As a motorcycle rider, I obviously hate people driving and talking on their cell phones at the same time. I’m always afraid that they’re not paying attention and are going to plow into me. On the other hand, I also have a libertarian streak in me and feel that the government shouldn’t be telling me what I’m allowed to do in my own car. Now before you get all huffy about how talking on the cell phone is dangerous and that you’re endangering the people around you, let me just say “I get it.” Well, I used to anyway. There are several states now that don’t allow you to talk on your cell phone while driving. Studies have shown that talking on the phone is a distraction from doing what you’re supposed to be doing, piloting your vehicle. My argument against these laws is that there’s already laws on the books that allow a police officer to pull you over if you’re driving poorly. Ever heard of Reckless Driving? If you’re being reckless, a cop can already site you with a moving violation. The cause of reckless driving isn’t important, it’s that you’re BEING reckless. Many of the states with “no cell phone” laws make an exception as long as you’re using a hands-free device. That doesn’t make much sense. The studies didn’t find that HOLDING a phone causes a distraction, TALKING on the phone is the distraction. Those same studies showed that whether you’re holding a phone to your ear, talking into a speaker phone, or using a wireless headset, the chance of you being distracted from your driving is the same. So, if the only issue is DISTRACTION, how can we legislate that? If we can make laws banning cell phones because of the distraction we’d need to outlaw food, music, coffee, maps, screaming kids, and pets to be consistent. Everything you do in a car other than driving is a distraction. The cellphone is just the latest scapegoat for the real issue out on the road – PEOPLE NOT PAYING ATTENTION. Our law enforcement should spend more time enforcing the laws we already have (like reckless driving) instead of adding more laws to our already complicated law books.
