Pirate's Cove

The Fish Wrap Of Record has a  long, long, long story, which appears on the front page of today’s edition, about the dangers of driving and wireless phones. There is also quite a bit of information regarding the profits (which, we all know are EVIL in Liberal World) that the industry makes. Is this just a story, or, is the times attempting to create the next industry that liberals will love to hate, such as with oil, cigarettes, and pharmaceutical (amazingly, I spelled that word right the first time!)? Driven to Distraction: Promoting The Car Phone, Despite Risks

Martin Cooper, who developed the first portable cellphone, recalled testifying before a Michigan state commission about the risks of talking on a phone while driving.

Common sense, said Mr. Cooper, a Motorola engineer, dictated that drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

Commission members asked Mr. Cooper what could be done about risks posed by these early mobile phones.

“There should be a lock on the dial,” he said he had testified, “so that you couldn’t dial while driving.”

It was the early 1960s.

Essentially, through the long, long article, the Times appears to be making a case that wireless phones are evil, and bad, and they make the roads dangerous, so, maybe we should pass more laws restricting them. Read the long, long story, and tell me if I am wrong. Liberals rarely write something like this article without some agenda. All the providers in the USA push for safe driving, particularly through the use of headsets, and have been doing so even before Bluetooth became accessible and affordable. And you should have some sort of cradle to put your phone in. Yes, they make money off those and other safety measures, but, then, tire companies make money getting people safer tires.

You know what else is dangerous while driving? Kids. Reading the newspaper. GPS units. Doing your makeup. Listening to the radio. Talking to passengers. And so many other things that take your attention away from the road. So, what should you do? Be smart. Think about what you are doing based on the road conditions. Be personally responsible.

The Times actually has a second story, an online interactive entitled Timeline: The Selling Of the Cellphone – And Warnings Unheeded, which is why I tend to think they are trying to create an issue, as liberal busy bodies like to do.

I rarely mention what I do here on the Interwebz, I tend to separate work from blogging. But, yes, I work in the wireless industry. My company has restricted us from texting while driving, on pain of getting in serious trouble with the company if we get a ticket, now that it is illegal in North Carolina. I agree with that. We have been told for a long time to ignore any call, text, or email while driving for a long time. Senior leadership has directed us to end calls with even them if it is not safe to drive. Me, I am really, really good at being able to talk, text, or email while driving, because I have done it so much. But, I pay attention to the road conditions, text/email slowly, and do not do it when the conditions are poor for it. Good old Dad taught me to drive defensively from the get go, and I still 23+ years later, still take that to heart. Please do the same, so I can continue to read your blogs and comments for a long time.