Washington ban on cell phones little more than posturing

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June 29, 4:00 PM

by Rob La Gatta & Mike Baldwin, Seattle Crime Examiner

 

 

Starting Tuesday, an act most all of us have been guilty of will become a crime in Washington State: in accordance with a law passed in early 2007, Washington drivers will be forbidden from using cell phones while driving.

Can't say I'm horribly against the law for any other reason than the principle of government intrusion on our lives, but the law itself is a total joke. You see, drivers can still talk on their phones while driving...they just can't be holding the phones at the same time.

Isn't the idea to eliminate distractions while driving?  Sure, that free hand may help with reaction times, but folks talking on the phone are going to be distracted whether or not they're holding a device up to their ear.  If I'm yelling at someone on my bluetooth while driving in rush hour, am I really that much less distracted than if I had been doing directly into my cell phone?

On top of that, it's only a secondary offense, meaning you have to get pulled over for something else in order to get ticketed.  So as long as you still use your blinkers, you're good. From the P-I:

But 76-year-old Barry Jackson was disappointed to hear the new law allows headsets. He said the conversation is the distracting factor and allowing people to continue talking is more of the same.

"Why have the law, then?" Jackson said.

Thanks go to Barry Jackson for pretty much summing up my argument. Ultimately, it appears that Washington's lawmakers have done it again: they've managed to pass a law that sounds tough but really accomplishes nothing. 

So remember, starting July 1, feel free to rehash your night to your buddy while driving.  Just make sure you have both hands on the wheel while doing so.  Drive safe. 

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