Posted by
Mick O. on Sunday, July 15, 2007 2:09:31 PM
As I sit here and ponder the new California state laws against handheld phones in the cars which becomes effective in 2008 (if it's such a good idea... why not immediately???) I think about the perfect example of overlapping laws and how one contradicts another.
First of all, remember the headphone law? Drivers can not drive legally in California with headphones on because they can't hear if someone honks or other noises that might be necessary to alert the driver to potential problems. All well and good.
What about drivers who are hearing impaired (deaf)? Is it not true that they can't hear and still are allowed to drive? The American Disabilities Act guarantees this. Hmmm.
So nobody has used that argument to get the law repealed, and I am not sure how many of these tickets have been issued anyway. It's like the speed limits. If they are not going to be enforced then what's the point of having them? So we can arbitrarily observe them when a policeman is around? But I digress.
So now California passes this law that drivers are required to use hands-free devices for their phones while in a moving vehicle. This now makes the earphones okay to use. But that's only one ear you say! what if I have 2 phones I need to monitor? Is it legal or illegal?
More and more our freedoms are being taken away because of well meaning individuals. Sure, I wish that every time I see a blunder on the highway it wasn't caused by a person on the telephone. In fact, most of the times they don't even know they are being idiots. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. But does that mean we need to pass a law outlawing handheld phones in the car?
I am mister safety. I wear my seat belt and think everyone should also wear theirs. But in a free country, everyone should have the right to make that choice themselves. And do we really need a law that maybe 15% of the population totally ignores because they don't want to follow that law? And should this be a crime?
MickO.