Should it be illegal for drivers to use cell phones?

AR POOLERS AND COMMUTERS alike now chat on cell phones while driving, but as the trend grows, so grows the controversy. A number of cities and states are considering laws to restrict cell-phone use in cars. Proposals include requiring hands-free phones and holding drivers negligent for accidents that occur while they're on the phone. The Cleveland suburb of Brooklyn, Ohio, and three towns in Pennsylvania have gone as far as outlawing the use of hand-held phones while driving. Here, two experts on driving offer their views.

 

THIS NATIONAL DEBATE: HOW YOU VOTED
YES: 82%	NO: 18%
19,179 readers voted by phone or at our Web site. Results are not scientific.

YES: Safety is more important than the convenience of talking while driving

This is a no-brainer. Research shows that if you're driving and talking on the telephone, you're as likely to have an accident as you are if you're driving and drinking. We've all seen drivers on cell phones weaving in traffic and simply not paying attention. And it doesn't matter if it's a hands-free phone or not - the danger is simply in the driver's being otherwise engaged. It's not the same as listening to the radio or talking to a passenger; it somehow occupies more of your brain than those other things.

It's time to legislate against this, and if you don't like it, too bad. I don't want to be killed by someone who's on the phone to his wife, who's telling him to bring home a loaf of bread. It's simply not necessary. I have no objection to using the cell phone in your car as long as you're not driving. In an emergency, pull over. I find it hard to believe so many people are so important that the world can't wait for them to pull over.

Yes, cell phones are convenient, but is the convenience worth killing people? No!

Tom Magliozzi and his brother Ray are "Click and Clack" on NPR's Car Talk. Their new book is In Our Humble Opinion: Car Talk's Click and Clack Rant and Rave (Perigee, $19.95).

NO: Stop banning gadgets and start training drivers to use them safely

While driving, most of us also engage in other activities, including sipping beverages, adjusting stereos, conversing with passengers, minding children in the back seat and speaking on cell phones. Such distractions may strike some as unsafe, but with the current traffic death rate at about one-fourth what it was in the '60s, there's little evidence that such vehicular multi-tasking is terribly dangerous.

The important thing is to stop all extraneous activity when traffic turns heavy, traction becomes treacherous or visibility diminishes. I'm always prepared to drop my cell phone in mid-conversation if two hands suddenly are required on the wheel. Are drivers willing to do the same with a smoldering cigarette or a steaming mug of coffee? If not, perhaps ashtrays and cup holders, along with radios and navigational systems, also should be banned.

Better yet, let's forget about banning gadgets and concentrate on training drivers to better understand their priorities behind the wheel.

Csaba Csere is editor in chief of Car and Driver magazine and an automotive engineer.