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Driver Using Two Cell Phones Gets Year-Long Driving Ban
coondoggie writes "This guy is the poster-child for why cell phone use in cars should be banned in more places. According to press out of the United Kingdom, a man who was driving at 70MPH while texting on one phone and talking on another has been banned from driving for a year. Initial reports said that the driver, David Secker, was apparently using his knees to steer the car, an accusation he tried to refute in court."
I'm *so* tired of this "ban cellphones in the car" crusade!
This guy's behavior was obviously reckless and stupid - but that doesn't mean the ANSWER is to ban the devices. I've regularly used a cellphone in my vehicle for YEARS and never really had an issue with it. I've had a total of two accidents in the last 5 years,and you know what? Both times, people rear-ended me and it was clearly not my fault whatsoever. (The first time, I simply came to a stop on a 30MPH road where a guy was making a left turn into a shopping plaza entrance and a woman behind me in her minivan didn't stop. The second time, traffic came to a sudden stop on the interstate, and I stopped in time, but a guy behind me in a pickup truck had worn tires and wasn't able to stop completely.)
I always use bluetooth hands-free kits these days, but I used to simply hold the handset in one hand and that was doable too, though admittedly slightly less safe than a hands-free kit, simply because you can't keep both hands on the wheel while holding one. I don't text while driving, since that's pretty clearly a bad idea.
This whole problem comes down to people needing to use some common sense, and perhaps needing some awareness training. One has to develop a subconscious awareness that anything related to the cellphone is of only secondary priority to driving the vehicle. EG. If I suddenly run into a difficult traffic situation, I tend to tune out the person I was talking to for a little while, to focus on the road instead. Afterwards, I'll simply apologize, telling them I had to deal with some traffic and ask if they could please repeat whatever they were saying. If I'm holding a cellphone and suddenly find it's hindering me from making a turn I need to make, I'll just let go of the phone. It's better to interrupt a phone call suddenly and have to hassle with finding where the phone fell under your seat, after you pull over to the side, than get in a wreck because you didn't want to let go of it!
I suspect if this was actually taught as part of drivers' ed, the cellphone problem would cease to be a real problem.