Get off the phone!

I have been half listening to the radio this morning, where the subject of talking on a mobile while driving has reared its head again.
As usual, people are calling in to quote their "I'm a good driver" credentials before justifying why they talk on the phone. In my view, talking on the phone -handsfree or not - while driving is stupid and irresponsible. Here, let me give some rebuttal to the excuses given by other drivers.

1) I have to or I'll lose my job.
That is not an adequate excuse. You could say "I have to get to work in 5 mins" to justify speeding. We managed perfectly well before mobile phones.

2) There are worse drivers on the road.
Of course there are, you can always find examples of worse people. But again, that's like saying "I can beat someone up because there are murderers out there". Behaviour should not be relative.

3) Talking to a passenger is the same thing.
It's not and I'll tell you why. When I go somewhere, I may have a passenger in the car. But the purpose of them being there is not to have a conversation. Yes, we might have a chat but normally the talk is punctuated with stops and starts, as you concentrate on the road. When someone calls you, they are doing so because they have something to ask you or tell you, something that you must concentrate on and it requires focus. Scientific tests have shown no difference between people talking handsfree or with a hand held phone. That's because the problem is not in being one handed, it's about the focus of your attention. People will also argue that having kids in the back of a car can be distracting. That is also true, but I still don't buy the argument that because something is distracting then talking on the phone should be allowed. That is bizarre.

Fundamentally, it comes down to the fact that most drivers are selfish. Many people think they should be able to do what they want in their cars - drive faster than the speed limit (because they know better), talk on their phones (because they are good drivers and have important issues to discuss) and run red lights (because they are in a rush). Driving is extremely dangerous and there are many irresponsible drivers who make bad judgments. Talking on the phone is one of them. Just observe the type of people that do it - they often are doing other silly things like tailgating. I see it everyday. And you know what, it's often people with children in their cars and those dreaded "baby on board" stickers. The irony!