The Pennsylvania House on Monday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would impose a $50 fine on drivers using cell phones sans hands-free devices.
Now we've all heard the horror stories of people who were texting while driving and then ended up in an accident, some of them fatal. But I would be willing to bet that a good number of you reading this post -- the professional, busy type -- use your cell phones while driving. I do.
Frankly, this gives me an excuse to buy a Bluetooth device, or make sure my new ride has hands-free capabilities. Rarely will I oppose a new shiny gadget.
State lawmakers who support the measure say the legislation is aimed at making roads safer. Those who opposed it said they're worried it would turn good citizens into criminals.
The Senate has yet to vote on the proposal.
What do you think?
Andréa Maria Cecil is managing editor at the Central Penn Business Journal. She is a 31-year-old native New Orleanian who is interested in how gadgets and technology can make business more efficient.
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Jay Barry in
Lancaster at [
1/28/2010 10:37:35 AM]
I wrote the following the day our daughter was struck by a distracted driver. She recovered after months of hard work.
At about 8:30 this morning a “distracted driver” struck my stepdaughter’s car while she was driving to work. At this point the details of the accident are not known other than there was a major discrepancy between his vehicle’s speed and hers. There was an accident ahead of them on I95. Traffic was slowing and she was struck from behind as she slowed with traffic. The force of the impact caused her vehicle to be thrown from the road into the median strip and roll. The other driver admitted it was his fault.
She was flown by helicopter to Christiana Hospital in Delaware where she is in intensive care. Her brain is bleeding. Her prognosis is guardedly optimistic. What I am asking for is not your prayers, Karma or good thoughts. To those who read this and know our family I know your thoughts and prayers are with our family and for that we are thankful. What I am asking for is a moment’s reflection on what you do while driving.
For those of you who receive or read this who do not know me, I am a professional driver. I have driven commercial vehicles both in my youth and now in my middle age. I have also raced sports cars and motorcycles both with a modicum of success. I am passionate about driving and there are too many people who think they can control a vehicle while doing too many things that affect their ability to control the vehicle or make sound, rapid judgments while driving, a major necessity in vehicle control.
Please, if you think you can control a vehicle while talking on the phone, you can’t. If you think you can apply makeup, shave, brush your teeth or attend to any other bodily function or need while driving you can’t. If you think you can read a map, directions, sheet music, the business section or sports section of the newspaper, you can’t. You cannot text and drive. I have seen people trying to do all of theses things while driving. What you may be able to do safely while driving is simply that, drive. Please leave it at that.
I do not want to sound as if I am lecturing fellow adults but given the fact that a beautiful 26 year old woman is suffering in a hospital, her mother, brother and I are all at a loss in many ways, I ask you to consider your actions and the possible ramifications. Please pass this on. If it saves one family from suffering what we are currently going through it is well worth a few minutes venting my frustrations and your courtesy and consideration in reading it.
Tim M in
Philly, PA at [
1/27/2010 7:46:08 PM]
Andrea,
In regards to your points. Drinking coffee - if you hit a bump and it spills then it will distract you and depending on the traffic there may be a fatal accident. I am sure people have died over spilt coffee on the road. However, that being said, the act of drinking coffee requires extremely low concentration. For most coffee drinkers, this is almost as automatic as breathing - no complex behaviour involved here. Digging in the glove compartment is extremely dangerous while driving. I would hope that no sane person would do this but I am sure they do. And again - people have probably died over this.
The issue with speaking with the passenger is one I have heard in terms of arguing against banning cell phone use entirely. I have had this conversation myself. There are studies on this. There are a few points here which make speaking with a passenger different from speaking on a phone. One is that the brain simply treats this differently. Two is that the passenger is aware of the surroundings (ie - traffic situation) and will (generally) modulate their conversation appropriately. On a cell phone - the other person will talk right through a crash and not know they difference. These are not just ideas - these are more or less established facts or at least strongly suggested from reliable studies.
I really think the government is taking a cop-out and bowing to public pressure to give the "idea" of safety without wanting to do anything for real.
These studies are easy to find. Search for:
David Strayer university of utah driving distraction
There are many other studies but this person has done a number and has been cited by a number of commonly read news sources.
To the last comment which I think is thought provoking regarding the government intrusion.
I would say to government intrusion:
No - in private life we should be allowed to shoot our own feet off if we so choose. Hence the government allows us to smoke and drink which clearly are not health behaviours.
Yes - in public life the government has the right and the duty to prevent individuals from acts which are clearly understood to have a high likelyhood of harm to others. Hence speed limits on the road, need for only licensed drivers, traffic enforcement in general.
For some reason it seems like most of society thinks they are a good driver and can handle speaking on the cell phone when they drive. It is just everybody else who can't handle it. But everybody is somebody else in everybody else's eyes. We just need to admit it.
Andréa in
Harrisburg, Pa. at [
1/27/2010 8:40:40 AM]
Thanks for commenting, everyone.
I got into a discussion about this last night. It led to some additional thoughts to ponder: The real issue here is distraction while driving. So why single out cell phones? What about drinking coffee? Digging around for something in the glove compartment? Having a conversation with a passenger?
Thus, I'm led to the question: Do we need government to tell us we're too stupid to figure out what's safe and unsafe?
There probably always will be irresponsible drivers. I'm not sure banning cell-phone use without a hands-free device will remedy that.
Mike Kistler in
Schnecksville, PA at [
1/27/2010 8:07:00 AM]
I think it's a good start but doesn't go nearly far enough. First off, hands free devices aren't all that much safer, they should be banned as well. (And I'm one of those professionals who has a cell phone, when I need to make a call I pull over) And a $50 fine is not much of a deterrent, it should be more like $500. That would make people think. Personally I'd go stiffer than that, like loss of driving priveleges. I've never been almost killed by a drunk driver, but it happens monthly by someone on a cell phone. The punishments should be similiar.
Tim M in
Philly, PA at [
1/26/2010 3:28:35 PM]
I disagree with the message this bill would send. What this law will say (basically) is that the State of PA has determined that it is completely safe to chit-chat on the phone as long as your hands are on the steering wheel. However this is not backed up by any science or study. Actually the studies are saying that it is not the "holding of the phone" which contributes to accidents, but rather the "distraction of speaking on the cell phone". ie - nothing to do with your hands. This has to do with your brain and what it is doing.
A study published August, 2001 by the National Safety Council and conducted by the University of Utah suggests that cell phone use whether hand-held or hands-free leads to poor driver performance.
In my opinion, PA should either back away and leave this alone or get serious and ban cell phone usage by vehicle drivers entirely.
Don in
Lititz, PA at [
1/26/2010 1:19:59 PM]
As a motorcyclist that has been cut off numerous times and almost hit broadside twice by people driving while on a cell phone, I say bring it on! Oh, I'm not perfcet either. While I, on very rare occasions use my cell phone while driving my car or truck, I am now weening myself from doing it; realizing I too could kill someone by being distracted. As Pink says, "Shut up and Drive!"
