In an amazingly thoughtless gesture toward safety, the State of New York has finalized the ban on driving while holding a cell phone. New York's ban against hand-held cell phones for motorists goes into effect today. Only calls made using a hands-free device, such as a headset or speakerphone, will be allowed. "The law is aimed at protecting motorists from drivers who are distracted because they're talking on cell phones and unable to operate their vehicles safely," New York State Assemblyman Felix Ortiz told United Press International. "Cell phones are a wonderful communication device, but driving and talking on a hand-held cell phone is a formula for disaster." Assemblyman Ortiz actually has it right.  Talking on a phone while driving CAN be distracting, but it is not the act of HOLDING the phone that makes it distracting.  Rather, it is the act of concentrating on a conversation rather than the road that can dramatically affect one’s safety.  How many times have we heard a parent tell their child that they must be quiet, “I’m trying to drive”?  How many drivers successfully hold a cigarette while driving?  The answer is not to ban holding the phone my friends!  All we have succeeded in doing is to increase the control of government over an individual.  What would happen if an individual were simply holding a phone that was not turned on?  What happens when one wants to DIAL the phone and must completely remove their eyes from the road?  Once again, it isn’t the act of holding the phone that’s dangerous, but rather the service itself! Next, we’re going to hear of the ban on holding open boiling-hot beverages in the car.  Or worse, we’ll see a ban on eating a burger, drinking soda, or putting on makeup while driving.  Never mind holding a hand-held recorder or a 2-way radio.  That’s perfectly safe, where as a cell phone somehow immediately puts a driver directly in the path of danger. Once again, the politicians have taken up an issue and completed only half of the task.  Maybe, if we remove the battery from the phone before we get in the vehicle, we can prevent the brain tumors as well…

Driving in Harms Way?