Obama Administration Wants To Disable Your Cell Phone While You’re Driving

Rob Port  •  November 16, 2010

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For your own good, of course.

The fact is that traffic accidents and fatalities have trended down to a 60-year low according to the NHTSA despite the rise in cell phone use while driving. There’s also a more recent study released by the CDC which shows that traffic accidents among young drivers have dropped 36% over the last five years despite an increase in cell phone use.

Plus, there’s absolutely zero evidence to indicate that bans on cell phone use while driving have done anything to make roads safer where they’ve been implemented.

But that’s not stopping Obama’s Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood:

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.” …

“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.”

Disabling cell phones in cars would have a lot of unintended consequences. For instance, passengers in cars would also have their cell phone signals blocked. Any pedestrian near a freeway or a busy street or a crowded drive-through would likely have his/her cell phone signal interfered with by the in-car scramblers. The cost of the scramblers themselves would no doubt inflate the price of cars, making them less affordable, and those who like to use their phones while driving would be more likely to keep their non-scrambler equipped vehicles rather than buying new ones (not a good thing for auto dealers and manufacturers).

Plus, there’s the safety factor. What happens if you’re in a traffic accident and need to call for help but your scrambler (or the scramblers of vehicles nearby) are blocking your signal?

Let’s not forget that the cell phone has become a powerful safety tool allowing rescue personnel and law enforcement to be summoned much faster than in years past.

As annoying as it is to see people swerving around in their cars while using their cell phones, do we really want to deny ourselves the safety and convenience cell phones offer in our cars to solve an alleged safety crisis that, statistically, can’t be proven?

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