(from a 12/04/2002 response to a post in favor of cellphone bans)

Irrespective of the...errr...whatever word articulates a concept orders 
of magitude beyond "preposterous and absurd"...statements below, all of 
these "studies" tend to focus on cellphone use in and of itself, and seek 
to isolate said use from the myriad of other things which go on while 
driving.

I'm sure it has been pointed out before, but tuning the radio, opening a 
manual sunroof or adjusting mirrors is IMO more distractive than talking 
on the phone (not dialing, which is distractive if you can't do it w/o 
looking), as they direct attention away from the road and what is 
immediately going on in front of you. 

Cell phone bans are essentially knee-jerk reactions to a perceived danger 
of something "new", which, admittedly, if used irresponsibly, may lead to 
accidents. 

(Is it any safer to use a CB? Other than dialing, which is not affected 
by any bans, there isn't that much difference from using a push-to-talk 
walkie-talkie over a handheld cellphone...Do we want to discourage 
cellphone use [which is barely enforceable] and favor even a fraction of 
those ex-users using 2-way pagers and other more dangerous/distractive 
devices while driving?) 

Additionally, it is far easier for states like New York (or potentially 
New Jersey) to pass "cellphone bans" than to actually do things to 
improve road safety, such as building better roads and easing congestion, 
upgrading substandard roads, better signage, and even relatively simple 
things like applying paint to lanes from time to time (go to NYC and 
you'll see that such an "advanced" concept it lost on them -- no more so 
along some of the most outrageously overpriced toll facilities in the 
country ($7 to cross from Brooklyn to Staten Island, AFTER you wait for 
30 minutes in toll-related traffic) where lanes are just not painted or 
painted so close to the median on the main span(s) they serve no useful 
purpose in limited visibility situations like heavy rain, etc.)

Overall, I'd rather take my chances with a good driver using a cellphone 
than an inexperienced motorist in their huge SUV with no side/rear 
visibility adjusting mirrors while they try to add salt to their Big Mac 
and fries...

Demonizing cellphone use is easy and will do little but inconvenience 
responsible drivers and reduce the cellphone's utility. 

Having the police get out of their speed traps, patrol the roads, and 
stop people who are actually driving unsafely rather than having their 
guns wake them up when the red LED display on their radar guns read 
something over 75 mph will do a lot more for road safety than a silly 
additional law which is unenforceable, ignored, and in the long run 
deleterious to public safety. 

(This post and SID list are also available at http://www.wirelessnotes.org)

Regards,

Doug