Proposed cell phone ban stirs debate
28.01.12
The National Transportation Safety Board ignited a nationwide furor Tuesday, calling on states to ban both calling and texting while driving, even if the calls involve hands-free devices.
Georgia has already prohibited texting while driving and made it a crime for anyone under that age of 18 to talk on a cell phone while driving.
State Sen. Jack Murphy, R-Cumming, who authored the anti-texting bill, said Tuesday that the state has gone far enough. He said most lawmakers would oppose a universal ban on cell phone use behind the wheel.
"I just don't think we need to go that far," Murphy said. "You have to remember that we are the state that fought for years over seat belt usage in pickup trucks."
Further prohibitions would amount to government pushing its nose too far into people's lives, he said. He also noted that many businesses depend on workers using cell phones on the road.
"Hands-free is the way to go on this. I can put a Blackberry on the dash and put it on speaker phone," Murphy said. "What's the difference between that and my having a conversation with someone sitting next to me?"
Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution