When I was growing up cars did not have cup holders. Sure, you could buy the type that hung inside the car door, but they were flimsy and really didn’t work once the car was moving!

Fast forward thirty years. The number of holders are cited by your car salesperson along with cylinders and horsepower. Today – drinking, eating, texting, talking on the phone, make up application, shaving, reading, and even watching DVDs are common.  Did the introduction of the initial distraction make the rest easier?

That there is national conversation about what to ban while driving should be the most alarming.  Do we ban texting? Talking on hand-helds but allow hands-free? Ban all cell phone use? Make exceptions for officials conducting vital business?

In Oregon, laws were recently enacted that ignored the data but enable us to feel like we took action. Hand-held devices were outlawed (with some exceptions), while hands-free devices remain legal – despite the body of evidence that it’s the phone call itself that is most dangerous.

So, now we can expect legislation to be tweaked and enhanced when we all know the answer.

Only driving while driving should be legal.