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Cellphone Ban Proposed For Drivers By National Transportation Safety Board

By John Crawley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. safety investigators called on Tuesday for a nationwide ban on texting and cell phone use while driving, a prohibition that would include certain applications of hands-free technology becoming more common in new cars.

The National Transportation Safety Board recommendation covers portable devices only but still goes beyond measures proposed or imposed to date by regulators and states, most of which already ban texting while behind the wheel.

"When it comes to using electronic devices, it may seem like it's a quick call or a quick text or a tweet, but accidents happen in the blink of an eye," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. "No emails, no texts, no calls. It's worth a human life." MORE......

Obama Health Care Law Gave Medical Coverage To 2.5 Million Young Adults

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration says the number of young adults going without medical coverage has shrunk by 2.5 million since the new health care law took effect. A new analysis to be released Wednesday finds the drop is two-and-a-half times the figure indicated by government and private estimates from earlier this year. The health care overhaul allows young adults to stay on a parent's plan until they turn 26. Administration analysts found that nearly 36 percent of Americans age 19-25 were uninsured in the third calendar quarter of 2010, before the law's provision took effect. That's over 10.5 million people. By the second calendar quarter of 2011, the uninsured dropped to a little over 27 percent, or about 8 million. The difference is nearly 2.5 million more young adults getting coverage.