On Tuesday, Utah passed a law prohibiting teenagers from using a phone while driving. Not texting. That's already illegal for everyone. Calling is now banned and it's just for youth.
I did another post recently on the dangers of driving. Cars are monstrous hunks of metal that hurtle down the asphalt and sixty miles an hour, fighting for space with other monstrous hunks of metal. They can kill you. It doesn't matter how old you are, how experienced you are, what numbers are printed on your license. Distractions are fatal.
The law does allow for emergencies-like telling the police a monstrous hunk of metal has collided with your face, for instance. But if you need directions while driving you're on your own.
My parents talk while driving all the time. It's just not practical to pull over sometimes. You need to get somewhere and you need to get there now. Otherwise you'd have time to circle around the block and get lost. No phone necessary.
I'm on the verge of getting my license. Forget phones. I can't even watch the street signs. My radio's never on. Maybe I'll turn it up some time over the summer months. For now, my primary concern is getting there alive.
Of course there are safety issues. There's always a safety issue. But the lawmakers had to be somewhat lenient. Legislators complained it interferes with personal liberty. Odd to see adults support us for once. They left adults their liberty and gave teenagers yet another driving restriction.
Once again, it's blamed on maturity and reasoning capabilities. No. We have very limited experience. Put a twenty nine year old man behind the wheel for the first time and you'll get similar results. But he can give friends a lift whenever they need it. He can drink at a party so long as he stays below the legal limit.
And while he's driving to that drinking party, he can call for directions.
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