Washington - Jessica Dungan couldn't believe her eyes when she boarded a New York-bound bus in Washington.

The 30-year-old felt anything but secure as she observed the driver's behaviour. First he chatted on his mobile phone without using ear phones while at the wheel. Then, after the bus made a short stop along the way, she noticed that he was carrying a bag with energy drinks and a cheeseburger, "which he proceeded to eat with both hands while driving with an elbow."

Describing the experience in a recent article in the Washington Post, Dungan said she was so upset, she decided to take the train back to Washington.

Eating and drinking while at the wheel is nothing unusual in the United States in part because many people have to drive long distances to get to work. The same applies to mobile phone use: Many people talk on the phone while driving.

According to an estimate by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, at any given time 812,000 drivers are using a mobile phone. That's equal to 11 per cent of all cars on the road. A study by Virginia Tech University showed that the risk of an accident is 23 per cent higher when a driver is sending or reading a text message than when a driver is not distracted.

There's a patchwork of restrictions on mobile phone use while driving across the US. Seven US states in addition to Washington DC require drivers to use ear phones while talking on mobile phones, while 18 states and DC have banned text messaging while driving. There are other states that have partial bans, but in large parts of the US drivers may talk on the mobile phone or use it to send text messages without fear of being cited.

Other countries have restricted mobile phone use while driving for many years. Germany's ban, for example, went into effect in 2001.

However, there is a trend in the US toward greater restrictions following several serious traffic accidents resulting from drivers telephoning while at the wheel. A study by Harvard University's centre for risk analysis showed that mobile phone use by drivers contributes to 6 per cent of all accidents on US roads and railways. Translated into figures that is approximately 636,000 accidents with 342,000 injuries and 2,600 deaths.

A tragic example was the September 2008 accident in which a conductor of a Los Angeles commuter train rammed into a freight train, killing 25 people. The conductor admitted he sent a text message one minute before the impact, a distraction that caused him to miss a red light and four warning signals. In another accident involving public transportation the driver of a Boston trolley in August said he was text messaging when his train struck another, injuring dozens of passengers.

On October 7, US President Barack Obama expressed concern about mobile phone use while driving when he issued an order banning federal employees from text messaging while behind the wheel of a government vehicle. Under the order, employees are prohibited from text messaging while operating a government car or driving their own vehicle while on government business. The order also bans employees from using a government-provided mobile phone or other device while driving any vehicle.

"Recent deadly crashes involving drivers distracted by text messaging while behind the wheel highlight a growing danger on our roads," Obama's order said. Obama said he was hopeful his order would encourage other states and local government to crack down on the dangers of drivers distracted through use of mobile phones and text messaging.

Several states have begun discussing a possible ban on mobile phone use while driving or limitations on it. In states where a partial ban on driver mobile phone use exists, the variety of rules show how confusing they can be. In Tennessee, Illinois, Georgia and Arkansas mobile phone use is banned for school bus drivers. In Oregon the ban applies to youths and in Massachusetts the law says drivers must have at least one hand on the wheel. New Hampshire law says drivers will be held accountable if their behaviour causes an accident.

This means people who want to drive across America have the additional task of finding out the mobile phone use laws in the various states ahead of time. (dpa)