(well...DUH!) Ray H. LaHood, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, announced the ban Thursday, October 1, at a conference in Washington (DC) that included 300 academics, law enforcement officials, legislators, telecommunications and automobile industry representatives, as well as families of people killed by motorists who were talking on cellphones or text messaging.
"This meeting is probably the most important meeting in the history of the Department of Transportation," Mr. LaHood said at the end of the two-day conference. He added, "this...sends a very clear signal to the American public that distracted driving is dangerous and unacceptable."
The order took effect immediately and involves 4.5 million federal employees, including military personnel.
OK and, just like the current health care proposal, this order both misses the point and at the same time highlights the pervasive power of special interests in government. The real issue is distracted driving in all of its forms, from talking on cellphones to eating cheesburgers and applying makeup.
Perhaps we need a return to those defensive driving courses I took in high school, where the grisley photos of wrecks and the admonitions of celebrities to "think before you act," certainly had a chilling albeit brief effect on my driving. We certainly need more than a ban on texting, although, it is a good start (if it is actually enforced and especially if it proliferates to the rest of us).
But, it probably won't. It won't be enforced because states haven't adopted it and state and local police don't enforce federal policy. It won't proliferate for the same reason the CDC predicts that 40-60% of people who should take the swine flu vaccine won't do it. It's inconvenient. Finally, it won't because the only people who are really distracted by all of the things we do when we should be concentrating on traffic and road conditions, are other people, not us.
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