Bans are not solution! by Barbora Misakova

I am sitting in a bus, travelling back home. Driver is riding quite fast, but I don’t care: I want to be home as soon as possible. When I wake up, I am in the hospital; my parents are sitting next to my bed and smiling at me. I see relief in their eyes. “What happened?” I ask. “You had an accident.” the answer sounds. “Two people died and many others are injured. Driver was texting while driving.” Is this story familiar to you? I wouldn’t be surprised. There are millions similar stories about irresponsibility of drivers whose using cell phone during operating a car or vehicle caused death or injury. Safety investigators in USA! were talking about the danger of using cell phones by bus drivers and truck drivers three years ago. Nothing was done for decreasing this danger even though The National Transportation Safety Board put the recommendation of cell phones ban on its list of most important safety measures. During the Bush administration this ban stayed in the theoretical level, but now it seems Obama administration has decided to act. Next week Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will convene a two day summit which should announce prepared actions. American Bus Association does not oppose the ban at all, the American Truck Associations is neutral so far, they want to see the wording of a proposal, and the wireless industry (the former enemy of restrictions) supports a texting ban but is neutral on restricting cell phone use by drivers. But what it really means “neutral”? Doesn’t it actually mean “unconcerned”? We are so used on cell phones, that we are not able to! have them without using them. Recommendation on using cell ph! ones onl y in cases of emergency is helpful neither: how will we know if the driver is not talking to his pregnant wife or sick mother who needs to get to the hospital? Bans are not solutions; we should appeal on the driver’s sense of responsibility. That sense which will tell them that many lives count on their driver’s skills and attention.

related story (sgx15454): http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090924/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_com...

by Barbora Misakova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.t! v)

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