Three years ago, New York instituted a ban on driving with a cellphone on your ear. WARNING personal opinion here...I completely agree with a ban. I already hate driving. Driving around people who can't see the signs and go the wrong way on one way streets, ramps, and parking lot entrances scare me. Worse, driving around people who feel their next sip of Starbucks, their bite of breakfast, or their lipstick application is more important than two hands on the wheel scare me. Worst, drunk drivers scare me. So when I hear statistics citing that people on their cell phones are as dangerous as drunk drivers, I feel the need to get my dander up.
Maybe seeing some of these cars and reading the stories behind them will get your dander up too. Similar laws against Driving While Celling have been put in place in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C. Several other states are considering the same action. It is a shame now to hear the news from New York about its uselessness. And makes me wonder if the new law effective July 2 in California would do any good especially since the fine is $20.
I'm not the only one wondering. Others have suggested making cell free zones in which the cell signal is blocked when traveling on certain roads, raising the fine, or even making insurance companies refuse to cover damages caused by cell phone use. I have a friend (who may be really mad at me for saying this, but she knows I love her) who loves to talk. She is such a people person that she NEEDS to be looking at your face when she talks. Her driving scares me, and thank goodness I haven't been in a car with her in a LONG time. I cringe when I know she's driving while celling.
I know a lot of people feel that they drive just fine while distracted by phones, food, and personal hygiene. Some feel that having their computer on while driving is okay. Some even feel cell phones are being singled out unfairly.
But I think overall some people have lost that little bit of common sense in their rush to do more and do it faster than everyone else. And children learn by our example.
2 comments:
Glad I'm not the only one this scares....I love sitting at a light and counting the number of cars with drivers NOT on cell phones. There are surprisingly few.
Jo
ps when I was traveling I was thankful that in my territory there was alot of no service areas
What's funny right now is seeing how many try to hide their cell phone use! "If I put the phone on the inside ear and look around furtively for law enforcement, then I won't get caught." They're certainly paying attention to driving then!(smh)
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