Nationwide Cell Phone Ban
by Dave Z on Jan.12, 2009, under Blog
I rarely watch the news, but decided to check out 7News Boston just cause I couldn’t find the remote after Gossip Girl ended so I watched One Tree Hill followed by the news program. Yeah, I know, I’m hella gay. I’ve also been to a Coldplay concert, so that’s how you know for sure. That’s not the point of this post, however.
They had a segment on this nationwide safety group pushing hard for a complete ban of cell phone use while driving, including hands-free. They claim that using a cell phone in the car is as bad as drunk driving and it’s the cause of 6% of all accidents.
In some ways, I’m all for it. There are numerous times throughout my daily commute that I must actively avoid being hit by someone that is on his or her cell phone and swerving into my lane, cutting me off without knowing it or just driving like an idiot. It would seem worth having my rights limited to keep these people from using their phones and putting my life in danger as a result.
My problem with it is that not everyone is created equal. I’m overly-exaggerating here a bit, but I’d be willing to wager that I could do six shots of tequila, smoke a few bowls, and hold a text message conversation on my cell phone in my left hand while drinking a coffee in my right hand and STILL be a better and safer driver than 90% of the idiots on the road these days. Most people SUCK at driving and this is when completely sober, not on a cell phone and with two hands on the steering wheel.
And assuming that my somewhat outrageous claim is a fact, how is it fair that I could be ticketed for using a cell phone while driving even though I’m still a safer and better driver while using one than the overwhelming majority of drivers who aren’t? It just doesn’t make any sense and wouldn’t be right. The only way I could get behind something like this if it were simply a ban that made it a multiplier on other traffic violations. Meaning that you couldn’t be pulled over and ticketed for using a cell phone, but if you’re busted for speeding or running a red light while using a cell phone that your fine or punishment would be significantly higher than doing the same infraction without one.
But even if this was done, is it enough just to target cell phone use? Long before people even had cell phones, many “other” distractions existed that undoubtedly led to car accidents. These issues still exist and include things such as dealing with rowdy kids or crying babies in the back seat, fidgeting with the radio, putting on make-up in the rearview mirror, eating food, drinking beverages, trying to read a map, arguments or simple conversations with passengers, being old, being Asian, being a female, and putting destinations into your GPS. All are distracting, dangerous and lead to unsafe driving.
Should they all be banned? Is talking on a hands-free cell phone worse than eating a Big Mac while drinking a big ass 32 oz soda? Is talking on a cell phone worse than turning around and yelling at your kids in the back seat while taking your eyes and attention completely off the road? Should eating/drinking while driving be banned? Should driving with kids be banned?
What about driving when really tired? When I had to do driving school after a getting a speeding ticket for driving the speed limit because the cop deemed the speed limit too fast for the weather conditions, they showed us this video on this study where fatigued drivers performed significantly worse than drunk drivers at these driving tests they put them through. This was particularly poignant because at the time I was dealing with 120+ hour work weeks at VC and often drove home after being at work without sleep for 3-4 days in a row. I would literally fall asleep at the wheel at least 2-3 times EVERY time I drove to or from work during these end of cycle “crunch” periods. Knowing this, should cops be able to pull over someone they see yawn because they may be too tired to drive?
It just seems kind of arbitrary to specifically ban cell phone use with so many other things that could just as easily be targeted. It’s also a little too Big Brother for my liking.
:accidents, cell phone, cell phone ban, drunk driving, fatigued driving, GPS, hands-free cell phones
January 13th, 2009 on 3:08 am
You make a really good point. I went on a road trip recently with a friend and he’s one of the people who looks at every driver he passes. I was driving, but he still looked and he counted a frighteningly large number of people texting(!) while driving.
Maybe I’m slow because I still look when I text, but that should be implied as illegal if non-hands-free is against the law.
I was going to suggest stricter testing on licensing and reissues needing tests too or something, but that would hassle people and they’d go right back to their habits alone anyway. People forget how dangerous cars and driving really are.
January 13th, 2009 on 10:10 am
Texting while driving is probably one of the most dangerous things to be doing. I know some girls that used to txt on their sidekick with two hands while steering the car with their knees and driving 70+ mph on the highway.