The Headset Industry and Washington
Sure, collusion’s the “in” thing these days, and “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours,” should be the credo of this town rather than the fairly inaccurate Justitia Omnibus. And so it should come as no surprise that last year’s “Hands Free” legislation proves to benefit no one in this city, except for the retailers of cellphone accessories. In the District, if you want to talk on your cellphone while driving (and given the number of people who are surgical attached to their phones, this is everyone with such a device), you have to wear a headset, or you face a $50 ticket.
Of course, now it comes out hands free driving is no safer than just talking to your shoulder while trying to steer two handed.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am simply shocked. Apparently the root cause of such accidents is talking on your cellphone while trying to merge through four lanes of Beltway traffic at 50mph and not just the holding of said phone to one’s ear. This news will likely not spur the City Council into repealing the ban on handsets-while-driving, nor will it likely encourage them to do something to actually help prevent accidents (like banning them altogether while driving).
Ahhhhh DC.
Maybe we can score some cheap Soviet era radio-jamming gear on E-Bay and start wrecking havoc on DC cell-phone drivers. Improve DC’s driving conditions thru guerilla action.
We could be an underground ‘cell’ – ta-dum-dum!
Dude, I am so down! that would rock, just station them up and down 14th street and along Constitution and Independence, instant better drivers!!
Better yet, have a cell disruption system that turns on the switch whenever the cell phone is noted to exceed 20mph. Or when in a movie theatre, or at dinner, or on a date, or best yet, in church.
Wayan
The church I irregularly attend had a bad case of cellphone-in-homily, and the Pastor remarked sternly to the parishioner, “That BETTER be Jesus!”