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Everything’s distracting on the road

editorial cartoon by Adam Omernik
editorial cartoon by Adam Omernik

We are a nation of multi-taskers. In the ideal world, most would have enough time for everything. But time is intangible. Hours not spent are wasted, never to be used again like minutes that do not “rollover.”

A ban on hand-held cell phone use while driving in the car has taken effect in big states including Florida and New York, as well as in Washington, D.C., limiting drivers to “hands-free” devices.

States like Arkansas have made city ordinances. The bills, signed by state legislatures during the past three years, restrict cell phone use while driving, with the hope of reducing casualties caused by distracted drivers. The United States is just about the only country that has not collectively banned cell phone use while driving.

It would seem that such a law is problematic politically. But really, we believe the bill is a scapegoat, an unrealistic approach to solving driver safety issues. Banning cell phone use while driving – a measure that was rejected, incidentally, by California lawmakers – simply frees drivers from hand-held phone conversations. What about other distractions? Simply freeing both hands from the devise gives way for drivers to maneuver a vehicle while performing other tasks in the car. Is this the prescription to what really seems to be the epidemic in the 21st Century: Distracted driving?

Interestingly, evidence exists that hands-free cell phone conversations in vehicles produce about the same level of distraction to drivers as hand-held cell phones. We are reminded in the Department of Motor Vehicles handbooks and traffic schools that driving is a privilege.

If hyperactive children and whining babies, loud sound systems and chatty passengers in vehicles are not enough to distract a driver, how does cell phone use compare? (Assuming, those with hands-free devices are cautious drivers).

Recent reports suggest that the cell phone ban may not reduce car wrecks. Drivers using cell phones still pose an increased risk of accidents, but the likelihood is up to “36 percent less than previous studies have predicted,” said James Prieger, an economist at University of California, Davis.

Distracted driving is responsible for many accidents. The true effect that cell phone usage has on accidents is too small to be statistically significant.

How do politicians come to conclusions on what poses a threat to public safety? A woman fixing her hair or makeup, or a trucker eating a double-stacked burger while driving likely poses at least as great a risk as someone talking on a cell phone. To be safe, let us ban all disruptive behavior in vehicles. No AM/FM stereos, children under the age of 12 and no occupants besides yourself in the car.

But we cannot.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

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