Commentary

Hey guys, it’s the drivers fault

A NY Times article looks at laws against using a cell phone without a headset while driving. . . But with cellphone-related incidents making up only a small percentage of motor vehicle accidents, even government officials wonder why this particular behavior was chosen for a law, since studies have shown that hands-free and hand-held cellphones are equally distracting. “We’ve evaluated and come to the conclusion that hands-free use is just as risky or perhaps riskier than hand-held phones because it’s the cognitive distraction that can compromise driving,” said Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Well, hell, by “cognitive distraction” she means talking! So lets ban those passengers. Heck, encouraging carpooling is encouraging cognitive distraction and putting people at risk! How about this, folks. Drivers are responsible for having their head on the road. If not and they cause an accident, they are responsible. Stop tying to find all the things in the world that can distract the easily distracted and ban them. Something else will just come along. Hat tip to Fedlog for the lead on this article.