Influence Peddlers

I'm not normally a big fan of bumper stickers as a way of getting a message out; most are a waste of time and many are just plain obnoxious. Still there's one that might persuade me to change my mind: the “Hang Up and Drive” sticker that urges cell phone addicts to put the damn thing away and pay attention to the 2,000 pounds or so of metal and plastic they're supposed to be controlling.

I'm not the only person who feels this way. As reported in a recent Computerworld article, many states are taking action to ban cell phone use while driving and researchers are pointing out that other distractions - including MP3 players, internet access devices, GPS and even video players - have the potential to make the problem far worse. It's bad enough that we still have people hurtling down the freeway while intoxicated; now we've got to take into account jokers who are watching TV at the same time.

Unfortunately, legislation aimed at specific sources of distraction misses the main point. An automobile is a big, potentially dangerous machine. The operator of that machine needs to be focused on using it in a matter that is safe both for him/her as well as for other motorists. What really needs to be illegal is, for lack of a better phrase, Driving While Impaired.

Current drunk-driving laws address one form of DWI, but the explosion of technology-based forms of impairment clearly demands modernized legislation that penalizes any form of impairment, regardless of the source. Simply passing more laws targeted at specific sources of distraction (such as cell phones or GPS) is just playing "whack a mole" with the problem; as soon as you ban one, another one will pop up.

Operating a car isn't a right. It's a privilege that carries with it certain responsibilities. That's why we have tests on driving skills and laws as requirements for a license. That's also why we have periodic vision tests at license renewal time. Driving unimpaired is just another one of those responsibilities and, considering the loss of life and limb that results from failing to live up to that responsibility, it's probably the most important one.