Do you think think a ban on cell phone use while driving (except for hands free devices) would be a good thing?

Is it enforceable? Does it encourage worse habits than are already in place. Example: With no ban people could check their text messages and hold the phone at eye level. This would allow them to look at both the road and the text at the same time which, while still dangerous, is far less dangerous than the alternative. With a ban you would be forced to check your phone down below window level.... so that your phone wouldn't be seen.... which means you would be looking down into your car rather than looking at the road.

I personally find that there are others things that are as distracting or more distracting than my phone. I have kids and they can be quite distracting.... or the radio (especially if I'm listening to a sports game while driving ).

I just think a cell ban is only a political point getter.... a "we're being tough on bad habits" sort of stuff. I don't think this will actually do anything to fix the problem.

Laws do nothing unless they are enforced. Actually, where I live there is already a ban on driving with a cellphone in your hand. They enforce it too. I see people being stopped all the time, but it still happens. I can't say if the law has changed the rate at which people talk/text/bs while driving so I can't say if it's working. I could maybe look at some recent statistics but, what's the fun in that?

Also, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that I posted back and forth that much. I'll be more careful.

I don't think that something like that is very enforceable. Too many people text while driving, and few officers are going to notice someone doing it.

My opinion on it is that it's a law that needs in place to remind people to be safe, but it's not so much the law, but the principle that needs in place. I think it's find to text while in a car, but I'm not such a fan of the idea of texting while moving behind the wheel. But that's just me.

I don't think people should be allowed to text at all when they drive. It's way too hazardous.

jmc1097 : so you think a law will actually solve the problem?

Take this situation for an example. If texting is legal then you wouldn't be afraid to check your phone at eye level, say right around the steering wheel so you could keep your eyes on the road while reading your text. Not the safest choice but at least your eyes are on the road.

Not, if texting illegal then you would likely still check your phone if you got a text and instead of holding your phone up you would hold it around your waist and check it down there. Now instead of having your eyes remotely close to the road they are down where you can't see ANYTHING.

Texting while driving is going to happen.... laws like this make it more dangerous, not less. Sure, -some- people will not do it... but they are the ones that likely weren't texting while driving in the first place.

Well, maybe not. I just think people are morons when they do text and drive. A law COULD make things worse though, so I'm not really sure.

In California it's already said that using your cellphone at all while driving is illegal. You'll get pulled over and ticketed for it. I think it would be a good law for all the states. Especially the ones with a high automobile accident rates because I'm pretty sure that's what it's due to.

I know people are supposed to drive with both hands on the wheel, but it's possible to drive well with one. I don't have a problem with people talking on the phone as long as they call the person before they actually start driving. I do NOT agree with texting while driving and that should definitely be stopped. One of my high school friends lost her mom to texting while driving. As for if it can be made illegal, the law enforcement can try to make it illegal, but little can be done to stop it. People can just hold their cell phones out of the line of sight and the cops won't be able to see the phone. Therefore, no arrest. It should be a law, but nobody will follow it.

XxChaosxX : "People can just hold their cell phones out of the line of sight and the cops won't be able to see the phone."

And that is the REAL problem I see with this sort of legislation. Instead of being able to hold the phone in a safer location... people will be forced to hide the phone below eye level meaning they won't be looking at the road at all.

If the good people aren't wisely using their phone while driving, it's an automatic NO.
If they talk on the phone and FOCUSING,then it's a YES.

I think something should be done about it but I just don't see a plausible solution. :/ So if there is no plausible solution I think it should just be left alone then.

Yeah, I think that it's something wrong, something should be done about it. Well, my big brother does it all the time, so I don't want him to get prosecuted though.

I think it needs to be fixed. I've seen people being pulled over, so it's not like people aren't being caught.

Geeo, I think you logic is flawed. It's like saying that it's okay to deal drugs because most people don't get caught/it's hard to catch a person doing it.

I find this appalling. I was almost killed in one of these accidents.

See, me and a friend were driving home after eating out at burger king and checking a movie with our friends. I have his cell phone so he doesn't answer it. He's the driver. It rings and I answer it. The person was his dad, and he asked to talk to Kyle, so I ask him if he can take the call. We pulled around a corner and then he drops the phone. I pick it up and hand it to him (he dropped it in the center. He took his eyes off the road for a split second and we were almost side smashed by a car turning the corner at 55MPH. He used his GTA skills to swerve and dodge the car which saved our lives. Nobody was hurt and we blamed the driver, but now I am blaming the cell phone. He took his eyes off the road for a split second, about as long as a blink is, he took as much risk as blinking. And we were almost killed. I blame the phone..

Yes, SOMETHING needs to happen, maybe make the newer models be unable to pick up service inside of a car?

leggy - and you actually think that a law like this would have changed your situation at all??? It doesn't sound like it would to me....

the_casualty : you're right.... I am saying something akin to that. Legislating against using a cell phone (like making drugs illegal) isn't actually solving ANYTHING. It's only made the problem worse by making it MORE dangerous to do. Thanks for "flawing" my logic.

The major issue with texting are those keyboard phones. People put the phone on the steering wheel and type feverishly with both hands. The problem being that both of their hands are on a phone instead of the wheel and their eyes are focused on the screen instead of the road. Talking on the phone is also distracting, so I don't do either one.

I cant stand it when my wife texts and drives it scares the crap out of me.I think they should make it illegal everywhere.

I never understood why people have such an issue talking on the phone while driving, but I am totally against texting while driving.

To me, I'd rather not ban it since if you do, there are obviously people who would hide their phone under the window and still text which is even more dangerous! But still people shouldn't text while driving period.

I do think that it should be illegal, but the cops should ask to see the persons phone and check if they texted. I'm not sure if that would work, but it could be worth a try.