Things not to do while driving
There’s a new law going into effect July 1, one I readily admit
I am going to have a hard time living up to. But I have a funny
feeling I won’t be alone.
I’m referring, of course, to the infamous ban on using a
hand-held cell phone while driving. You can talk on a cell phone if
you can use it without having it in your hand; for instance, if you
have a hands-free device.
Things not to do while driving
There’s a new law going into effect July 1, one I readily admit I am going to have a hard time living up to. But I have a funny feeling I won’t be alone.
I’m referring, of course, to the infamous ban on using a hand-held cell phone while driving. You can talk on a cell phone if you can use it without having it in your hand; for instance, if you have a hands-free device.
There are only a little more than two weeks to go before the new law starts, and I have no idea how to use my hands-free device. I’ve only just gotten the hang of cell phones, and now the state of California wants me to learn something new. This is too much for my tiny brain to handle.
I have always had trouble with the idea of cell phones. I never wanted one to begin with. I had trouble with being immediately accessible 24/7.
But like most other parents, I realized a few years back that a cell phone was a handy thing to have, especially if your kid throws up in class or you need to get directions to a play date.
So I was a somewhat reluctant convert. It literally took me years to get used to having it. For quite a long time, it scared the bejeebers out of me when it rang. I couldn’t figure out what that sound was, or why it was coming from my purse.
Eventually, I adjusted. I even learned to use the cell phone’s various functions, cheesy as they were. Tip calculator, anyone? This year, I even learned how to text, which has proven to be invaluable in contacting my children, who will not actually talk to anyone on their cell phones, but are happy to text back.
Probably the most difficult skill to acquire was driving and talking at the same time. I can completely understand why a law was passed to prevent this. I never have gotten extremely good at it. It’s probably just as well that I have a reason not to do it.
But the thing that really amazes me is while driving and talking will be banned as of July 1, people will still be able to drive and text. It’s a very weird loophole in the law. Texting has got to be much more dangerous, for obvious reasons, but perhaps no one has done official studies on it yet.
Of course, people do so many other things that should be banned while driving. Shaving, reading the paper, putting on makeup, drinking boiling-hot coffee, yelling at children in the back seat … the list is almost endless.
In any case, I have my little hands-free earbud thing, but I’m terrified to use it. I’m afraid it’s going to be another piece of technology to think about at a time when I should be driving. Maybe I shouldn’t even start using it.
Perhaps it would be better just to turn off the phone while driving. That’s right, turn it off.
What a concept.
How do you feel about the ban of cell phones while driving? How will it impact your life? Let me know, and I’ll put it in a future column! Write to Kathy Nichols at
ou************@ya***.com
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