Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Does cell phone use while driving deserve a law?

meembo · 02-09-2006, 06:15 AM

I have a lot of sympathy for civil libertarians who think that government has no business trying to outlaw idiocy. (Smoking is a great example of how I sit on the fence regarding these types of personal behavior. People should be able to kill themselves by smoking if they choose. But non-smokers deserve protection from second hand smoke and from subsidizing health care costs of smokers.) From my perspective, this is part of the kernel of the arguments against banning cell phone usage in cars. It's a valid argument, but it is not complete, IMO. Every cell phone-related accident starts with someone who BELIEVES that they can talk and drive at the same time. The same is true for a Big Mac user, and a navigation system user, and any other distracted driver carelessly driving. Other people pay the price of these distractions, and to every single one of these drivers, the car crash is an "accident", not a predictable result of their divided attention. As long as careless people are killing themselves and others on the road in any significant numbers, I think reducing distractions for all drivers is the necessary and responsible and proactive safety step we should all take. It's only fair and legal if it's unilateral, and that's why these anti-phone laws are created.

I think when we talk about prioritization, we are going down a slippery slope of assuming these behaviors are tolerable in the first place for safe driving. Just being "aware of the distractions and how to prioritize them" isn't going to reduce the number of serious accidents. As a whole, humans respond to sticks and carrots to change their behavior. There is no incentive for most drivers to get any more driver's training, and making it mandatory is arguably much more invasive and restrictive legislation than any law banning cell phone use in a car. I believe very much that if anything is going to be effective, legal punishment for specific behaviors is the most effective tool to be used.

I am on the fence about making cell phone usage illegal. I think penalties for accidents caused by unsafe driving should be stiff. But I also think that advocay against driving distractions prevents accidents. In the US there are 4300 "distracted driver" accidents every day, according the the Califoirnia Highway Patrol. That's 1 out of every 4 accidents in the country.

02-09-2006, 06:15 AM	#34 (permalink)
meembo Junkie Location: Connecticut	I have a lot of sympathy for civil libertarians who think that government has no business trying to outlaw idiocy. (Smoking is a great example of how I sit on the fence regarding these types of personal behavior. People should be able to kill themselves by smoking if they choose. But non-smokers deserve protection from second hand smoke and from subsidizing health care costs of smokers.) From my perspective, this is part of the kernel of the arguments against banning cell phone usage in cars. It's a valid argument, but it is not complete, IMO. Every cell phone-related accident starts with someone who BELIEVES that they can talk and drive at the same time. The same is true for a Big Mac user, and a navigation system user, and any other distracted driver carelessly driving. Other people pay the price of these distractions, and to every single one of these drivers, the car crash is an "accident", not a predictable result of their divided attention. As long as careless people are killing themselves and others on the road in any significant numbers, I think reducing distractions for all drivers is the necessary and responsible and proactive safety step we should all take. It's only fair and legal if it's unilateral, and that's why these anti-phone laws are created. I think when we talk about prioritization, we are going down a slippery slope of assuming these behaviors are tolerable in the first place for safe driving. Just being "aware of the distractions and how to prioritize them" isn't going to reduce the number of serious accidents. As a whole, humans respond to sticks and carrots to change their behavior. There is no incentive for most drivers to get any more driver's training, and making it mandatory is arguably much more invasive and restrictive legislation than any law banning cell phone use in a car. I believe very much that if anything is going to be effective, legal punishment for specific behaviors is the most effective tool to be used. I am on the fence about making cell phone usage illegal. I think penalties for accidents caused by unsafe driving should be stiff. But I also think that advocay against driving distractions prevents accidents. In the US there are 4300 "distracted driver" accidents every day, according the the Califoirnia Highway Patrol. That's 1 out of every 4 accidents in the country. __________________ less I say, smarter I am