Seems as if one minute it wasn't here, and the next it was everywhere imaginable. One of the most popular scenes of cell-phone usage is the automobile. While so far the evidence is only anecdotal, there is enough of it to indicate a good many drivers involved in highway accidents were yapping on cell phones at the time of the collisions. Naturally, lawmakers have gotten wind of this and they are anxious to do what lawmakers do, which is why bills either restricting or prohibiting the use of cell phones in cars are cropping up in states throughout the country. In California, Assemblyman Joe Simitian has introduced legislation mandating that cell phones in vehicles be used only in conjunction with hands-free devices.
Some people charge that the bill intrudes on individual freedom.
Others claim that even conversing on a cell phone, hands-free or not, is a distraction that can lead to carnage on the road. They insist that nothing less than prohibition will do. As with so many other problems, there will be no perfect solution to this one, but a better antidote than restrictions and prohibitions is education and punishment. These seemed to have worked wonders with drunk driving. There was a time, incredible as it may seem, when driving under the influence was generally acceptable, although there were laws against it.