Cellphone ban is wrong approach to serious issue on the roads

I read the Nov. 28 Inter Lake article reporting on the Kalispell City Council’s consideration of a ban on handheld devices. Some interesting points were raised in the course of the discussion. The most pertinent, I think, is the question of how effective the ban would be.

You need only look at Whitefish and Columbia Falls to find the answer.

As is true with many laws, responsible citizens, who are not the problem, are the ones who will be most likely to obey the law. Irresponsible citizens, who are the problem, are the ones who will most likely not obey the law and so significantly limit the effectiveness of any ordinance. Spend an hour or two watching traffic in Whitefish or Columbia Falls and you will see driver after driver passing while talking on their cellphones.

In a recent televised interview the city manager of Whitefish commented, somewhat disinterestedly, that he still frequently sees people driving in Whitefish while talking on their cellphones.

I live in Whitefish and consider myself to be a responsible law-abiding citizen. When the cellphone ban took effect in Whitefish, I looked into the so-called hands-free devices. This was not something that I was able to use. So, instead, I stopped talking on my cellphone while driving — except once — a few days after the grace period expired. On one particularly bad morning I answered my phone, while driving, almost as a reflex. Unfortunately I happened to drive right by a Whitefish police officer while doing so. The result was a citation.

For this I paid a $100 fine and saw my insurance increase by $100 per year. The rub is that I was not in any way distracted by talking on my cellphone while driving. I was very intently focused on driving and posed no threat or danger to anyone. The citation I received did absolutely nothing to improve public safety in Whitefish. I and people like me are not the problem.

It is possible to drive safely while talking on a cellphone (I do not include texting here), eating, drinking a cup of coffee or many other activities. The fact that many people fail in this regard does not contradict the statement. The key is to NEVER allow another activity to distract you from your primary responsibility of safely operating the motor vehicle. This does require constant focus and intent discipline, something many people may have difficulty with.

Distracted driving is definitely an issue to be addressed. However, though it may currently be “fashionable,” throwing a wet blanket like a cellphone ban at the issue is not an effective solution. If the city of Kalispell is serious about public safety, do not follow the lead of Whitefish and Columbia Falls. Instead, craft an ordinance with some teeth, one that actually addresses the issue: irresponsible conduct.

If someone operates a motor vehicle in an unsafe “distracted” manner they should lose the privilege immediately and, in my opinion, permanently. Require people to take responsibility for their actions. Do not infringe on my life, or the life of other responsible citizens, because of what an irresponsible citizen did or may do.

Place the responsibility where it belongs — and do so forcefully. One or two examples may drive home the point that irresponsible conduct, and especially that which may endanger others, will NOT be tolerated.

Of course, if the Kalispell City Council is only interested in being “fashionable” and looking good in the public eye, then my suggestion for a solution may seem a bit harsh.

McCready is a resident of Whitefish.