Comments about ‘Proposed Utah law would take cell phones out of teen drivers' hands’

It's definitely not a good idea to drive while on a cell phone, especially if you're a relatively inexperienced driver. I wonder, though, if a law is really necessary? In the near future, will we see bans on changing the radio station while driving, or talking to the person sitting next to you while driving, or putting makeup on, or reaching back to hand a screaming kid a pacifier, or daydreaming? All of these can cause lapses in attention on the road. If a teen driver (or any driver, for that matter) is doing anything that makes them drive recklessly, hit them with "reckless driving" and leave the penalty in the jurisdiction of the witnessing officer. We don't need (and can't possibly create) laws for every way there is to be stupid.

Neither teenager nor adult should be using a cell phone while driving. Using cell phone while driving has proven to cause traffic accidents. I don't believe there are any statistics showing that talking to the person sitting next to you while driving or changing the radio station, etc., has caused accident like cell phones or alcohol impairment. I am for a law that prohibits cell phone usage while driving. Yes, hard to enforce, but possibly easier to deal with in a civil court if this law were on the books.

Why, pray tell, is it that we are trying to legislate every bit of minutia on the planet? What makes it OK for an adult to drive down the road while talking on the cell phone and juggling a beverage? On the 18th birthday is one magically bestowed an increse in good sense, ability to multi-task & dexterity?
I am a parent. My son does not text or talk while driving. Texting is never OK, and WE will decide if & when he may talk, and under what conditions.

First, cell phone use must either be allowed for all drivers, or banned for all. It's the American way.

Second, there are serious issues in this state that require our full attention. Legislators, please cease and desist your colossal waste of our time and resources that you squander on nonsense. With all due respect to Mr. Browning - Do we really need to debate, make speeches and waste time on the issue of a state firearm? This state and its' citizens need real help. Things are less than rosy. Please, get busy tackling and solving the pressing problems we face. Get focused and find solutions! I'll take care of my teenager.

I beg this legislature to enact this law, my life is at stake as long as the teens have them. They can't be trusted to turn them off so take them from them. All of humanity would be blessing this law and praising its foresight in saving lives, property, and teens.

There has been enough studies, statistics, and observation compiled that its time to start saving lives and property.

So as not to make teens feel the only thereat, the law should include any driver using a cell phone while driving as a criminal offense. Adults have also become a threat, they are oblivious of any car, vehicle, bus, or cyclist around them. They were once the teens who developed their bad habits of phone use and the law should apply to all.

git r done.

How about, let's take KEYS out of teenagers' hands?

Really!

It would make a heck-of-a lot of sense for a heck-of-a-lot of reasons!

You can't legislate good judgment for teens any easier than you can for adults. In addition, just like the law that doesn't let teens drive with other teens in the car for the first 6 months they have their license, it sounds like a good idea in theory, but it is virtually impossible to enforce. Don't pass laws that can't be reasonably enforced. So what will an officer do? Pull over every young person he/she sees driving down the road talking on a phone? There is no way to determine the age of a driver from a passing encounter. And I doubt the legislation would change a young person's driving habits anyway. Let's educate and hope young adults and old adults will continue to use good judgment as most do.

If you are going to restrict cell phone use while driving for teenagers, then you need to restrict cell phone use for all drivers. Adults can be just as distracted by using a cell phone as the teenagers. Otherwise, forget about it.

That is exactly what California did, and it makes better sense. In California, all drivers can only use a cell phone if it is hands-free (aka using a blue-tooth ear piece or connection through the car's audio system).

What we need on this post is a professional who knows how the brain works and why cell phone use by anyone is akin to drunk driving. It all has to do with divided attention and not having the visual cues that one would have if they are talking to a person in the passenger seat. It's also why a hands-free setup doesn't help. Again, it would be nice to have a professional explain this to people on these posts, who have the right idea, but maybe don't understand the why.

Also, along that same line, the fact is that the frontal lobe of a person's brain - the "reasoning" part of the brain - does not fully develop until the 20s, which makes it even worse for teens having these distractions.

I didn't read the article, but it would be nice if a story like this would enlist the help of a prominent person who know how the brain functions and include it in the article so as to give people a complete understanding of the issue.

Xscribe, I agree that hands-free allowance is not the best desired result to minimize driver distraction. But in the case of California, it was a compromise that is better than allowing no restrictions on the use of cell phones while driving.

There has been several scientific demonstrations about measurement of reaction-times involving the use of cell phones while driving (you can web-search them yourself). What was concluded in the tests among teens and adults is that hands-free was less distracting to the driver than using the hand-held cell phone. No cell phone use showed the best reaction times.

But this involves politics, which requires compromise. My point for Utah is restrict usage for all drivers; not just the teens, otherwise don't do it at all.

Let me get this straight. So some of the legislators want this bill to keep our kids safe while driving by taking away their cell phones. Looking on another page of the internet, they want to give drivers licenses back faster to younger DUI people. What are my missing here? Legislators: you don't have to introduce a bill that is unthought out and plainly stupid just to tell your constituents that you did something. You are doing them no service. In fact, with these bills together, I would be ashamed of myself. Hope you are too.