Around the Net
New Law Prohibits Drivers From Even Touching Their Phones
- The Atlantic, Wednesday, July 11, 2018 11:03 PM
The Atlantic considers the implications of a “hands-free” law that just went into effect in Georgia. “Texting while driving has been prohibited [in Georgia] since 2010, but the new law, HB 673 or the ‘Hands-Free Law,’ goes much further,” it writes. “It appears to prohibit drivers from physically contacting the device under almost any circumstances unless legally parked.”
Amen. It's not the phone but the mental distraction. No one can effectively pay attention to traffic while engaged in a cognitive skill like a conversation. Eating a sandwich is low-task, talking is high-task. Applying makeup is low-task, a conversation is 10x as distracting. Even an animated discussion with a passenger is dangerous, which is why you're never supposed to talk to the bus driver. If you need to talk, pull over.