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The 13-year-old daughter of a friend of mine was run down and killed while walking to school by a driver who was talking on her cell phone.  (This was in Lebanon, OR in September a couple years ago.)  I was rear-ended by someone chatting on her phone.

A study was done that showed people who talk on cells while driving are as impaired as drunks.  It's the mental distraction, not the physical handling of the phone.  Similarly, a person in the car next to you can tell when traffic conditions take priority. The person on the other end of a phone conversation cannot.

This SHOULD happen and should be a primary offense. Any of you who thinks you can handle it fine... well, you sound like any drunk walking out of the bar who says, "It's only a couple of blocks away."  You're putting MY life in danger, so hang up and pay attention to the road.

posted 4 years ago
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