at the beginning of the new decade bc drivers had to do a quick update in regards to what they’re allowed to do while at the wheel of a vehicle. the use of a cellphone, mp3 or any other handheld devices if strictly prohibited while driving. however, just like any other law made by man there are just as many exceptions to the law as there are grammar exceptions in the English language. most important ones are, and this only applies to full driver license holders, you can talk on the phone if you are using a hands free device or if it is an emergency then feel free to use the handheld device.
overall, i agree that while driving one should concentrate on driving and only driving. so, in order to ensure safety on the road i will agree with stricter laws. however, hiding behind the pretext of implementing a change for safety but coming up with a half-assed law should not be allowed. talking on the cellphone is definitely a problem and has been shown to distract drivers while driving. the problem with it…the talking. being involved in a conversation while driving will distract one from being in the fullest state of alert. the conversation itself is the problem. fair enough if you argue that having one hand on the phone is also a problem, but it’s no the only one. if you focus on talking, even if it is on a hand less device, you are still not fully concentrating on the road. so while handheld device and talking are most likely worst than talking by itself; it’s still the talking that takes the huge chunk of the issue. anyhow…the idea of the law is great, the law itself is simply stupid. not sure of what they were smoking when they came up with it, but they should share with the rest of us. if in research we would conclude using the same logic we’d still be in the dark ages.
at this point, i’d like to know how they will address the other bigger problems and causes of lack of attention while driving? things like:
- putting on make-up
- eating
- smoking
- reading a book
- having a pet in your lap while you drive
- drinking (not alcohol) while driving
- etc…
how and when will they truly address these issues? how is one supposed to drive properly while they hold their ‘rat’ size puddle in their lap? or is a moving animal in the front seat not considered to be a potential hazard? eating and drinking while driving, i guess that’s ok; yet if a law is developed to address this then mcdonald’s will not supply lunch at the office for them anymore. i guess someone had to increase sales profits on bluetooth devices (or bluetooth like devices) and thus…we get the cellphone law.
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Almost two years ago I got hit by a car whose driver was talking on his cellphone, and I still get a bit jumpy when I see drivers do that in traffic. But I agree, there are tons of distractions, and they can’t ban them all. Very loud music can be a distraction too, even the GPS can be a distraction (I once read an article about a driver who killed a pedestrian because he was looking at his GPS). It’s hard to say where the control should stop. If the cell phone ban brings a lower number of accidents, I’d be inclined to agree with it. But I don’t know of any stats to support this theory.
while i agree that there are numerous distractions while driving, and that the drivers should be responsible to stay focus while driving…the law itself is stupid. i have references which state there is no difference between talking on a handheld device versus a hand less device. it’s the talking that’s the problem. they should ban talking on a cell phone all together…and then it can be a first step towards making the streets safer. i agree that it will be hard to enforce the law of ‘no talking on the cell phone while driving”, but at least they would have tried to move towards a safer environment on the streets.
I don’t have the references to hand, but I think that the research has shown that talking on handheld and hands-free cellphones are both worse than talking to a person who is actually in the car. I think that both should be banned on that basis – however I’m not aware of any jurisdiction that has banned hands-free phones yet
i fully agree that there is a difference between having a conversation with someone in the car; which is less distracting than having the conversation with someone on the phone. in my above statements i’m referring to “the talking” as the conversations over the phone, without making any reference to having a discussion with someone in the car. thus, any reference to ‘talking’ or ‘conversation’ is by default over a device and not with someone in the car (at least that’s how i meant it above).
i do have some reference that state talking on a hand held device is just as distracting as talking on a hand-free device.