Qari New legislation in B.C. will see restrictions on cell phone use by drivers. So does this make our roads safer, or is it just more government interference in our lives? Will regulations be effec- tive? Or is it all worth it in the name of safety? Don’t ban cell phones while driving By Tanya Colledge Over the past couple of decades, cell phones have become a big part of our society. We have grown attached and accustomed to these devices to help us keep connected with loved ones in case of emergencies but more so, to help us be more productive and efficient with our time. As the popularity of these devices grows, so do the misconceptions that they are dangerous along things at once: road conditions, pedestrians, obstructions due to construction and traffic congestion. Cell phones are much less distracting than children arguing in the back seat and much more predictable than the cyclists that share the road. Cell phones are merely instruments; they themselves are not dangerous. It is the drivers that continue to drive intoxicated, aggressively or over the speed limit that we should be concerned about. Drivers falling asleep and swerving out of their lanes, tailgating with with calls for new “Would you rather see your precious taxpayers’ dollars _ their high beams flashing regulations to restrict spent helping police officers make more drug busts in __ in your rear-view mirror their use. our communities or helping them write a ticket to the or under the influence Itseems that _ s9¢cer mom calling her babysitter to let her know she’ll °F illegal substances today our society he Jate getting home?” is quick to jump to the conclusion that creating new laws and regulations—instead of enforcing current ones—is an effective tactic. However, a law that prohibits the use of a handheld device while driving requires additional time and money for enforcement. Would you rather see your precious taxpayers’ dollars spent helping police officers make more drug busts in our communities or helping them write a ticket to the soccer mom calling her babysitter to let her know she’ll be late getting home? How would we as citizens, ensure that this new legislation would be regulated in a fair and honest matter? And so I ask myself: where does the encroachment of the state into our lives stop? If the government was to ban the use of cell phones while driving, should they ban other distractions such as eating a hamburger while driving, booming speakers, reading a GPS system or map, applying makeup or tending to a child in the back seat? After all, cell phones were certainly not the first and only disruption that drivers have dealt with over the years. Talking with other passengers, smoking, negligent pedestrians, wild animals and offensive drivers are all equally as dangerous, if not worse. A prerequisite to obtaining a driver’s license is being able to successfully keep one’s attention focused on several should be stopped and prosecuted. Unlike talking on a cell phone, driving under the influence is a permanent state of distraction that does not disappear until the driver pulls into his driveway —if he makes it there. A driver’s attention while talking on a cell phone is slightly distracted for a mere couple minutes, and then is able to re-focus 100 per cent once the conversation is over. Of course, half a century ago, no one would ever have imagined that we would be able to drive and talk on the phone at the same time, but times change. And as part of a modern, changing world, we should be embracing and adapting to change, not rejecting it. Let’s not punish everyone for the few who cannot seem to multitask two items! We will never be able to progress in anything if we are constantly lowering expectations because a few people can’t seem to manage. We have the technology, knowledge and ability to find alternative methods to these new regulations, and therefore should put the onus on cell phone companies to create more user and car friendly devices. There are bigger and more important issues such as homelessness and our grotesque provincial and national debt that our government should be worrying about. So hang it up already, there are bigger fish to fry. Driving is a dangerous activity By David Carson The B.C. government has promised us a law that would follow Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario in restricting cell phone use while driving. The minister of public works, the Honourable Kash Heed, recently informed the media of the government’s plan. What he said makes sense. Texting and driving, new drivers using their phones in any way, and talking without a handheld device all have two things in common: one, they’re all about to become illegal; two, banning them makes our roads safer. Driving is a dangerous activity. In cluttered cities, that an accident simply because your focus was not on the road. Someone might argue that if we ban cell phones, what next? Could laws come into force banning eating, drinking, and so on, while driving? I for one would welcome those laws but I don’t think we’re going to see the day when a cop will pull us over for slurping on a Coke or munching on fries. However talking on a cell phone not only takes your hands away from the wheel, it also occupies your attention and necessarily makes you less aware of your surroundings. No more than a week ago, I was driving in the False Creek area of Vancouver. As I approached a four-way stop sign, I couldn’t help but notice that a woman in a car “How could anyone argue against making our roads safer place for us all?” danger is all the more apparent. Urban drivers must react to multitudes of potential distractions: pedestrians, cyclists, changing traffic patterns and of course, the other drivers on the city streets, just to name a few. Safe driving demands absolute focus. Not only are our own lives at stake but every time we get behind the wheel, we have the capacity to kill or injure everyone around us. It seems only common sense that any distraction purposely added to the equation would increase the potential for disaster. How then, in a supposedly rationally thinking world, could anyone argue against the B.C. government making it illegal to hold or operate a cell phone while driving? How could anyone argue against making our roads safer place for us all? The inconvenience of having to wait ten minutes to answer a call is nothing compared to the tragedy of causing approaching from across the intersection was talking on her cell phone. I also noticed that she was driving very fast. Cautiously, I sat at the stop sign and watched her approach the intersection; then I watched her drive through the intersection without slowing down— gabbing away, completely ignorant to the potential disaster she would have caused had I started to make my way. I have no doubt, not a shred, that she was distracted because of her phone. For this reason, and the safety of everyone who shares the road, I welcome the B.C. government’s plan to limit cell phone use while driving. A conversation is not more important than safety, and a chat is not more important to you than another human’s life.