How Dangerous Are Cell Phones, Really??
They're after our right to 'freedom of speech' again....
Okay, slight exaggeration. But the National Safety Council started touting studies and statistics today that show that ANY cell phone use while driving is extremely dangerous and shouldn't be allowed.

I think I need to get a look at these "studies" that the National Safety Council keeps referring to in their recent campaign to ban all cell phone usage in cars. I swear I almost had an aneurysm as I listened and tried to make sense of their claims and "arguments" of how dangerous cell phones are. The representative that was being interviewed on the radio while I was driving home today made the following claims:
- There's absolutely no safety advantage to using a hands-free device while driving.
- Then why the hell did everyone push so hard to pass THOSE laws??! Seems like a huge waste of time, money, and congressional process. Or maybe it was just seen as a necessary "first step" toward a total ban...?
- Talking on the phone is one of the MOST distracting things you can do in a car. More dangerous than eating a cheeseburger or playing with the radio.
- That really seems a bit extraneous. I've done all of these things. I've been with people who do these things while driving. Trust me, I would MUCH RATHER carry on a conversation with someone than have them eating or playing DJ.
- "Driving while talking on the phone is as dangerous as driving drunk."
WHO are these people they are studying and WHERE are they finding them??? These have to be the same people (we all a know a few) who can't even handle chewing gum and walking down the sidewalk at the same time. Some people just have very, VERY, poor multi-tasking abilities. I'm guessing that these people would find it difficult to drive and look behind them in their mirrors at the same time. Should we outlaw those dangerous rear view mirrors now?
And now the statistic that almost caused me to drive right into oncoming traffic...
- It's actually been shown to be SAFER to be talking to people who are IN THE CAR than to drive alone.
What!!?
I can't believe he said this. I mean, I believe it's true...sometimes. I just can't believe that one can compare talking on the cell phone [not dialing, not 'texting', but TALKING on the cell phone] to drunk driving, and then turn around and say, that it's more than fine if it's in person. That doesn't even make sense. When people are in the car you tend to look at them occasionally, right? That would cause you to take your eyes off of the road. Are people staring at their cell phones while they talk? My brain is starting to short-circuit again while I'm typing this! I'm sorry, but I just can't take any body's word for it that it's a safety advantage to talk to people in the car, but if it's using wireless technology it's comparable to having a .08+ blood alcohol content.
I'm not sure what the REAL motivation behind this ridiculousness is. And I'm scared to learn what their real end-game entails. But right now is when we [people who are able to responsibly talk and drive] need to speak up. We cannot allow this to become law. If it does, it will be similar to a lot of the gun laws in this country; the law abiding, responsible drivers will suffer, and the irresponsible scofflaws will not even be affected.
How about we get the traffic cops to actually do their jobs and deal with the real dangers that are already on the road? An example, something else that happened as I was driving home today. I was behind a large truck. We were on a road that is two lanes in each direction (south Clark St.). The truck was weaving between the lanes without turn signals and spending most of the time with a set of wheels in EACH LANE. The driver could have been drunk, could have been half asleep, definitely was being dangerous. I backed way off of him. But the Chicago Police who were driving right behind me didn't do anything about it. This might be because the cop driving was too busy tailgating me with a cell phone to his ear?
Priorities people. I seriously believe that there are far more important matters at hand than whether or not I should be legally allowed to take a call while behind the wheel. Let's deal with them first, okay?





2:03 PM
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