Hang up and drive

Sen. Rose Ann Antich-Carr (D-Merrillville) is proposing a bill that would ban the use of cell phones while operating a motor vehicle, slapping violators with a $1,000 fine for breaking the law. The bill also features the ironic twist of encouraging other drivers to report disobedience -- given they don't use a cell phone to do it. \n While the state has an obligation to ensure that our roads are safe, this bill is too vague, unenforceable and unsupported by research to suggest it will do any good. People won't stop talking and driving under Antich-Carr's proposal, they will merely be more sneaky when doing it.\n In a perfect world, we would all take to the road well rested, in a serene state of mind and with our morning coffee already consumed. Wearing our seatbelts, we would drive with our concentration on the road and our hands in the ten and two o'clock position. Unfortunately, in reality, this just isn't the case. We fiddle with radios, juggle beverages or talk with our passengers. Cell phones are only one of many potential distractions -- why single them out?\nThe bill offers the provision of "emergency cell phone use," but this only raises more questions. What's to keep a driver from claiming an emergency every time? When the officer approaches, all a driver has to do is say his wife is in labor or her mother has fallen down some steps. And what, exactly, constitutes an emergency? The driver may think he or she has a legitimate excuse to make a call, but the officer may decide otherwise. Regardless, the possibility exists to get out of the fine every time.\nRight now, only New York has a statewide ban on cell phone use while driving. Rhode Island's governor vetoed a cell phone ban bill in 2003, citing lack of evidence that cell phones were indeed a major distraction. Currently, there is no research that shows banning cell phones leads to fewer accidents; there is no real proof to suggest that talking while driving is unsafe; and there is even data to suggest that turning the dial on the radio is more dangerous. Until there is direct evidence that cell phones cause accidents, this ban is simply not needed. \nPolice officers already have so much of which to be vigilant. Watching for cell phone users among speeders and drunk drivers would only compound an already difficult job. \nThe motivations behind Antich-Carr's bill are well intended. It's probably a good idea to do less talking and more watching. This bill, though, just doesn't have the momentum to do any real good for road safety. Preventing traffic accidents in Indiana is simply beyond this kind of measure.