bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) writes:
> It is also true that police officers _do_ have more training on the
> subject than "Joe Sixpack' does. I don't know of a civiian 'drivers
> ed' course that touches on the matter, nor a state license exam that
> addresses it.
All of that, true or not, does not address the question of actual
safety. Some civilians are former police officers, for example, and
could have experienced the same training you say makes it ok to talk
while driving. Yet all civilians are nominally subject to the laws
against using a phone while driving. (Though I'm sure it's true that a
former officer would get a pass from most cops after he showed his
identification.)
The fact remains that, before these new laws, it was already illegal
to fail to pay attention while driving. The purpose of the cell phone
ban is not to create a crime where there wasn't one but to make it
easier to prove the crime. Unfortunately, the laws also /do/ create a
new crime, using a cell phone while still paying attention to
driving. Why should that be a crime? Just so the officer doesn't have
to decide if a driver was paying attention before citing a violation?
Those officers who are so highly trained to be aware of everything
going on shouldn't have to be sufficiently aware to make such a simple
decision? Baloney.
Do you think that someone stuck in traffic which is not moving /at
all/ should not be able to use his cell phone to call 511? Do you
think that someone driving on a rural Interstate and observing a drunk
driver should /not/ call 911 to report that observation? Or should
pull onto the shoulder before making the call? If you say to pull onto
the shoulder, are you ok that making that rule will mean fewer reports
of drunk drivers? -- Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA "Greed is to
the moralists of the dave@compata.com, +1 714 434 7359 left what sex
is to the moralists dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu of the right." - Cathy
Young
Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA "Politics is the business of getting
dave@compata.com, +1 714 434 7359 power and privilege without
dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu possessing merit." - P. J. O'Rourke
Dave Close (dave@compata.com)