[MissoulaGov] cell phones

[Paula Hofmann]

I'll share my personal experience.  I had an accident while using a cell
phone.  It was not my fault.  The other driver T-boned me when she ran a
red light.  The sun was in her eyes.  I was holding the phone on the
left side.  That is the direction she came from.  I believe that I might
have avoided the accident had I not been on the cell.  I have figured
out that I used to wait until I got home to see if I had any messages.
I can do that now.  I have no emergencies in my life that can't wait a
few minutes.  As for a new law, there has been interesting  discussion
on both sides.  I'm glad we are sharing it. Paula

On Fri, 2009-03-20 at 13:41 -0600, Seth McClain wrote:

> If there were a ban on the use of cellphones and/or other electronic 

> communication devices while driving within city limits, there should probably 

> be obvious exemptions.

> 

> I believe there is a taxi company in town that uses cellphones for dispatch, 

> so that would have to change from cellphone or be exempt to allow the 

> business to operate.

> 

> One simple method to easily discriminate would be to ban the use of electronic 

> verbal communication while driving, without a commercial driver's license.  

> This would allow all the people that we want to be able to communicate 

> (police, ambulance, cab drivers, bus drivers, etc) to communicate while still 

> preventing the majority from doing so.  It also gives citizens an existing 

> method to work around the ban if it is urgent that they do so.

> 

> Perhaps if an accident involving a commercially licensed individual and a 

> cellphone occurs, the commercial license could be revoked?

> 

> Seth McClain

> 

> 

> PS: I'm personally in favor of allowing people to talk on phones while 

> driving, or juggle dynamite for that matter, as long as it doesn't cause a 

> problem.  That isn't how our system works and I don't see that changing.

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