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House still looks reluctant to address cell phone bill
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| by SCOTT MOONEYHAM, Up & Coming Weekly, May 25-31 2005 |
May 25, 2005 |
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House probably won't restrict use of cell phones in cars.
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Rep. Mary McAllister is taking another stab at it. She wants to stop drivers from cramming cell phones in an ear and yapping away while making their way to work or cruising to the corner grocery store.
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The Fayetteville Democrat has failed twice before to get her colleagues in the state House to go along with her proposal to ban motorists' use of hand-held cell phones.
So far, it's not looking like 2005 will be any different.
Already, one House committee has taken a pass on the bill, handing the legislation off to another committee without a vote. It did so recognizing that the bill probably would have failed.
Some committee members prepared "catfish" amendments, designed to take the bill down to the murky depths of defeat, that would stop drivers from eating, smoking and even combing their hair. (They did so knowing that the House would kill the bill before going along with those restrictions.)
Supporters of the legislation, though, argue that with cell phone use doubling since 1998, drivers distracted by the devices have become a danger on the road.
Among the studies they cite is one conducted by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center which estimates that 1,475 vehicle crashes in the state each year involve the use of a cell phone.
Another study estimated that driver inattention causes 10,000 deaths and $40 billion in damage a year; yet another equated cell phone risks with being drunk.
In response, New York and the District of Columbia have banned drivers from using hand-held cell phones. Maine and New Jersey forbid drivers with learner's permits from using the devices.
But supporters of such bans gloss over a few of the details on cell phone and distracted driving research.
The same UNC studies cited by supporters of cell phone car bans found that drivers were far more likely to be distracted by conversations with passengers, tuning radios or events going on outside the car.
Yet other studies have shown that requiring hands-free cell phones for drivers did nothing to lower the risk of a crash. The telephone conversation, not the device, created the distraction.
Of course, we all have had our own experiences with eating, unruly children or cell phones calls in the car.
In fact, I've had a wreck while using a cell phone.
Driving down a narrow, two-lane road in Chatham County one windy night, I chatted with a friend while heading home. Coming around a sharp curve, a tree had tumbled directly across the blacktop. I hit the brakes, causing my Jeep Cherokee to begin fish-tailing. Realizing I was only going to make the accident worse, I came off the brakes and plowed through the tree. Fortunately, the tree was only big enough to damage the car and not stop it. I was unhurt.
Through it all, I can assure you I wasn't distracted. Cell phone or not, for 10 seconds my mind was as focused as it's ever been.
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©Up & Coming Magazine 2010
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