Dorie Rae Gallagher wrote: > FYI > *Cell phone creates not just a momentary distraction but a period of > "cognitive inattention" that acts as a perceptual > disability....according to > Richmond Journal of Law and Technology. > > One out of 20 crashes or 10 percent of all car accidents > are due to cell > phones. > > 42,000 people die a year, 3 million are injured...10% of > that is due to cell phones 20% due to drunk driving.
I'd be happy to see cell phone use while driving banned. Have you ever wondered or observed how cell phone users use their turn signals when they have one hand holding the phone to their ear and the other on the wheel. My experience is that most of the time they fail to signal. While thinking about cell phone use while driving, I came to the conclusion that talking on a cell phone is not the same as talking to a passenger. A passenger (or at least most passengers) take into account the demands on the driver, e.g., they will pause when traffic becomes hazardous. When drivers are talking to someone on a cell phone, their attention is diverted away from the road more so than when talking to a passenger. I thought this was an interesting hypothesis and was gratified to it later verified in a research article. I wouldn't have a problem with a traffic ordinance that required drivers to keep both hands free so they could be used to control the vehicle, in addition to banning "hands free" cell phone use. I remember an article in the L.A. Times reporting on all the crazy things people did while driving on the freeways: reading newspapers, putting on makeup, typing, having sex, (there was actually an accident in which three people died on the Pasadena Fwy in an Jag; two of them were naked and the other in some stage of undress) and this was before the days of cell phones. If I remember correctly CA had a law that allowed officers to ticket people for such behavior; for the risky driving that is. Michael Atherton Prospect Park REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
