B.C.'s police chiefs are calling for a ban of the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving, a ban that I think has some merit to it.
I'm as guilty as the next person of driving while talking on the phone. In fact, last night when I got into my car and flipped my cell phone on, I answered my voice mail. Instead of stopping my car, or better yet, checking my voice mail before I left the parking lot, I listened to my messages while driving along Highway 101. Even worse, I responded to them, surfing through my phone numbers with one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the phone while keeping one eye on the traffic in front of me. Plain stupid, right? We've all done it and continue to do it every day.
In a constantly fast-paced world where we are all busy with work, family commitments, friends and other things, talking or texting on our cell phones while driving has become a way of life. No one thinks about the consequences of what could happen if you were distracted at the wheel and caused an accident. I certainly don't, but last week when I heard news that the province's police chiefs were looking at this ban, it got me thinking.
Police chiefs passed a unanimous resolution at a meeting in Nanaimo asking the provincial government to look at a ban.
According to the B.C. Auto-mobile Association, if the provincial government adopts the recommendation, B.C. would become the first jurisdiction in North America to institute a complete ban on cell phone use while driving.
In some provinces and U.S. states, bans are in place outlawing hands-on cell phone use while driving, while others have outlawed cell phone use by younger drivers. But so far no government has stepped up to the plate to ban all cell phone use in vehicles.
It's an interesting proposal and one that I'm sure will stir up considerable debate in the legislature once politicians resume their work in Victoria after the summer. It's one I hope our politicians will look it.
Some people will say that it's totally unreasonable to expect drivers to not talk on the phone while driving, while others will say what about hand held devices that allow you to drive while talking and still keep both hands on the wheel? Both are good points and worth bringing to the conversation.
But I go back to my original thought: do I really need to talk on the phone while driving? No, I really don't.
Between time spent in my office in front of my laptop or talking on the phone, I can pretty well get all my work done, so why the need to talk and drive at the same time? The answer is there really isn't a need; we've just all become so obsessed with technology that it has become a normal practice. I think it's time to break that habit.
