Great essay! I'd be in favor of ticketing drivers who mount GPS
units and other such devices on their windshields, and I hope it soon
becomes similarly illegal to mount laptop support brackets inside
cars--a truly terrifying prospect. Though I don't know how a
highway patrol officer would catch someone for "computing while
driving." When the computing driver is finally pulled over and the
police officer walks up to the offending driver's car, all Mr.
Distracted Driving has to do is to shut the lid of his laptop and
deny that he's done anything wrong. Scary. (And are there even laws
against computing while driving? This sounds like one of those
obvious things you shouldn't need to be told NOT to do. But then I
didn't think anyone would be dumb enough to send text messages while
driving, either.)
Anybody who lives in this area has probably had at least one close
call with a car or other vehicle driven by a distracted driver,
especially if you're a pedestrian trying to cross K Street, Rockville
Pike, or any other road where Type A drivers cruise by with
cellphones pasted to their ears. You can be as careful as you like
as a pedestrian or a driver, but your survival, when you encounter a
texting, cellphone-talking, or computer-using driver, may still
depend largely on luck.
Yet there's a lot of resistance to passing laws against texting while
driving. Under the circumstances, I"m not overly optimistic about
enforcement actions against other kinds of electronic distractions.
--Constance Warner
On Aug 5, 2009, at 8:34 AM, phartz...@gmail.com wrote:
Should drivers who are operating private vehicles with computerized
gadgets affixed to windshields be subject to ticketing? Such devices,
mounted to windshields, or that in any way prevent an unobstructed
view, are illegal in every state. Still, almost all makers of such
devices provide instructions about how to mount these devices to your
windshield, and provide the hardware to do so.
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has recently listed such devices,
GPS units and satellite radio receivers, as being contributory to
crashes along with cell phone use while driving. Since almost all
placement of such devices on windshields is illegal, should citations
be issued or should we just go ahead and make it legal for any kind of
device to be affixed to windshields at the whim of the driver?
Also, what of the growing trend for dash mounted computers and
fixtures that allow for a driver to be able to conveniently use their
laptops while they are driving? Should such use be legal or illegal?
On a tangential note, car makers have struggled with this issue for
some time now from a safety standpoint, and for the most part, they
have taken the approach that they will go ahead and make such
"amenities" available on their models, leaving it up to the purchaser
to make the decision about when and where to use them. The industry
says that they have to provide these optional devices even though they
are aware of the high potential of a negative impact upon safety
because of they do not, other makers will, resulting in a loss new car
sales.
Steve
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