Wednesday, September 30, 2009
FLG Hates People
...who talk on their phone or text while driving, but he hates the idea of the federal government banning it even more. It's an issue for the states, and many have already acted.
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No one is more sympathetic to federalism than I am. But a) many of us drive across state lines ALL THE TIME, and b) the only way this practice can be halted is by the feds requiring that every car sold contain a device that automatically disables any cell within 10 feet of the car when the engine is running. (Even a draconian solution such as this would take more than a decade to work, as existing cars slowly wear out and are replaced.)
You might fairly ask, wouldn't the feds fuck this up? Maybe, maybe not. But leaving the problem to the states can't get at it. Game, set, match.
There's a reason we have a federal system.
P.S. I also would like to see a picture of a GU undergraduate walking into and through a Georgetown intersection without once looking up from their cellphone used to illustrate "stupid" in all the basic dictionaries. (I am starting to feel that keeping them alive is not my responsibility.)
I'll assume you are talking about the DC-MD-VA area. Why does the federal government need to step in? Isn't it simply about expeditiousness? Eventually, won't they all ban texting and talking on the cell phone?
The disabling thing seems a bit too close to mandatory breathalizers in every car.
As for the GU undergrads, I agree with you, and it's not your job to keep them alive. You're job is not to kill them.
The disabling thing seems a bit too close to mandatory breathalizers in every car.
FLG --
If I drive around Georgetown and make it a point to observe drivers, a third to a half of them are on the phone. That's already illegal in DC.
How is metro-area cooperation going to stop that?
Nobody needs to talk or text while driving. And if they really can't help themselves, all they need to do is pull over and turn off their engines.
Bear in mind, the most recent DOT studies indicate that merely talking on ones cell (to say nothing of texting) impairs the driver's cognitive functions beyond the legal definition of DUI.
I don't like the nanny state either, but half those bozos on the beltway have IQs below 100. I don't want them knocking off another 15 points when they're coming up behind me at 70 miles an hour.
"How is metro-area cooperation going to stop that?"
It won't, but upping enforcement will. Indeed, I'm sure DC could use the revenue from cell phone tickets in this economy. They certainly seemed to have upped the parking enforcement.
"I don't like the nanny state either, but half those bozos on the beltway have IQs below 100. I don't want them knocking off another 15 points when they're coming up behind me at 70 miles an hour."
Fair enough point.
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