Post-Gazette Editorial – 6/27/06

This page was last updated on June 28, 2006.

Road work / Pennsylvania motorists need cell phone protection; Editorial; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; June 27, 2006.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“In the list of things Americans can’t live with and can’t live without, cell phones have come to occupy a prominent place. Irritating and disruptive in many settings such as schools, restaurants or theaters, they have become indispensable for many people doing business, attending to urgent family matters and reporting emergencies.

“In vehicles, though, their use can be a safety issue, which is why a Pennsylvania legislator is proposing a new bill to put some limits on drivers who want to talk with someone other than their passengers. The Legislature has been down this road before and no cell-phone prohibition while driving has passed. The Post-Gazette was skeptical when legislation was proposed five years ago. Since then, we have changed our position.

“The Legislature should follow suit. Two of Pennsylvania’s neighbors, New York and New Jersey, have laws on cell-phone use in vehicles. With cell phone use rising every year, it seems pretty clear that a dangerous distraction is tempting drivers away from what should be their primary focus -- keeping their eyes on the road and staying alert. This is borne out by both intuition and scientific studies.

“If anything, House Bill 2821, sponsored by state Rep. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat from Montgomery, may not go far enough. It wouldn’t ban cell phone use by drivers entirely; it would allow the use of so-called hands-free cell phones.

“The problem is that, as long ago as 2001, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that it’s the conversation itself that is distracting, not whether the speaker used a hands-free phone or not. A similar conclusion was reached by a study published last year in the British Medical Journal.

“Still, common sense suggests that if a distracted driver does get into a potentially dangerous situation, it would be better to have two hands on the wheel rather than one gripping a phone. To that extent, while this bill might do better to ban all cell phone use in vehicles, it is better than nothing and perhaps politically more feasible for lawmakers who are still getting used to the idea.”

[RWC] If you accept the PG’s position to ban all use of cell phones by drivers because “it’s the conversation itself that is distracting,” doesn’t it follow that drivers must be prohibited from conversing with passengers?

“Of course, other distractions in a car are dangerous, too -- fiddling with the radio and fixing hair, for example. But there is no evidence those factors are on the rise. Legislation can help persuade Pennsylvania’s drivers that, behind the wheel, they can live without cell phones, or at least the habit of clutching them awkwardly to their ears.”