Passing No Cell Phone Use Bills is Not a Good Idea

I think Lawmakers are sometimes quick to make laws they've not fully considered, partly because I don't think they plan on following them; and they are usually connected in some way to a special interest group.

Passing No Cell Phone Use (for any reason) bills is not a good idea for the following reasons:

• You need cell phones and mobile devices for GPS.

Most people these days use GPS to navigate. I would imagine more accidents would be caused by people missing turns than anything experienced thus far.

• Cells phones help people stay connected.

People don't use house phones/land lines as much as they used to. Cell phones are a primary means of communication.  Saying that you can use a phone on public highways and roads for any reason is…. stupid.

• Cell phones serve as a way of documenting what happens as you travel.

Needless to say, for many people of color, the cell phone is used to tell the story of what happens behind the scenes after being stopped by the police.  I suspect that a great deal of pressure behind these laws are coming from groups like organizations who want to keep the status quo of not holding police accountable for their actions. They hate being recorded. But, if they won't change their actions, then laws concerning phones should not be changed. As a matter of fact, if anything, it should be mandatory to record every interaction with police since they have a bad habit of forgetting to turn on the camera they have that's not supposed to be off anyway.

Yes, people should pay attention while they drive to keep from being distracted. But, there are laws already on the books to handle accidents.  Use those.

Also, I really do want positive interactions to happen between the public and the police--but things happen.  And, until police get out of the mindset that they are some kind of military special forces, problems will occur.

But, as far as the cell phone goes, they are here; everybody uses them; and you can't stop or arrest everyone. If anything, before making laws like this, they should be put on the voting ballot for a vote by the people. Tell me what you think.