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Banning mobiles in cars: let the debate begin (again)
Keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel

By editorial@silicon.com

Published: Tuesday 01 October 2002

When we cover stories about the use of mobile handsets in cars, we tend to get lots of emails from lovers of an unregulated society who think that Joe and Joanne Public should be free to do whatever they want when it comes to technology and their cars.

"Whatever next? Will they ban us from eating in the comfort of our Mondeo?" is the typical cry.

Well, maybe 'they' (presumably the government) should. Accidents involving cars are responsible for more deaths in the UK than almost any other single cause.

One quarter of the respondents to a recent survey admitted they had sent text messages while at the wheel.

One in 20 said they had come close to crashing while using their phones.

Independent research has shown motorists using mobiles are four times more likely to be involved in an accident than other drivers.

Yes, there are hands-free sets that help but even using this kind of equipment will inevitably divert attention from the road. Having a chat with a business colleague while driving is not the same thing as nattering to your family in the back seat. It takes more concentration - concentration that should be applied to driving.

It's unlikely that using a hands-free kit will ever form part of the advanced driving test, is it?

So is a ban really an infringement of our civil liberties? No. A person who is unlucky enough to be injured or killed by a driver who's on the phone is the one who's having their civil liberties infringed.

If the government's consultation period on the matter, which ends soon, results in draconian legislation, then so be it. Sometimes, we really do need protection from ourselves.