About Cellphones and Driving

Some people would like to see cellphone calls and texting banned when driving a vehicle. In their view the cellphone is a significant cause of distraction to driving and thus increases the possibility of accidents. This is a very simplistic analysis of the situation.

Firstly the cellphone is just one of the latest additions to the vast array of auto accessories already on the market. For decades we have contended with car radios, cigarette lighters, 8 track tape players, citizen’s band radios, mobile telephones, CD players etc. This is not to include other activities that often take place in a car while driving, such as eating a burger, applying make-up, sipping on coffee, keeping an eye on the screaming child in the baby seat in the back of the car, fumbling for the pack of cigarettes, taking one out and lighting it etc.

Indeed a call or texting on a cellular phone may present a varying degree of distraction depending on the nature of the call, its duration, does it occur in downtown traffic or on the highway, is the car is equipped with a manual or automatic transmission etc. Ultimately the driver is in the best position to know the conditions on the road, at the time and place where he happens to be, and is in the best position to judge if and how he should use his cellphone. Legislators and other action committees are always very eager to propose and invent new laws that restrict the use of otherwise very useful devices such as cellphones, GPS receivers and so on.

Not all calls are important and for many the length can be kept to a minimum. But some other calls, yes they are important and must be tended to immediately, even if this means answering and replying that the call will be returned shortly or pulling off the road to take notes, for example. Cellular phones do have their purpose and usefulness.

Trying to outlaw the use of a cellular phone while driving is a broad stroked approach that fails to take into consideration the above mentioned circumstances. What about outlawing the screaming kid, or the car radio, or the cigarettes? Judge the driver by how he/she drives the car and not by what you see inside the vehicle.

Consider airline pilots who, in addition to flying their aircraft, must read and operate the multiplicity of instruments on board and be in radio contact with airport control towers, air traffic control, other aircraft etc. Their priorities: aviate, navigate, communicate. So for driving it would be drive the automobile, navigate (know where you are going and getting there) and communicate (by extension covering use of cellphones, car radios, burgers etc.)

The author has used a cellphone while driving inside the tunnel of highway 13 to place a 911 call for an accident with injuries that had just occurred. Do we ban police from using a two way radio in their car while driving?

Best regards and have a good day!

Alex :-)