Should Hand Held Cell Phones be Outlawed While Driving?? (page 5)

Celtic

Most definitely ban the darn use of the cellphone whilst driving, without a shadow of doubt. Illegal here in the UK to drive whilst on the phone, very sensible law.

Xena

I'm suprised at how many people are willing to give up their freedom to make their own adult decisions for the "greater good". Personally I'm not....

Simon

I'm suprised at how many people are willing to give up their freedom to make their own adult decisions for the "greater good". Personally I'm not....

Well, apart from it being better for *other people*, it is also generally considered (by those in the know and after much research) to also be better for you *not* to have things like head on crashes for instance, never mind it being better for kids in the car too

Nice of you to put your own selfish need to talk before the lives of yourself, your family and others though.

It's not about freedom, it's about being sensible and some health and safety that sometimes overrides our own liberties, rightly so.

Undecided

I don't have a cell phone and don't want one. I am satisfied to run my daily life without outside interference. My wife has one in case she needs help while driving alone. I don't even know the phone number. When I drive I give all my attention to driving, I hate it when someone in the car tries to make me look at something they have with them. I don't do it. Also when someone driving looks at the person they are talking with, it makes me nervous.

I've been driving for 52 years and haven't dented a fender but I know when I get in my 80s I will have to re-assess my driving ability. So far I am just a little more cautious than when I was younger.

Ken

ozziepost

many people are willing to give up their freedom to make their own adult decisions for the "greater good".

Ya know, I think Xena has a good point. Throughout the western "civilised" world we've seen an erosion of individual freedoms within our lifetime. There's always a good "reason" given, wether it's health reasons or safety reasons or whatever. They all are valid but it's a worry to me that increasingly we're looking to others (Big Brother?) to make rules for us.

Having said that, it's my observation that the individual cannot be relied upon to act "for the greater good" of society. From what I've seen, most people consider themselves to be the exceptions, not the rules.

Herein lies the dilemma for governments who seem to act at times in a 'knee jerk' manner in response to public opinion.

Xena

Simon I really don't understand your need to attack me for having an opinion different from yours. Personally I don't use a cell phone in the car, but I do feel like it should be my personal decision to make as an adult. I don't need "big brother" making those decisions for me. Same with seat belt laws. I do believe there should be a law to seatbelt children in but when it comes to my own personal safety it should be my own concern.

I'm pretty much done with this as there appears to be no room for debate here

Xena

We cross posted ozzie....thank you for seeing past my "selfishness" to the point I was trying to make

DanTheMan

Xena, I wish that people would wear seatbelts without having to be told to, I wish they would drive at a reasonable speed without there being a need for posted speed limits, I wish that they would use cell phones responsibly without having to be forced to.

I think that there's always that percentage of people that are so short-sighted and patently unconcerned with any good other than their own ("I drive a 10,000 pound SUV with front and side airbags, ain't gonna hurt me none if I get in an accident because I'm yacking away on the cell phone instead of paying attention to the road") that governments have no choice but to force compliance with what should be common sense and basic courtesy.

I can understand the Big Brother argument though. Kinda like how the Watchtower first of all gets you to outwardly conform to their expectations in various small and seemingly trivial ways and before you know it you're mentally and emotionally enslaved to them.

Max Divergent

Xena - If making laws for the safe use of the roads is an infringement of personal liberties, then the knee jerk reaction would be to repeal laws against drunk driving, speeding and so on in the name of personal freedom.

That'd be silly, and would infringe others right to life and liberty from hospital beds for those injured by reckless drivers with their hands and minds caught up in phone calls (or affected by drink, or dreams of the race track, or whatever) and not the powerful machine they're controling.

This does show up a weakness in rights based thinking compared to thinking what creates the best result overall.

What harm is there in requiring that people use cell phones anytime they're operating dangerous equipment? It infringes a minor civil liberty? Gimmie a break.

Max

Should Hand Held Cell Phones be Outlawed While Driving??

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