Phones and automobiles can be a dangerous mix.

Cellular phones are an increasingly important part of our fast-paced American life.

In automobiles, wireless telephones allow millions of people to conduct business, stay in touch with loved ones, call for assistance, report emergencies, convey information about hazardous road conditions and report aggressive or drank drivers.

But when that driver talking on the phone in front of you begins to swerve, cell phones in automobiles can have tragic consequences.

In New Jersey, lawmakers are considering legislation that would prohibit drivers from operating a telephone in a motor vehicle that is in motion. Proposed in response to a fatal hit-and-run accident involving a driver using a cell phone, the New Jersey bill would impose fines between $100 and $250 for violations.

One of the bill's sponsors, Assemblyman Larry Chatzidakis, thinks the legislation can improve safety on New Jersey roads. "We hope that introducing the bill will at least raise awareness that using a cell phone while driving a car is dangerous," he says.

Cellular telephones and automobiles can be a dangerous mix. A recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that the distraction caused by cellular phone use in a motor vehicle quadrupled the risk of a collision during the brief period of a call, a rate equivalent to the impairment caused by legal intoxication. The study suggested that it was driver inattention rather than the physical act of dialing that caused accidents, and the accident rate was the same even when the driver was using a hands-free device.

A report published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) similarly concluded that cellular phone use while driving increased the risk of a crash. The report cautioned, however, that any legislative actions should recognize a balance between the benefits and the negative effects of cell phone availability in motor vehicles.

For example, in 1996 alone cell phone users placed 2.8 million calls for emergency assistance. In many instances, cellular phones reduced response time to automobile accidents and actually saved lives.

Wireless technology proponents argue that cellular phones in automobiles are no more distracting than a radio, food or a vanity mirror. As the number of car phone users rise, however, state policymakers may face greater pressure to weigh the benefits against the potential dangers.

More than 60 million people in the United States subscribe to wireless telephone services and an estimated 80 million people will own wireless telephones by 2000. Surveys indicate that 85 percent of wireless phone owners use their cellular telephones while driving.

All states already make reckless or careless driving illegal. Few states, however, specifically regulate wireless technology in vehicles.

In Florida, cellular telephone use is permitted in an automobile as long as it provides sound through one ear and allows surrounding sound to be heard through the other ear.

In Massachusetts, car phones are permitted as long as drivers keep one hand on the steering wheel at all times. California requires rental cars with cellular phones to have written instructions for safe operation. Oklahoma and Minnesota require police to include information about cellular telephones in accident reports.

Since 1995, at least 21 states have introduced measures to regulate car phones. Legislators have proposed outright bans of all phones in motor vehicles, requirements for hands-free devices, restrictions on phone call length, prohibition of phone solicitation and improved data collection.

If passed, the New Jersey bill would be the first in the nation to prohibit all drivers from operating a telephone in a motor vehicle that is in motion. Although Chatzidakis is uncertain whether the measure will pass, he says, "We have received a pretty positive response from our constituents, and that makes it worthwhile."