Rusty Saber: Cell phone/driving dispute a no-brainer

|tab|

You may have read about the small Massachusetts town that banned talking on handheld cellular telephones while driving. Some believe it's a gross violation of drivers' rights; others believe talking on the phone and driving is too dangerous. |ret||ret||tab|

The same question was once raised about mandatory seat belt usage. Although I'm not much for too much government involvement in our lives, like seat belt laws, the cell phone ban may be a case where the government should protect people from themselves.|ret||ret||tab|

To me, the cell phone/driving dispute is a no-brainer. I think it's dangerous. But those on the other side of the controversy believe talking while driving isn't necessarily dangerous. At least one study I read about supports the folks who believe it's safe. Data from that study indicates that using a cell phone while driving appears to be safe as long as drivers don't use both hands. |ret||ret||tab|

Wow! That's a startling revelation. Driving with one hand is safer than driving with no hands? I don't know how researchers went about gathering this data. Did they interview drivers who had accidents or those who didn't? Which were using phones and which weren't? |ret||ret||tab|

If this study is to be taken as gospel, we might hypothesize that it is as safe for a driver to talk on a cell phone as it would be to fry an egg on a hot plate that is perched on the center console, plugged into the cigarette lighter. |ret||ret||tab|

I don't care what researchers say, nothing scares me like being bumper-to-bumper on a highway with the driver next to me chatting on a cell phone. I must be honest; I own a cell phone. In the car, it is used for emergencies; it is rarely used outside the car. I've never made a call while driving. Driving is a two-hand, two-eye, two-foot and full-brain operation. Therefore when I need to make a call, I pull over to the side of the road to do it. To me, the cell phone is a convenience. It's there when occasions arise. If I needed to use one on a more regular basis, I would have a hands-free speakerphone.|ret||ret||tab|

I don't keep the phone turned on when driving; thus, guaranteeing there will be no calls. The last thing in the world I want to do is answer the phone when I'm behind the wheel. If it were turned on, I would probably be driving in Springfield traffic which is frightening enough by itself while telling some blasted telemarketer that "Mr. Mickahdoe" doesn't want a new credit card, doesn't want to change long-distance telephone service, or anything else. |ret||ret||tab|

Enough of these calls harass the fire out of me at home; I certainly don't want them harassing me in the car. In fact, I don't want to be called in restaurants, airports, grocery stores, theaters or anyplace else.|ret||ret||tab|

Once cell phones were a status symbol. Now they are everywhere. They are now used so much that it's possible to tell when drivers are using a cell phone, even if you can't see the phone: They lean their heads over to the right. I don't know why. Maybe they believe they can hear better. Pay close attention to drivers talking on the phone and you will notice the decided list to the right. |ret||ret||tab|

Even if you aren't interested in the body language of cell phone drivers, for safety's sake, you should definitely play close attention to them. The same attention should be paid to the driver frying an egg with one hand. |ret||ret||tab|

I have long wondered what happens to a driver talking on a cell phone when an airbag inflates. The bag comes toward the face in a split second. Would the driver have a cell phone permanently implanted in his mouth? I wonder if the researchers who found it safe to talk while driving have researched the question of the phone stuck between the face and airbag at crunch time?|ret||ret||tab|

When cell phones were a status symbol, some people carried fake phones in their cars to impress others. They are quickly becoming a necessity, and they are pretty handy. I don't often use mine; however, when I do they are helpful. I don't blab into it in public so as to share my conversation with everyone within earshot nor does its ringing disturb the peace of others. I predict that someday in restaurants, theaters and other places "no smoking" signs will hang next to signs asking patrons to mute their cell phones.|ret||ret||tab|

That wouldn't bother me; mine has been muted.|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|(Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University and a Springfield public relations consultant.)|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

[[In-content Ad]]