Is there anything more maddening than an inattentive driver happily texting away on their phone? Today I was driving out of a parking lot when a woman drove in front of me. She was driving through the parking spaces while happily texting. I am more than positive that the text was extremely important, quite possibly to the level of national security, so I deftly managed to avoid her. To show my support I even beeped loudly and gave her a thumbs up. I think it was my thumb. To be honest the whole thing is kind of hazy about which appendage I held up. If only I'd had my phone out to get a picture!
This got me to thinking about how dangerous distracted driving is. Research shows that distracted driving as a factor in accidents is rapidly increasing. In 2015, 10% of all driving deaths involved the use of a phone.
This website lists the laws in Minnesota regarding the use of cell phones while driving. Laws differ on using devices from state to state, but they are generally getting more and more strict. The problem that I see is that the consequences are not really sufficient. My thought is that giving someone a citation doesn't really cure them of their...dare I say it...addiction. Now before I offer my thoughts on a consequence let me just say that I think our laws are too burdensome and numerous already and I firmly believe that less government intrusion in our lives is better. So maybe we should cancel a host of other things, but the state could do something more compelling when it comes to using phones while driving. These ideas may seem radical (finally I will be called a radical!) but they may actually help to drive down distracted driving and phone addiction.
1. You should have to get a license to use a cell phone. Similar to a drivers license there should be some serious training in regards to proper and intelligent cell phone use.
2. There should be a minimum age for cell phones. I am thinking 50 would be a good age to allow people to get a phone. By then people are already distracted by everything so nobody will notice a difference. Seriously though, people shouldn't have a phone until they have experienced life outside of that little rectangle and are old enough to use it with some self-regulation.
3. If you get stopped due to distracted driving you should lose your cell phone privileges. They should take your iPhone (or Samsung if you don't know about the superiority of iPhones) and cut it half in front of you. Then you are blacklisted from being able to obtain a phone for a year.
Some of that is meant to make you chuckle and some is there to make you think. Some of it was also written because I was still in a bad mood after seeing my texting co-driver. I would like to encourage you to check out these PSA videos. We all can do a much better job of distraction free driving. It starts with each of us.
This got me to thinking about how dangerous distracted driving is. Research shows that distracted driving as a factor in accidents is rapidly increasing. In 2015, 10% of all driving deaths involved the use of a phone.
1. You should have to get a license to use a cell phone. Similar to a drivers license there should be some serious training in regards to proper and intelligent cell phone use.
2. There should be a minimum age for cell phones. I am thinking 50 would be a good age to allow people to get a phone. By then people are already distracted by everything so nobody will notice a difference. Seriously though, people shouldn't have a phone until they have experienced life outside of that little rectangle and are old enough to use it with some self-regulation.
3. If you get stopped due to distracted driving you should lose your cell phone privileges. They should take your iPhone (or Samsung if you don't know about the superiority of iPhones) and cut it half in front of you. Then you are blacklisted from being able to obtain a phone for a year.
Some of that is meant to make you chuckle and some is there to make you think. Some of it was also written because I was still in a bad mood after seeing my texting co-driver. I would like to encourage you to check out these PSA videos. We all can do a much better job of distraction free driving. It starts with each of us.
I support your ideas.
ReplyDeleteI also think that ideas 1 and 2 could be applied to marriage, where the marriage license fee would be $40,000.
We were at Applefest in Bayfield, Wisconsin in early October. As I watched the crowd walk by, I observed a young woman suddenly realize that she was no longer among her entourage because she had been so entrenched in her iPhone in the palm of her hand. Her expression was priceless. It was though she had suddenly realized she was naked on the fifty yard line at a Packers game. Hooyah!She didn't know where to go or look. Good thing she wasn'
ReplyDeletet driving.