on their driving skills by taking a "driving improvement program." Enrollment will be voluntary, O'Malley spokesman Shaun Adamec said. But state workers who've had brushes with, say, trees, concrete barriers or other vehicles might be more strongly encouraged to enroll than those with cleaner records, he said.

"A lot of these folks have not had any driver training in 30 or 40 years," he said. "While experience can be the best kind of training, things have changed in the last 30 years."

Adamec said that he didn't know how many accidents a year involve state workers driving state vehicles but that such incidents cost the state upward of $20 million annually in property damage and lost wages. He said statistics show that 90 percent of all accidents are caused by driver error. Each year, about 550 Marylanders die in car accidents, and more than 50,000 are injured.

Union officials called the governor's decision a positive move.

"We hope that this is a step toward creating a safer environment for state employees at every level," said Patrick Moran, director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Maryland, the state's largest employee union.

Although drivers are required to use hands-free devices with cellphones in the District, broader efforts in the legislature to enact a similar rule in Maryland have fallen short, in part because some legislators said they aren't convinced that using a cellphone while driving results in more accidents. Maryland drivers younger than 18 who have provisional licenses are banned from using any wireless devices behind the wheel unless they are calling 911.

"If it's preventable, if it's state property and state time, then the state and governor have an obligation to do something about it," Adamec said.