Recently the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that every state ban the use of cell phones (including hands free devices) while driving except in the case of an emergency. They feel that this will reduce the number of "distraction-related" accidents. This leads me to two thoughts:
1. Define "emergency". Is forgetting to pick up your outfit at the dry cleaners for tonight's event and calling someone else to get it for you an emergency? Is calling home to have someone check to see if you turned off the iron an emergency? Some would think so but I doubt this is what the powers that be had in mind.
2. Will they eventually want to ban all distractions from inside an automobile? If so we would have to leave our children, our spouse and our pets at home.
I wonder if this pet is a "distraction" to the driver.
We will have to quit eating and drinking in our cars, remove all music devices (radios, cd players, mp3 players, etc.) from our car and quit picking up anything that can be dropped while driving... The list goes on and on.
You may have heard me say how I feel about this. It is not the fact of not being able to use a cell phone while driving that bothers me. It is the fact that someone is once again deciding that we are not smart enough to make wise decisions on our own. You cannot legislate intelligence and even smart people can make bad decisions. I wonder - by continually making laws that think for us are we limiting the next generation's ability to think reasonably on their own? If they are never allowed to weigh the consequences of choice A against choice B how can they be expected to make good decisions? Just some food for thought.
And now, just for laughs, here are some actual laws that are on the books in some states (Disclaimer: This list of useful information was found on the internet. Take it for what it’s worth.):
- A United States federal law makes it illegal to issue a fake Weather Bureau forecast.
- In Arkansas, no person shall sound the horn on a vehicle at any place where cold drinks or sandwiches are served after 9:00 p.m.
- In Los Angeles, It is not legal to bathe two babies at the same time in the same tub.
- In Indianapolis, no horse shall be driven or ridden on any street in the city at a speed in excess of ten (10) miles per hour.
- In Ottumwa, Iowa, it is illegal for any man, within the corporate city limits, to wink at any female with whom he is "unacquainted."
- In Topeka, KS, servers are forbidden to serve wine in teacups.
- In Kentucky, a female shall not appear in a bathing suit on any highway within this state
- In New Orleans, fire code outlaws the cursing of firefighters while they are in the performance of their duties.
- In Baltimore, it is illegal to take a lion to the movies.
- In Nebraska, it is not legal for a tavern owner to serve beer unless a nice kettle of soup is also brewing.
-In New York, a license must be purchased before hanging clothes on a clothesline.
- In Greene, NY, during a concert, it is illegal to eat peanuts and walk backwards on the sidewalks.
- In Ocean City, NY, it is illegal for men to go topless in the center of town. (This is a good idea!)
- In New York City, women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business.
- In Oxford, Ohio, it is unlawful for a woman to appear in public while unshaven. This includes legs and face.
- In Oklahoma, it is illegal to have a sleeping donkey in your bathtub after 7p.m.- In Alabama, it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.- In Arizona, hunting camels is prohibited.
- In California, animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship.
- In California, no vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour.
- In Arizona, it is illegal for men and women over the age of 18 to have less than one missing tooth visible when smiling.
I hope these made you smile. I’ve searched long and hard for a life lesson here and have come up empty. Maybe for me the lesson is that I should ease up and go with it rather than getting all worked up about the decisions our law makers impose upon us. One day everyone will have forgotten about it, something else will be the subject of our attention and it will be something for us to laugh about in the future.
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