• Years ago, a girl suddenly, for no apparent reason, veered sharply to the right and crashed into a ditch. When the instructor asked the girl why, she explained it this way: While she was driving she had noticed that the car's insignia in the middle of the steering wheel was upside down.

Look, it's not their fault. They're teenagers. They have other things on their minds, like hormones, video games and Jessica Alba. They have a difficult time processing everything at once. Tell them to watch their speed, and they stare at the speedometer. Meanwhile, they blow through a stoplight. They turn right when you tell them to turn left. They pull in front of oncoming cars, mistakenly thinking they have the time and space to cross the road.

Now give them a license and a cell phone, and you have a recipe for disaster. A pair of Riverton students rolled their car while trying to find a ringing cell phone. Their story is commonplace. Cell-phone drivers are four times more likely to have a serious accident. For teens, that figure would be much higher.

Talking on a cell phone isn't even the worst part about it. Teens send text messages about half of their waking hours, including their time behind the wheel. Imagine driving down the road while typing on a tiny typewriter and you get the idea.

HB217 would curb such habits for teens under 18, but it's not enough. "It ought to be under-90 that you can't use cell phones," says Cowan.

He's got a point.

"We discuss cell phones in class," says Galley, "but many of the kids admit they will do it because they have watched their parents do it, and nothing bad has happened."

---

Doug Robinson's column runs on Tuesday. Please send e-mail to drob@desnews.com.