No Proof Cell Phone Laws Prevent Collisions!
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Last year, California instituted a new law that required the use of a hands-free device if you are driving a car. Common sense should tell people that talking on the phone while driving is very dangerous. And it’s not just because one hand isn’t on the wheel. Many people drive without both hands on the wheel even when they are not talking on the phone. The real danger comes from the distraction it causes.
When someone is talking or doing any other task while driving, their attention is being diverted from the road. It is the same with eating, changing discs, reaching for something in the back, and trying to read to a map.
Since January 1, 2009, text messaging while driving is now also illegal in California. Another law put into place that shouldn’t have to be. People should know better. A motor vehicle is a huge piece of machinery and has the potential of causing great harm. It’s operation is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly.
California is one of six states to introduce these cell phone use laws. The first was New York in 2001. Right after the new law was put into place the number of crashes with cell phone use as a contributing factor went down, but over the years it went back up. The theory is that, just like the speed limit, people violate it thinking that the likelihood they will be caught is minimal.
This trend may also be true in California, only time will tell. In the District of Columbia, the numbers decreased and stayed down. Last year there were eight fatalities where cell phone use was deemed a factor out of a total 3,967 fatalities in California. I wonder what the statistic would be in they counted all distractions.
Cell phones and their use are not the root of the problem. It is about responsibility and accountability. People are making bad choices out there on the road and the effects are felt throughout society. It’s not just about the people getting hurt, they have someone to fight for them. That’s why we at Demas & Rosenthal do what we do, because adverse drivers make choices and innocent injured parties shouldn’t have to live with the consequences.
The cost of insurance, the cost of healthcare, the sheer amount of manpower needed to police the roads and highways, city planning costs, utility pole placement, the cost of electricity, the cost of fuel, repair and maintenance on our streets, and vehicle repairs; all of it is effected by how we choose to operate our motor vehicles. And of course, death and injury. Funeral costs, doctors visits, ambulance rides, autopsy reports, medication, and hospitalization are all effected as well.
It is sad that something that should be common sense has to be made into a law, but at least law enforcement agencies are making some money off of it. A violation of these cell phone laws could cost somebody up to $50. Since the hands-free law went into effect in July, the California Highway Patrol alone has issued more than 48,000 citations.
Have these laws changed your habits? Do they go too far? Not far enough? What do you think?
