by Paul Schingle

Created on: March 29, 2009

Believe me, I can understand the sentiment of wanting to ban cell phone use while driving. Many's the time I've been annoyed by other drivers talking on the phone and not paying attention to what they're doing. I've even been known to utter a few choice words in their direction. But, being the civil libertarian that I am, I would be hesitant to ban the use of cell phones entirely while driving. I can see putting certain limitations on their use while behind the wheel, but I wouldn't support a total ban.

The city of Chicago has passed a law prohibiting the use of cell phones with the exception of using them with a hands-free device. This, to me, seems fair. I happen to drive a vehicle with manual transmission. When it's time to shift, if you are talking on the phone with one hand and shifting with the other, the potential for disaster increases because this leaves no hand left to control the wheel. That is the biggest danger to driving while using your cell phone. If you have a hands-free device, this eliminates that problem. Of course, those who drive an automatic don't have this problem and some still seem to have a hard time driving while talking anyway.

I've heard the argument made that driving while talking on your cell phone can be distracting-and that's the biggest concern. I suppose there is some merit to that argument, but I also believe the same thing can be said for listening to the radio. For that matter, seeing a pretty girl walking down the street can be a distraction. I'm not trying to make light of the argument. The truth is, the number one cause of all traffic accidents is a slight loss in reaction time. (This is why driving under the influence of alcohol is so dangerous). A distraction like a cell phone (or the radio or a pretty girl) can, in fact, reduce one's reaction time. But, that alone is not enough to make the banning of cell phones logical. If distraction alone was enough, we'd have to ban a lot more items than just cell phones, while driving.

I'm the first to admit that a lot of individuals who operate motor vehicles while talking on the phone can be a menace out there. I can see restrictions, but I cannot support outright bans. If we ban cell phone use because of a small percentage of people who can't do both well, we might as well ban suburban housewives from purchasing SUV's at all. I've seen a lot more close-calls/accidents because of people who don't fully understand the dimensions of their vehicles than I have because of cell phone use. Of course, the idea of banning the selling of SUV's to suburban housewives is preposterous, but I'd put it in the same vein as banning cell phones.

Should cell phone use be banned while driving? I can understand restrictions such as a mandatory hands-free device, while driving, but banning them completely would be a mistake.

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