Cell phones might not have been designed for use in automobiles, but IIRC the first models were about the size of a briefcase and needed a hefty power supply. Automobile installation made the most sense if not being outright mandatory. Still doesn’t make their use while driving okay.
I remember when cell service was being introduced in the Bay Area and people were concerned about distracted driving. “Oh, no!” the early providers said, “That won’t happen; we’ll put reminders in our ads to pull over and stop before making or receiving a call.” Six months later they were advertising, “Now, there’s an antenna in the Caldecott tunnel!” Thing is, there’s no place to pull over in the tunnel. Mealy-mouthed liars.
Many people who drink are notoriously bad about knowing when they’ve had too much. In a bar, at least, there is someone who can theoretically cut someone off. Not so in a car, whether or not the person drank before driving or not.
If everyone was responsible enough to stop after 2 beers there would be a lot less DUI, right?
Since I had the privilege of driving long distances when the 55 mph limit was in effect, I’m an expert. A lot of it was about looking like the government was doing something during the gas crisis. And it was smarter than enforcing odd/even days when you could fill your tank, which created long lines from panic buying.
High taxes and mpg requirements sure work better than speed limits.
The Double Nickel was based on a lie. The lie was that it lowered highway fatality rates.
What actually happened is when gas prices skyrocketed in 1973/74 people drove a lot less. Pretty hard to get in a fatal auto accident when you are sitting at home.
But a false conclusion was reached by the Feds. This resulted in the government spending billions on enforcement programs and citizens spending billions on radar detectors, scanners, CB radios, higher insurance premiums, and lawyers trying to get around it. The national speed limit was immensly unpopular with individuals and state governments but cogress simply would not obey the electorate until 1995.
All based on a lie. Almost every year since it’s demise highway fatality rates have gone down.
It would be a ‘non starter’ if used to justify any behavior whatsoever. But that wasn’t the point I was making and I think pretty obviously not. Rather I was distinguishing between things which have a genuine positive side (like getting where you are going faster or communicating) with things that don’t unless it’s a silly discussion (being drunk).
A formula you basically accept in the second paragraph: you ‘think’ the overall minutes of extra productive time would be cancelled out by car accidents. An opinion IOW about a trade off plus and minus. I don’t see any tradeoff, again except in lawyerly ‘an argument could be made’ silliness, in driving while impaired by substances, there’s no genuine upside. Therefore the analogies which try to say any form of cell phone use in cars, keeping in mind how many times I made it clear hands off phones, should be banned because drunk driving is banned are dumb analogies. That was my point.
I didn’t say people can’t have the opinion that hands free cell phone use in cars should be banned or the national speed limit should be 50 to really reduce accidents and save fuel. They just should admit it’s a judgement call about a trade off. It’s not something ‘provable’ by reference to drunk driving. And they should also consider whether a hands free cell phone ban would be enforceable which IMO it very obviously wouldn’t be. Just as a matter of priority law enforcement should concentrate on people texting (even reading them) with phones while driving, then phone in one hand, see if those laws can really be enforced, and worry at the earliest about hands free after achieving largely stamping out those behaviors. Again, we likewise already know a 55 NSL is not enforceable, even if one ‘thinks’ it’s the right point in the trade off between getting places sooner and safer/more fuel efficiently.
A lot of it was about looking like the government was doing something during the gas crisis. And it was smarter than enforcing odd/even days when you could fill your tank, which created long lines from panic buying.