Maybe I’m no longer a lone voice in the wilderness.
In a News story posted on this site today (“Study shows cell phone use increases collision risk,” September 15, 2008) the Ontario Medical Association released a study that finds “speaking on a cell phone significantly increases the risk of collision.” Do I believe that? Yes, I do. It makes sense.
But note, however, that the study is at odds with what has actually been created into law. So what is the law in some provinces? (Rather than dig through hundreds of pages of legislation for several jurisdictions I’ll just rely on the CBC. Yes, I’m lazy…
- Newfoundland and Labrador: “It's the first province to institute a cellphone ban for drivers. Drivers can still use their phones if they are parked in a safe area — or are using a hands-free unit.” (CBC – April 22, 2003)
- Nova Scotia: “The Nova Scotia government introduced a sweeping road safety bill on Friday that would outlaw the use of hand-held cellphones while driving…” (CBC November 23, 2007)
- Quebec: “Quebec is set to ban the use of handheld cellphones in cars and trucks…” (CBC July 5, 2007)
So what’s my point? In my opinion using a cell phone while driving consists of at least two separate and distinct actions – 1) holding an inanimate object to your head and driving with one hand, and 2) engaging in a conversation. The legislation in the three above provinces addresses only the first issue, and leaves the second issue alone. In my opinion, driving with one hand while holding an object up to your head probably doesn’t make you too much of a menace. Engaging in a detailed conversation, regardless of where both your hands are, probably does create some safety issues.
And it appears that the Ontario Medical Association gets that too: the act of speaking – the conversation – is the part that causes the problem. Politicians on the other hand, attack the easiest part of the issue and don’t really solve the problem.
As for pulling off the road to use a phone, while that is obviously safer I’ve been in two close-call situations where just that came close to causing a traffic accident. In one case a person pulled over to the shoulder of a two-lane highway to use the phone. The only problem was that it was just after a major winter storm and there were no shoulders so she just pulled over as far as she could and stopped, blocking half the lane. The other was a fellow who must have been expecting an important call as he drove along in the left lane. When that call came he piled on the brakes and dove for the right shoulder causing brake lights to come on all around him.
Call me an optimist, but there has to be a better solution to the choices made in Nfld., N.S. and Quebec.
