Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilB
Again, the problem isn't really basic competence nearly as much as it is attention. Most people really are capable of driving decently if they are paying attention to doing that. Most of the problems are not due to people who are completely incapable; it's due to people doing other things and not concentrating on their driving. So stricter licensing wouldn't be "fixing it right"; it wouldn't even address the real problem. Conversely, dealing with the distractions IS the real solution, not the "band-aid".
Testing for a higher level of skill won't fix the problem, if they're not even bothering to use the skills they have now. They need to be persuaded, forcibly if need be, to pay attention, so they don't kill someone. And, being that cellphones (a) have become a common problem, and are only becoming moreso, and (b) that they have been demonstrated factually to be worse than other distractions in BOTH duration and intensity, it makes sense to hit that one.
Again, driving while phoning has been shown to be as bad as driving at the legal limit of drunk. Unless you would advocate repealing drunk driving laws as unnecessary, ineffective, and already covered by other laws, you are being inconsistent at the very least. Are you in favor of repealing drunk driving laws? Or are you being inconsistent?
PhilB
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Setting aside the idea that speaking while driving is the same as drinking 10 tequila shots and driving, when you are driving sober you have the option of answering the phone or not. Making a call or not. Choosing to keep your primary focus on the road while talking or listening, and hanging up if needed. When you are drunk, you can't turn it off. You are drunk until it wears off.
So no, I don't think we should repeal DUI laws.
Going back to whether speaking = being drunk, I don't really buy it. If that were true we would see a lot more crashes. I can see 10 people noticeably talking on their cell phones on my way to or from work on an average day, but I don't see them weaving in their lanes, running over curbs or stopping in the road for no reason the way drunk drivers do. The most I see is them being unable to maneuver a turn with one hand on the wheel because they have their phone in the other hand. Or they can't be bothered to check their blind spots because that would require removing their phones from their heads.
A few years ago, a woman was walking her young daughter home from school and pushing her baby in a stroller. A woman in an SUV ran the light at the crossing where the family was walking, hitting them and killing both children.
The driver told police she was on the phone and didn't notice the red light. However after months of investigation and looking through phone records, they couldn't find any evidence she was on the phone. She finally admitted that she was just pissed that the light had turned red, didn't want to be slowed down by it and blew the light on purpose.
I think if people had to actually prove they could operate a vehicle safely, and make it harder to get a license, they would more conscientious drivers.