At her recent swearing-in ceremony, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Deborah Hersman announced a new plan to “curb the use of electronic devices including cell phones while driving” among agency staff. Addressing the need for integrity in agency operations, she stated, “It will be clearly understood that while NTSB employees are driving in the furtherance of government business they will not be telephoning or text messaging. Period. And this goes for your new chairman, too.”

Hersman noted that 40,000 people die each year on the nation’s highways, with some accidents caused by distracted driving. She said the no-talk rule would help raise the bar on highway safety.

She also noted that 5 years ago, NTSB issued a recommendation to the Federal Railroad Administration to prohibit train crews from using cell phones while on duty. About a year ago, one of the worst rail accidents in decades took 25 lives in southern California. The train engineer involved had been sending and receiving text messages in the seconds before the collision. Hersman says the agency has for several years recommended that states restrict the use of wireless devices by novice drivers. And NTSB has recommended that certain individuals with commercial drivers’ licenses be prohibited from using cell phones while driving with passengers. Hersman has been a member of the safety board since 2004.