(Note: all views expressed are SOLELY those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Mobileshop.com)
News from across the pond, now, courtesy of The Register. We all know how, over here in Blighty, it’s illegal to use mobile phones when you’re driving, unless you’re using a handsfree kit, a law I agree with for a change, since some daft motorist yakking on his phone nearly killed me on a roundabout.
The National Safety Council over in the USA, however, are proposing something much more stringent. You see, their proposals say very clearly they want an all-out ban on mobile phones in cars, even when a handsfree kit’s used. It turns out that it’s not just holding your mobile phone in your hand, and trying to steer with your knees that’s dangerous, but apparently, even talking can kill you. Or, as Janet Froetscher, the NSC’s president and CEO says, “Studies show that driving while talking on a cell phone is extremely dangerous and puts drivers at a four times greater risk of a crash.”
What I find quite interesting, though, is that their sources aren’t always so equivocal about how dangerous the mere thought of mobile phones is. One such study by the Harvard Centre for Risk Analysis, cited by the NSC, states that “the risks appear to be small compared to other daily risks but are uncertain” and then there’s a University of Utah study which concluded “people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated.”
I can’t help but notice that neither of those mention using a handsfree kit on your mobile phone…
Now, before every cyclist in the country rises up to lynch me to death with big, heavy rocks and bike chains, let me make it perfectly clear: I agree with banning mobile phone use in cars, unless you use a handsfree kit, having nearly been wiped out myself. I agree with the law as it stands. But having used a handsfree kit in the car, my driving was no different than it is when I’m driving and not yakking away, or when I’m driving, and talking to my passenger. I mean, seriously, if they get their way, what’s next? No sneezing while driving, because you close your eyes? No blinking?
Maybe, just maybe, one shouldn’t look exclusively to mobile phones as being the culprit. Maybe there’s an outside chance, and I know this may sound unorthodox, but maybe the person behind the wheel shouldn’t be allowed on the roads, anyway. If someone’s not bright enough to get their shoes on the right feet without a second attempt, then it’s probably fair to say they shouldn’t be in charge of a vehicle. or maybe the driving test’s at fault, since in Finland, they have some of the best drivers in the world, and their driving tests are some of the hardest, and involve mandatory skidpan training.
Now that’d make for good drivers. I should point out that this only being proposed in America, not in Blighty yet, but surely it’s only a matter of time since, well, mobile phones make such a good scapegoat, don’t they?
As for me, I’d rather not live in a world where something like the Nokia 5800 is regarded as being a bigger killer than the black death was…
Do you agree with Technical Markus? Are the new proposals a step to far? Or are they the absolute only way to make our roads safe? Leave us a comment and have your say!
