Should the use of cell phones be prohibited while operating a motor vehicle?

Question

Tell me why or why not.

Answer 1

There is no simple answer here.  Sure everyone loves to yell "yes!", but you need to be careful what you wish for.

Everyone claims it's too much of a "distraction."  I really wonder.  You see, there are SOOO many things than can distract a driver that may well be worse than simply talking on a cell phone and there is no specific law about them (at least yet in most places.) Reading a map, adjusting your satcom, messing with your radio, putting on makeup, shaving, and the list goes on and on.  It's those kinds of examples that causes the cell phone laws to make even less sense and people not to pay attention to them where they are enacted.

The biggest problem with cell phones is that too many people have the things anymore. There are bad drivers out there. Always have been. Now you put a cell phone in their hands and everyone sees the bad driving, then they see the cell phone and they immediately blame the cell phone for the bad driving.  We need new rules!  We need to ban cell phones!  Hey, it's not the cell phone's fault they suck at driving! (Although I will concede the point that it sure isn't helping.) But why penalize everyone else with questionable legislation for those who probably cannot walk and chew gum at the same time?

Communication from inside a moving vehicle has been commonplace since the invention of radios. Would you ban a tow truck driver from having a dispatch radio to talk on? Would you take a police radio away from an officer?  How about CB radios from trucks? OnStar? Yes, all those things can cause distractions. It comes down to this.  It's the responsibility of the driver to make sure that doesn't happen. You have so many bad drivers out there and yes, distractions can tend to make matters worse. But there is the problem when you begin to try and legislate common sense. Where do you draw the line? You cannot 'ban' everything that causes distractions while driving. Can you? Who determines what's too much of a distraction? Keep passing laws and the next thing you know it will be illegal to be seen talking to a passenger.

If there is anything that needs stepped up it's enfocement against people that don't obey the basic rules of the road and bad driving in general. Someone who is weaving in and out of their lane, driving erractically, going too slow or too fast, or not using turn signals needs to be pulled over and cited, cell phone or not.

Maybe, at worst, I'd have the cell phone violation be a secondary offense. (And I know it is in some places.)

I know it's not the popular view. But that's my 2 cents.

Answer 2

I think it's worth looking in to.  I would like to use a full blue tooth kit.  Not a blue tooth headset.  Totally hands free, voice activated, and used through the car's current audio system.  If not, then ban the use all together.  I'm sure that will hurt a lot of businesses though.

Answer 3

You should only be able to use them in the event of an emergency and if caught the fines should be a minimum of $500.00.................................

Answer 4

yes

Answer 5

They should be treated as any impaired driver.

Drunk, on drugs, driving with one hand while holding their sweety (driving while encumbranced) or simply turning around in their seat to look or reach for anything in the back seat while moving.

I say they should be arrested, hung, shot, executed and serve life in prison!

Answer 6

no, is it to much to ask to use my phone while i mow

Answer 7

YES. Have you seen all the gimmicks they now supply for a car? Laptops, coffee makers, DVD players and just about everything you need to live in your car. At one time, they said smoking was a distraction when driving so now they have removed the cigarette lighter and added extra power ports to plug all this extra sh-t in.

Answer 8

Prohibited entirely? Absolutely not. Suppose a suspicious character is following you and you feel threatened? If you see a drunk weaving all over the road, wouldn't you like to notify the police? What if you're lost in a dangerous neighborhood and desperately need directions? That happened to my daughter once, and she was very fortunate she had her phone.

Meaningless chit-chat on a phone while driving is, for the most part, unnecessary. It can and should wait. But in some situations, pulling over and stopping is not a wise or safe option.