Some drivers need a nanny

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People like to make fun of the Nanny State, where businesses are so paranoid of being sued that they do things like put warnings on toilet brushes: Do not use for personal hygiene.

That actual phrase won last year’s annual contest for stupid labels sponsored by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch.

So far, the nannies of American society have been pretty successful in resisting the impulse to ban use of cell phones and similar devices while driving. Laws to restrict their use have fallen short in Nebraska and most other states.

But pressure is building. And if the movement for laws to restrict cell-phone use gains traction, people won’t have anyone to blame but themselves.

A study released earlier this month showed distracted drivers were involved in nearly eight out of 10 collisions or near-crashes, according to a study released last week.

“We see people on the roadways talking on the phone, checking their stocks, checking scores, fussing with their MP3 players, reading e-mails, all while driving 40, 50, 60, 70 miles per hour and sometimes even faster,” said Jacqueline Glassman, acting administrator of the U.S. highway safety agency.

Researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute studied the driving habits of 241 drivers — ranging in age from 18 to 73 years — for 13 months, using video cameras, onboard computers and other devices.

Clearly, American drivers are putting themselves at risk. More important, drivers who allow themselves to be distracted by cell phones and other devices are putting other motorists at risk.

And once a safety-conscious motorist has experienced the real-life panic of watching an SUV bearing down on them while the oblivious driver pecks away at a cell phone, resistance to Nanny State restrictions dwindles rapidly.

Interestingly enough, a close look at the research data shows that merely talking on a cell phone produced no increase in the accident rate.

But dialing a cell phone boosted the accident rate by three times. Presumably, similar manipulations — such as text messaging or punching buttons to check e-mails — also would boost accident rates.

The things cell phones can be used for seem to be increasing exponentially. In Japan, cell phones can even download 30 minutes of television programming.

If people don’t want the government telling them they can’t use their cell phones while driving, they’re going to have to start using better judgment. Drivers who think they can simultaneously make a left turn while listening to their iPod at the same time they are text-messaging may actually need a nanny — in the form of a traffic cop waving a ticket book.