There is no questions that the use of cell phones in automobiles while driving is not an ideal combination. Dialing while driving, and especially texting while driving, often makes for a distracted driver and thus a greater chance that an accident may occur because of the lack of attentiveness to the road. Even mere “bad driving” in the form of swerving around and taking wide turns as a result of cell phone use can result in the driver being pulled over by the police and ticketed for careless driving and reckless driving.
As a PA drivers license lawyer, I have been representing more and more people for mishaps occurring behind the wheel because too much attention was being paid to a cell phone. In many cases, the police are asking for drivers license suspensions for the offending party if the cell phone “abuse” is bad enough.
To combat this, there is now an “ignition interlock” system that has been developed, much like the kind used for DUIs to be installed in vehicles, that will not allow a car to turn on or operate unless the driver’s registered cell phone is docked in a place in their car that is hooked up to the ignition. The system, called Origo is now being used privately among trucking companies to insure their drivers are keeping their attention on the road and to cut down on accidents. There has been talk that states, like PA, may seek to implement this technology for certain offenses involving cell distraction.
A little extreme? Maybe. But we live in a society that is becoming increasingly intolerant of those that drive while impaired, no matter what that “impairment” may be. So let’s all get ready for the above technology to become a reality and try and curb the cellphone use while traveling the roadways.