Spring Break
Cell phone driving ban could save lives
Alex Stephens
Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: Opinion
Sometimes common sense just isn't enough to stop people from doing stupid, dangerous things. Sometimes, we actually need to institute laws that discourage us from making unwise decisions.
Drinking and driving, speeding, even driving without using a seatbelt are all prohibited by "for your own good" laws, meaning they are in place to stop you from hurting yourself or other people.
Personal right infringements are never welcome, nor were they sought after by the founders of our country that envisioned a very limited government.
They have, however, become necessary because ordinary citizens can't be trusted to be responsible any longer. Saying you have the right not to wear a seatbelt while driving is like saying you have the right to be stupid -- go ahead and break the law, but we're just trying to look out for you.
A distinction exists between personal safety and public safety.
Choosing not to wear a seat belt only affects you, but using a cell phone while driving affects everyone.
Talking on a phone while driving is one of the most flagrantly irresponsible activities around. After thousands of cell phone related deaths and injuries, a bill has finally been presented to make talking on a cell phone while driving illegal; about time I say.
Whether you've been hit, cut off, or just frustrated by drivers on phones you probably understand the necessity of such a law.
Many other states, such as New York, have similar laws prohibiting phone use because it causes otherwise avoidable accidents and fatalities. In crowded urban centers like New York City it makes perfect sense; pedestrians have quite an aversion to being run over.
What's more is that studies have shown that using a cell phone while driving, regardless of the length of the conversion, causes you to be as distracted as you would be after consuming roughly five servings of alcohol.
Several years ago, AT&T conducted a study that determined that, unlike a conversation with someone in the car with you, phone conversations while driving use different brain processes which severely interfere with abilities to safely concentrate on the road. Texting is obviously much worse, for reasons I shouldn't need to describe.
Drinking and driving, speeding, even driving without using a seatbelt are all prohibited by "for your own good" laws, meaning they are in place to stop you from hurting yourself or other people.
Personal right infringements are never welcome, nor were they sought after by the founders of our country that envisioned a very limited government.
They have, however, become necessary because ordinary citizens can't be trusted to be responsible any longer. Saying you have the right not to wear a seatbelt while driving is like saying you have the right to be stupid -- go ahead and break the law, but we're just trying to look out for you.
A distinction exists between personal safety and public safety.
Choosing not to wear a seat belt only affects you, but using a cell phone while driving affects everyone.
Talking on a phone while driving is one of the most flagrantly irresponsible activities around. After thousands of cell phone related deaths and injuries, a bill has finally been presented to make talking on a cell phone while driving illegal; about time I say.
Whether you've been hit, cut off, or just frustrated by drivers on phones you probably understand the necessity of such a law.
Many other states, such as New York, have similar laws prohibiting phone use because it causes otherwise avoidable accidents and fatalities. In crowded urban centers like New York City it makes perfect sense; pedestrians have quite an aversion to being run over.
What's more is that studies have shown that using a cell phone while driving, regardless of the length of the conversion, causes you to be as distracted as you would be after consuming roughly five servings of alcohol.
Several years ago, AT&T conducted a study that determined that, unlike a conversation with someone in the car with you, phone conversations while driving use different brain processes which severely interfere with abilities to safely concentrate on the road. Texting is obviously much worse, for reasons I shouldn't need to describe.
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