Friday, February 09, 2007
Editorial: Teen drivers, don't answer that phone
In cutting distractions for young motorists, Virginia can hardly ignore the cellphone.
From the RoundTable blog
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To ban or not to ban cellphones while driving ought to be an easy call for state lawmakers dealing with one segment of the motoring public, at least: teen drivers.
Ban the electronic devices while teenagers are behind the wheel, by all means. Hand-held or hands-free makes no difference. The phones are a dangerous distraction.
In a state, such as Virginia, that issues provisional licenses to drivers younger than 18, how could lawmakers justify doing otherwise?
Provisional licenses already restrict the number of young passengers and the hours when young drivers can be on the road. Lawmakers passed those rules several years ago, reasoning that immature, inexperienced drivers need to have some miles, and a couple of years, behind them before they can cope safely with the distractions that peers present.
One of the law's chief sponsors, Republican Sen. Jay O'Brien of Fairfax, now wants to add a restriction against cellphone use. The fact that he now has four teenagers at home, demonstrating the captivating allure of text messaging every day, is only part of the reason.
There also is the matter of a demonstrated safety need. Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle statistics show that, on average, three 16- or 17-year-old drivers a week are involved in crashes in which cellphones were a contributing factor.
More mature drivers are hardly immune to the effects, of course, but they hotly dispute the dangers. "The other guy" spotted driving erratically often can be seen with a phone plastered to his ear, but every yakker or texter is certain he is driving just fine.
Lawmakers dare not even talk about an overall ban on cellphones while driving.
Applying the brake to young drivers, though, is an easier matter -- and a good thing, too. They are more susceptible than most to distractions. Let's take the cellphones out of their hands.
Virginia's senators passed O'Brien's bill unanimously. Now it is in the House, where it has died for three years running. The delegates should get smart and pass it this time.
