But the fact is drivers do some of those things every day while driving that are distracting and potentially disastrous.
Should drivers be doing those things? No. If a driver wants to watch television, read the newspaper or put on makeup, he or she should pull over and do it.
Do we need a law prohibiting them? No.
Police do not need another law to enforce, especially laws that are common sense laws. Police now have the power to pull over and ticket someone driving erratically or who may be a danger to others on the road.
But a national advocacy group recently downgraded Oklahoma's safe driving rating from a top ranking — green — to cautionary — yellow — in part because Oklahoma does not have laws restricting drivers, especially teens, from talking on a cell phone while driving.
The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office recently reported that accidents linked to cell phones climbed from 88 accidents in 2000 to 775 in 2005. A few other states have passed cell phone-use driving restrictions based on similar reports.
Those statistics are cause for concern. Cell phones have become a diversion while driving mundane and well-known roads, just like listening to the radio is a source of diversion.
Perhaps, some restrictions for learning drivers and a ban of hand-held cell phones are appropriate.
But vehicles are being manufactured with built-in DVD players, and handless cell phones are common now. Probably, vehicles will soon have built-in, voice-activated cell phones.
Under normal circumstances, talking on a cell phone while driving is no more distracting than talking to children sitting in the backseat of a vehicle.
But definitely, the time to stop and pull over is when someone wants you to write down a number or your spouse is dictating a list of things to pick up from the grocery.
If we are going to adopt cell phone-use driving restrictions, let's approach them by adopting the most egregious offenses and invest equally in promoting a culture of safe driving habits.
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