Cell Phones in Cars

This will be quick because it's not much of a topic. Various state legislatures have passed laws prohibiting cell phone use in cars under a variety of caveats. Sometimes people under a certain age can't use them. Sometimes you can only use them if you have a hands-free setup.

Cell phones grew from portable phones, which grew from car phones. So obviously we feel that we need to be talking on phones in the car. It doesn't take much thought to show intuitively that this is a bad idea; just try reading while talking to someone. Reading is only one activity; driving is many. And the added complexity of talking to someone just makes it worse. Many people are poor drivers without added distractions. There are more scientific studies to consult if the intuitive nature of my example is too soft for you.

Meanwhile, companies continue making more and more gadgets for use in cars. There are TVs, computers, email, phones, radios, coffee makers... the list goes on. If lawmakers are serious about making people safer, they need to attack the problem, which is the fact that these products are made.

I hate cell phones. Therefore, my belief that cell phones should not be used while driving period, no exceptions, no age limits or gadgets, should be interpreted through that lens. If they passed a law making car radios illegal, I would have a problem with it because often I find that the radio keeps me awake and keeps me focused rather than having an adverse affect. But it does take away concentration to change stations or switch CDs or what have you, so obviously those things need to be done at the appropriate time.

The difference is that music for me is a passive participation, whereas talking to someone is an active participation. I know people who drive better while talking to someone because it functions for them like music does for me. But inexperienced drivers probably shouldn't have distractions at all.

Okay, so this wasn't short, but it was disjointed. I am against the use of cell phones while driving, period. Hand-free sets do not change the basic distraction, so using them should not be mandatory because it's a pointless rule. Inexperience does not stop with age, so simply making an age limit to cell phone use does not do enough, but it does something.

In the end, enforcement is the biggest issue. Cops will not pull you over if they see you talking on a cell phone. They will only do so if they see you do something which is already illegal, such as running a red light or speeding. At that point, what purpose does a prohibition on cell phones serve if a separate infraction is required to trigger enforcement?