Issue date: 9/7/09 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Evan Andrews [Click to enlarge]

I need technology like a 4-year-old needs cotton candy. It may just be a really strong want, but it sure feels like a requirement. When Gmail was down last week I could only think of all the things that I couldn't do without it. When I go back to my home county, which has a telephone co-op that blocks out all major carriers, I feel a physical loss with the absence of my signal bars. I need to be able to get in touch with anyone at any time, which is why I think nothing of calling someone while I'm on the road. But that's changing as cell phone laws already present in other states creep into Texas.

Six states already ban hand-held cell phones for all drivers and 18 ban text messaging. Texas' first foray into cell phone legislation took effect Sept. 1, and bans the use of cell phones in school zones, as well as for drivers under the age of 18.

The restriction has some caveats that prevent it from being exercised to its full effect, the greatest of which is that, in order to ticket drivers for the offense, signs must be posted outside the school zone. Despite the small scope of the restriction, the law has met a frosty reception. Still, I don't think it's a bad idea.

For one thing, there is that memorable "Mythbusters" episode where they demonstrated that talking on a cell phone was more impairing than driving a little bit drunk. However, despite their precedent for mostly foolproof and highly entertaining tests, that experiment had a lot of flaws. Fortunately, slightly more reliable research has been conducted elsewhere.

In 2001, the University of Utah demonstrated that hands-free cell phones are just as distracting as handheld ones. A study published in 2006 found that people were as impaired while talking on a cell phone as they were driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol count. The drivers on cells were slower to brake than in their control runs, and their following distance varied wildly as their attention on the road and the car in front of them faded in and out. In fact, the only wrecks during the experimental test drives occurred when drivers were on cell phones, not when they had been drinking.

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