By
Shane Dale
Arizona Summer Wildcat
Word has it that George Pataki, New York's governor, has decided that the drivers of his state can't handle the steering wheel and hand-held cellular phones at the same time. As a result, Pataki has decided to make it illegal to drive and talk on the phone at the same time, starting later this year.
While this may sound like a brilliant idea on the surface, think a little deeper about this one. Why the ban on just cell phones? Are cell phones more dangerous than other potential distractions on the road?
There is absolutely, positively no statistical evidence that cell phones cause more accidents than other distractions while driving. What's more irritating is the supposed main reason for such a ban: apparently it's not the phone; it's the conversation that's the problem. The question that comes to mind here is this: how long until it's illegal to carry on a conversation with someone in the seat next to you, or try to control your two-year-old in the back seat (which, logically, seems like a much greater distraction in the first place)? A parent can end a phone conversation immediately, but it usually takes a little more work to get your kids to shut up.
Who doesn't get annoyed when they're driving along as usual, only to see someone in the lane next to them with one hand on the wheel, the other with a cell phone pressed to his or her (nine out of 10 times, her) ear? Nearly all of us do. But in instances like these, consider this: who's the more reckless driver: the one looking straight ahead, talking on the phone, or the other, taking their eyes off the road long enough to be irked by the other driver? We're all guilty of this. And that's what it really comes down to: personal responsibility. The freedom is ours to make the choice of being either one of these drivers. That's the way it should stay.
Driving drunk is illegal because it's been proven that doing so causes more accidents and fatalities than driving sober. Not wearing your seat belt is illegal because seat belts have been proven to save lives. Until it's proven that hand-held cellular phones are a prominent cause of car accidents (i.e. more so than other common driving distractions), singling them out is absurd.
So here's the next question: why, then, are cell phones being singled out? The answer's pretty simple: we've all eaten while driving before. We've all carried on a conversation with a friend in the front or back seat before. But not all of us own cell phones. How dare someone drive distracted while shoving their neat, pricey gadget in every other motorist's face? While it's true that driving with one hand occupied isn't exactly a bright thing to do, the reason why cell phones are being directly targeted here is envy, pure and simple.
"But I own a cell phone, and I happen to believe that this ban is a great idea. So there!" Why? If you don't think you can handle a cell phone and the wheel at the same time, then by all means, please don't. Likewise, if you can't eat or drink comfortably while driving, wait until you get home or at a stoplight. It all comes down to individual responsibility. Why this need for government to save us from ourselves?
Beyond the fact that this ridiculous law would be damn tough to enforce, one can imagine that the police could probably use their time a bit more efficiently than pulling over cell phone users and treating them like drunk drivers, something that this proposed New York law would do. No time to stop the maniac swerving across three lanes doing 95 in a 55, that guy's on a cell phone. And hey, he's only doing 50, he should be a lot easier to catch anyway.
The government can't ban stupidity. It can't regulate common sense. And Pataki and others like him need to realize this before laws like this become commonplace. In other words, this needs to stop before it starts.
