Options Media Group Holdings, Inc. (OPMG)

[sang k]

Smartphones, dumb drivers
With smartphone ownership proliferating, a total ban on cellphone use by drivers is needed, for the safety of everyone on the road.

Motorists have good reason to worry about this. Studies show that people talking on their cellphones are four times more likely to be in an accident than other drivers, and their level of impairment is comparable to people with a blood alcohol level of 0.08%, the legal limit. And that research was done back when cellphones were used only for making calls. Now that they're used for posting on Facebook or playing Angry Birds, we suspect the dangers are much greater.

Lawmakers haven't caught up. Thirty states ban cellphone use by novice drivers, but none do so for all drivers. California has a law that tries to limit the problem but aims at the wrong target. Here, it's forbidden to text while driving or to hold a cellphone to one's ear, but drivers over 18 can still talk using a hands-free device; moreover, it's still technically legal to use a smartphone app while behind the wheel. This is both outdated and ineffective. There is no evidence that using hands-free devices reduces cellphone-related accidents, which happen because drivers are distracted by their conversations, not because they're using one hand to hold a phone.

A total cellphone ban would avoid the problem of legislating for yesterday's technology, and reduce the number of accidents. Meanwhile, if you value your life and the lives of others, don't dial and drive.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-cellphones-20111208,0,5405004.story?track=rss