Cell Phones, Texting, and Good Dental Hygiene
On May 20, 2010, Maryland became the 8th state nationwide to enact a ban on driving while using a hand held cell phone. But the driver has to be observed speeding or involved in some other primary offense to be cited for cell phone use. While this could help make our roadways safer, there are studies that suggest that talking on a hands free phone is no less distracting than using a hand held phone. And if you’re involved in an accident while using a cell phone, the opposing party could check your phone records to check whether you were on your cell at the time of the accident.
But cell phones are only part of the “distracted driving” problem. I commute by bus every day, and have a chance to see many of these accidents waiting to happen. I’ve seen a driver eating a sandwich with one hand while typing into his GPS with the other, (and I will never understand why you need a GPS in rush hour traffic.) There was one person texting in her car, glancing up occasionally to see which lane she was in. I even saw one driver brushing his teeth on Rt. 270 while his truck apparently drove itself to work!
Unfortunately, there will always be people with better things to do than drive, so until our lawmakers see fit to put some teeth into laws that actively discourage negligent behavior, we will continue to see people injured by drivers who think that texting is a great way of killing time while behind the wheel.
