I agree that people would do well to keep their eyes off of the cell phone screen while driving, but unfortunately a lot of people don’t adhere to that advice and there really isn’t anything you or I can do to change that.
You could say, you know let’s create laws and punish those who drive with a cell phone, but throwing the offending driver in jail doesn’t really help the guy in a wheel chair that got hit by that driver now does it?
I mean, here in the states, there are laws regarding speeding and drunk driving too, but levying hefty fines and throwing people in jail hasn’t really stopped people from speeding or driving drunk now has it? Oh I wouldn’t be surprised if there aren’t fewer drunk drivers out there then there would otherwise be, but charging a drunk driver with manslaughter doesn’t really help the dead guy now does it?
The brute force approach hasn’t worked in either of those other cases, why should we believe that it would work with cell phone use? The only option we’re left with is trying to work with these issues rather than fighting a losing battle against them.
In truth I would imagine the roadways might be a bit safer if there were a drunk driving lane or two. If we can’t stop them from driving drunk, maybe the sober drivers can at least avoid them. The same could be said for cell phone use.
P.S. I say kudos goes out to China for at least trying a different approach. We’ll never know if we don’t try.
P.P.S. For the record I don’t have a car or a drivers license so driving alongside cellphone users and drunk drivers isn’t as much an issue for me. However; I do ride my bicycle on the roadways which, in many instances, could be considered far more dangerous in the face of distracted drivers.
