[geeks] geeks Digest, Vol 45, Issue 30

[William Kirkland]

> On Tue, 15 Aug 2006, Steve Haavik wrote:
>>> Why?  Studies show there is no significant difference betwixt the  
>>> two.
>>> Banning handhelds is a feel-good measure by people who don't know  
>>> any
>>> better.
>>
>> Interesting. I read something a couple months ago that likened  
>> talking on
>> a cellphone while driving to drunken driving.
>>
>> Hmm. A really old article at cnn.
>> http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/05/22/cellphone.bills/ 
>> index.html
>>
>> Ah, here it is. It was a Reuters news report. Had to google it.
>> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13621877/
>
> Did you read the Reuters link?  First sentence:  "People who talk  
> on cell phones while driving,
> even using "hands-free" devices, are as impaired as drunk drivers,  
> researchers said Thursday."
>
> Banning handheld while permitting hands-free does NOTHING to  
> improve safety.
> It's a feel-good measure by legislators who don't know any better.

In Washington state, there already is a law that covers this ... it's  
called "inattentive driving" ... but you would need to distract the  
police from their revenue generation programs, to enforce things that  
would actually do some good.