It won’t matter. People will continue to break the law and law enforcement can’t be everywhere.

I’ve yet to read the research that documents a part of the brain that is required to safely drive a motor vehicle that is compromised by holding a phone to your ear. I have seen a quasi-science experiment that proved, in my mind, that the more you have to think about something the less safely you can drive. Unfortunately they packaged the results as “you cannot safely drive will talking on the phone even with a hands free device”. What did they do? They set a driver up in a car with a external suspension system that reduced the tire traction and set him to perform figure 8′s on a test track. He performed that without problem while not talking on the phone. They then contacted the driver through a headset and began talking with him. Who, by the way, performed figures 8′s perfectly while conversing until he was asked recalled exactly what answer he had given to a specific question number on test he taken the day before. He then lost control of the car. What the experimenters did not do was the second part of the experience (you know that critical part called the control) which would be to sit the person he was talking to in the car beside him and have him ask similarly challenging question. Common sense would dictate that it is highly unlikely that changing that parameter would change the outcome. Surely someone would counter this by saying that the other person is in the car with him and therefore would somehow be able to assist the driver or at least have a vested interest in his safe driving:-) Ultimately the responsibility for safe driving rests on the driver. I’m afraid we cannot legislate common sense. Please don’t misunderstand me I think its good idea to punish people who drive unsafely in a school zone or any zone for that matter, but I don’t think the law really addresses the real root of the problem. Not giving you full attention to the task of driving. What about texting – don’t have to have the phone by your ear (so no fine in Texas) but it requires more mental attention to text then it does to talk. How about drive through food; messing about with fires, burgers, drinks and other food items must affect driver attention. Do you think that McDonald’s will ever allow a law to pass that would stop them from selling drive through food? What about smoking? You have to divert your attention from driving to get, light, flick the ash of off and butt out a cigarette. Pretty sure that the same industry that denies any link between smoking and health issues would not sit idly by while a ban of smoking behind the wheel law is passed. How long does the average person look at the radio/CD/MP3 player while driving. Surely we won’t see music free cars being made in the future. What is the answer? Unfortunately I don’t have one. I agree with what they are trying to do in Texas but I worry that it will fall short of what needs to be enforced. Safe driving at all times. We just have to ask ourselves what can I do make things better?

For details on cell phone and texting bans in all states, go to http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx.

Phones never were just to call. They were from the beginning an opportunity for discovering new ways of developing. Social media is the natural next step.