I saw Ray La Hood on TV and he seemed genuinely personally responsible and concerned about the problem - and it IS a problem. I really don’t think he is trying to be a nanny here. He is trying to keep American citizens alive and productive.
Everyone reading this has seen at least one idiot oblivious to their surroundings while texting and (sort of) driving - and I have seen the aftermath of an accident caused by this.
Let’s go to the other extreme - “why do we have DUI laws? The free market should solve the problem.” If you are found guilty of causing an accident due to drinking (or texting), etc, and you don’t have the resources to cover the accident/hospital bills/burial expenses and other damages, society gets to sell your body parts.
I got my (then in his late 60’s) dad an old-style cell phone to use in the mid-1990’s. I told him that I didn’t think he had the reflexes to drive AND use it and that I would give it to him only if he promised never to use it while driving, and he took my advice. Consider that those old phones were just that - phones with 12 buttons and a numeric screen.
I’m not even THAT old and I won’t dial or answer the phone while driving (even stopped). There is NOTHING in my life that is THAT important, and I probably wouldn’t be able to do anything about it immediately anyway. That’s what voice mail is supposed to cover.
I predict that there will be horrific carnage on the road when these kids with “smart phones” get into their 50’s and 60’s unless some rules are put in place.
IMO, if there is something that important to you, you need to re-examine your time management skills, or your employer is being unreasonable; they need to pay for a hands-free installation, or you should find another job. If you are really that “important”, then you or your employer should be able to afford a driver who is not permitted to use his/her phone.
We’ve had two fatal accidents in just our small community here....both teenage drivers...one girl lost her life...in the other accident a brother, sister and friend lost their life.
Both were on their cellphones.
Good Post.
I agree with you on the change in phone styles being a problem.
15 years ago if you had a car phone, it was an in place receiver usually mounted on the floor between the seats. Just a few large buttons on it. Ditto for those portable Nokia phones that were the main type from about 1998-2003. Big buttons. Only a phone.
The problem with the current smart phones is that they are impossible to use unless you look down at the screen. And when you look at the screen you usually see all your emails, text messages, etc which further distract you.
I’m completely fine with a cell ban. As you noted, if you are in sales (which I am), your employer simply picks up the cost of a voice unit for you to use.
Unlike all the nanny state stuff that prevents “one death out of millions” this cell stuff is meaningful with tens of millions of cars and trucks on the road 24/7