Hang up and drive

Opinion: December 29, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Hang up and drive

Chicago Tribune: The National Transportation Safety Board wants all 50 states to ban cellphone use by drivers. No texting, no tweeting, no talking — not even on a hands-free phone.

It’s a standard that goes beyond anything on the books in any state. The board has no authority to impose it. The data on accidents involving cellphones is inconclusive, the government is not our nanny, and eating a chili dog while driving is dangerous, too.

A nationwide ban will not happen.

That doesn’t mean the NTSB isn’t onto something. If you’re not frightened by what’s going on around you during your daily commute, you’re not paying attention. Drivers are texting while flying down the expressways, sending emails in stop-and-go traffic, carrying on animated conversations while changing lanes with one hand on the phone and the other holding a Starbucks.

All of that is already illegal in Chicago and beyond. Have you noticed fewer people doing it? Neither have we.

Distracted drivers are a menace, but we don’t need a broader law; we need more enforcement of laws already on the books.

What if police pounced on behind-the-wheel texting with the same zeal applied to parking meter violations? What if those hated red-light cameras could bust you for talking on your handheld phone?

If the risk of killing yourself or others isn’t deterrent enough, maybe a ticket or three will get your attention.

It’s time we all started taking these dangers seriously. Keep your hands (thumbs and all) on the wheel.