Hands Free Phones, Distracted Minds and Knee-jerk Legislation

Now that New York has banned the use of hand-held cell phones while driving and 37 more states and the U.S. Congress are considering such restrictions, lo and behold, a new study finds that hands-free phones are no safer. That’s right, New Yorkers, you’ve been had by your legislature, but what else is new?

The study was conducted by University of Utah researchers and published by the National Safety Council (NSC). An NSC spokesman said, "The study shows the more significant risk when using cell phones is cognitive. It’s not where the hands are, but where the head is."

We and others haven’t said it that well, but we have made similar points in opposing legislation that reduces individual freedom and responsibility while producing negligible public benefit.

Any distraction while driving increases accident risk. Period. No one knows how to fix that, but a lot of money will be spent trying. Perhaps a tiny portion should be spent in an attempt to distract legislators from the erroneous notion that legislation can and should solve all problems, particularly when they won’t wait long enough to understand the problem.

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