The Federal Phone Police
In the ever increasing creep of the government nanny state into your daily life, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (in the Queen City today, by the way, to talk transit) said this week that the Obama Administration is exploring its options on how to block cell phone use in cars.
This from The Daily Caller:
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said using a cell phone while driving is so dangerous that devices may soon be installed in cars to forcibly stop drivers — and potentially anyone else in the vehicle — from using them.
“There’s a lot of technology out there now that can disable phones and we’re looking at that,” said LaHood on MSNBC. LaHood said the cellphone scramblers were one way, and also stressed the importance of “personal responsibility.”
The hosts of Morning Joe pushed the secretary about the possibility of requiring scrambling technology installed in vehicles.
“I think it will be done,” said LaHood. “I think the technology is there and I think you’re going to see the technology become adaptable in automobiles to disable these cell phones. We need to do a lot more if were going to save lives.”
Wonderful. Problem is, as usual, facts get in the way. By the National Highway Traffic Administration’s own statistics, highway fatalities last year were at the lowest levels since the 1950s, while traffic fatalities attributed to distracted driving effect only about .001 percent of the total population. And banning cell phone use in cars will improve the situation how?
More to the point, would somebody please explain the rationale, right or authority for the federal government to climb into a citizen’s car and prohibit not only the driver of said private vehicle, but also any passengers from using a cell phone.
Distracted driving? I guess this means Team Obama will next eye a prohibition on eating food, station surfing or – gasp! – applying make-up while driving. And here I thought Democrats were trying to court female voters.
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