Many car crashes and deaths are due to inattention. The reason that there is inattention is because so little attention is required for driving at the speed limit in so many circumstances that it's not possible to drive without the mind and eye wandering or even sleep encroaching.
So people tune the radio, look out the window, eat breakfast, pluck their eyebrows, perform indecencies, drink beer, read the newspaper.
It should be compulsory to use a cellphone while driving to ensure focus on the road ahead. Okay, it's true that when it gets busy, people should be able to say "Hang on, I have to focus on the traffic for a minute" or just switch straight to traffic management. There are a few situations where full concentration on driving is needed. But generally, it's safer to talk and drive because then, the driver is busy talking and keeps their eyes on the road to make sure nothing is going on while they talk.
There are perfectly good laws about driving with due care and attention and to make it illegal to use cellphones is silly. They should as reasonably make it illegal to listen to music, tune the radio, gawk at women, and the thousands of other distractions which are available.
Individual responsibility is the way to drive a car. Better still would be automatic electronic GPS based vehicles with transponders and other position and orientation location.
Mqurice |
