by Joe Snyder
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Not long ago in a small town in Ohio, near the size of Gallatin, a two year old girl had to die before a law was passed prohibiting talking on hand-held phones while at the wheel of a car. Only recently in Las Vegas, a woman distracted by her cell phone conversation failed to see a red light and crashed into another car and killed two people.
Does anybody believe that this woman’s conversation was worth the lives of two people? There was such an incident in Kansas City some days ago and another victim died because the driver became so engrossed in his conversation that he broadsided another vehicle. As I travel on I-35 quite frequently, I keep a close eye on those drivers passing me, exceeding the 70 mile an hour speed limit. Not only are most of them breaking the law, they are quite often talking on their telephone. at the same time.
Now I am aware I am an old man, but I have a pretty good driving record, and I think I know when someone passes me going far too fast. I just had an eye checkup and the doc gave me a good report. I can still see pretty girls and speeders. I can also see that tiny phone pressed against many a driver’s ear, some of whom I doubt could tell you when the War of 1812 was fought.
State Representative Marsha Campbell, D-Kansas City, tried last year and again this year to get a bill passed that would ban the use of cell phones in as moving vehicle – she’s been unsuccessful both years. So you have to wonder what it will take in Missouri to make people realize the obvious. The wireless lobby has to be crushed so the ban this dangerous convenience of talking on a phone while driving can be approved.
Two hands on the wheel are better than one. but not as critical as keeping one’s entire mind on the road. The New England Journal of Medicine found that motorists are four times more likely to crash when using a cell phone – the equivalent of driving drunk. More recently some researchers found that car conversations often cause drivers to visualize something other than the road ahead of them.
But when it comes to giving up a convenience, many people claim they can drive safely while talking. They are like the drivers who say they can drive safely after stopping in a bar for two or three drinks. Unfortunately, the statistics prove otherwise. There are other distractions in today’s cars: changing a CD, listening to a ball game, scolding rowdy children. Statistics show that half of all accidents are caused by distraction.
About 120 U.S. municipalities ban car-phone conversations, as do Germany, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Portugal and Taiwan. Any reasonable person will admit this is a small beginning, but it’s a start. However, there is still another threat developing on the drawing board . They plan to turn your car’s dashboard into a voice-activated interactive internet screen! How about bidding on an item on eBay at 70 miles per hour?
It will happen unless a mass of citizens complain to their lawmakers. Isn’t it about time to hang up and drive? Have we become so busy we can’t stop the car a minute so we can carry on a conversation without endangering ourselves or other people? Think about it!