Distracted Driving - Where does it end?

CNN.com just posted this article, which basically says that the NTSB has recommended a full ban on cell phones while driving.  This is an example of something that is in theory a good idea, but really just completely misguided. 

I get that texting while driving is dangerous.  I'll admit, I do it every now and then, and even while I'm doing it I realize that this probably isn't a good idea.  If I got ticketed while texting, I would completely understand.  For that reason, I understand not surfing the web on your phone or emailing either.  But this idea that talking on your phone causes more crashes is just nutty.  First it was banning hand held phones.  I assumed the idea behind this was to get people to keep both hands on the wheel.  If this is case, why isn't eating while driving banned?  Why are there still radio's in cars that require you to move your hand off the wheel to change the station?  Why are there in dash GPS devices that are supposed to help you drive? 

This article says the NTSB wants to ban all hands free devices too, unless they're installed by the manufacturer.  Why?  How is a hands free device installed by GM more safe than the one I have clipped to the visor in my car?  In fact, Rachel has one that was installed by the manufacturer, and it's terrible.  This weekend she was trying to program names into the things memory, and the list of options was a little vague so she said "help."  The thing immediately starts dialing 911.  Later, when trying to program "Cardiac Rehab" the machine said it was too close to "Andy."  I'm not making this stuff up.  My $50 third party device eliminates this by automatically downloading my phonebook every time I get in my car.  It's awesome.

So now we've eliminated hands free devices, which now gets to where the NTSB is going so off course.  So talking to someone not in the car is now banned, but having a conversation with wife in the passenger seat is OK?  How is this different?  What's next, are we banning passengers in the car?  Forget about singing along with your favorite song on the radio....you're DISTRACTED.  My favorite part of the article is the suggestion by the NTSB that cell phone companies design phones that will not work if you're sitting in the drivers seat of a car, but will work in other seats.  What kind of crazy technology and collaboration between automotive and communications companies will that take?  Be prepared to pay more for your car and your phone because of that little gem.  It's insane.  We're heading towards the day when driver's seats are in a special compartment that is sound proof to the rest of the car....essentially sensory deprivation.  You know what will happen then?  PEOPLE WILL FALL ASLEEP FROM BOREDOM!!!  Hello more crashes! 

While any one person dying is tragic, it's not a reason to re-evaluate everything.  A football player dies from heat exhaustion and dehydration during a college football practice in the middle of the summer in the deep south now means that my four year old son needs to have a water break during his one hour session of "Little Kickers" which is indoors.  In December.  They spend literally half of that hour listening to the coach tell some psycho kid to stop running into the goal at full speed or sitting on blue dots talking about what their favorite food is.  One kid drinks a whole bottle Southern Comfort and dives head first into a pool that's 2 feet deep and now college kids aren't allowed to drink in their fraternities or sororities.  A bunch of stupid people take stupid loans to buy houses they know they can't afford, and now I can't refinance my home.  Is my loan stupid?  No.  Is my house unaffordable?  No.  Have I ever missed a payment?  No.  But the government put ridiculous rules in place that make it impossible for me to either refinance in a way that makes financial sense.  Sure I could just sell my house, but then when I go to buy a new house, I have no money for a down payment because I had to cover my loan, and nobody will finance at 100% anymore.  Who is actually being helped by these policies?  It's knee jerk overreaction at best, and I hate it. 

I'll leave you with this quote from an interesting research study (Read this awesome article from the Seattle Times for more info. by OSU on how the eradication of wolves in the Olympic Peninsula led to large numbers of elk which ate foliage, leaving fewer large trees, driving down bird and small mammal populations and causing erosion along riverbeds. 

Driven by fear, Americans had dewilded the West without realizing the full consequences. “We thought that we would prosper if we made the continent a safe place to be. We did all of this with the best of intentions, not understanding what we were doing."