(cross-posted from Vermont Watch, here)
On Banning of Cell Phone Use When Operating Moving Vehicles
In my opinion (IMO), …
All cell phone use as well as other such devices, whether hand-held or otherwise, by anyone driving a moving vehicle should be banned within the state, no exceptions. The only thing an operator of a moving vehicle should be doing behind the wheel is focusing on the road, nothing else.
One is not sure why current policies, laws and regulations do not already restrict what one is allowed to do when operating a moving vehicle without requiring new laws to specifically spell out and restrict such.
If new legislation and law is required to address such matters however, what the state legislature should seriously consider doing is, rather than drafting and enacting a bill to ban such devices, to instead draft and enact a bill that further clarifies license and driving policies, laws and regulations concerning what is allowed as well as not allowed to be engaged in while operating any moving vehicle, including bicycles.
To my way of thinking, this would be a better approach rather than an outright ban of certain devices, etc., while operating a vehicle. Restricting what one can and can not do behind the wheel of a moving vehicle would appear to be better to do versus attempting to ban the use of specific devices while one is driving. Although it might seem to be the same thing, it is using a different approach to achieve the same result, however doing so focused more on the behavior in question rather than the device itself.
This could also prove to be sound public policy since it is not the devices that are the problem, but rather the person’s use of these and other distractions while operating a moving vehicle and not all vehicle operators exercise good judgement unless and until there are specific regulations about what is allowable and what is not as well as severe consequences clearly laid out in law and then made known about what will result if one fails to comply.
This is my opinion on the subject. What is yours?