Hang up and drive!

One article, two posts. Part two to come. but first, from the Tribune:

Many Utahns are wary of drivers who are talking on cell phones behind the wheel, and most say they would support legislation to ban the practice.

A Salt Lake Tribune poll found 69 percent of respondents favor a ban, and on Thursday a state senator introduced a bill to keep drivers younger than 18 from using cell phones while driving.

That's a start, but doesn't go far enough, said West Jordan resident Thomas Black, one of the poll respondents.

"I have two daughters that drive while using a cell phone, and I refuse to ride with them," Black said. "It's dangerous. It takes away from concentration."
He prefers an all-out ban.

Honeyville resident Shelly Thorsted agrees it's especially important for new drivers to avoid distraction. Even adults can zone out, though, she said. She has become frightened enough that she won't answer calls while in the car.

"I've been talking on my phone and hung up and realized I didn't even remember driving that last five or 10 minutes," she said.

Sen. Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake City, on Thursday introduced a ban on phone use by under-18 drivers. Rep. Phil Riesen, D-Holladay, is sponsoring a bill with the same ban in the House.

Limiting the ban to teens was necessary because the Legislature has been hostile to a flat cell phone ban, Romero said. Lawmakers last year prohibited texting while driving, but all talk of a phoning ban has gone nowhere.

No phone call is so important that you have to answer it or make it while behind the wheel.

I've been guilty of doing it, but I try not to.

-Bob