Guest Editorial: Cell phones bans - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

Guest Editorial: Cell phones bans

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By John Shryock - bio | email

  • Editorials

  • Thursday, May 16 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-16 23:20:04 GMT
    In my editorial on Tuesday I chided our legislators for being the last state to pass a no-brainer  bill legalizing home brewing.  Today I want to challenge them to be one of the first states to pass another no-brainer;
    In my editorial on Tuesday I chided our legislators for being the last state to pass a no-brainer  bill legalizing home brewing.  Today I want to challenge them to be one of the first states to pass another no-brainer;

  • Tuesday, May 14 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-14 23:20:07 GMT
    Kudos, or perhaps, cheers to the Alabama Legislature for passing HB9, the home brewing bill. Legalized home brewing may not be up there with education reform or prison funding, but it was overdue. 
    Kudos, or perhaps, cheers to the Alabama Legislature for passing HB9, the home brewing bill. Legalized home brewing may not be up there with education reform or prison funding, but it was overdue. 

  • Thursday, May 9 2013 7:20 PM EDT2013-05-09 23:20:06 GMT
    What was the old Pan-Am gas station at the corner of Bibb and Coosa is now no longer.  Last weekend that landmark was demolished with nothing remaining where it once stood other than the outline of a foundation. What
    What was the old Pan-Am gas station at the corner of Bibb and Coosa is now no longer.  Last weekend that landmark was demolished with nothing remaining where it once stood other than the outline of a foundation. What
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MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - I do it, my kids do it, my friends do it, many of you do it, and yet most of us would agree that when someone else talks on a cell phone while driving, it could be dangerous. Research dating from the late 90s to the present says as much. One study indicates a quadruple likelihood of an accident when cell phones are used… another equates its effect with alcohol use while driving.

8 states and 46 countries already have a ban on handheld cell phone use while driving. The Montgomery City Council is considering such a ban. As it stands now the ordinance would not apply to hands-free cell phone devices.

One of the duties of government is to protect us citizens from each other… to protect me from those other drivers holding cell phones… and to protect them from me. Given the widespread and increasing use of cell phones, it's time for this ban in Montgomery, and the state for that matter.

It is a great convenience to talk on my cell phone while driving, but if I must buy a hands-free device to do so, it will still be convenient, and, hopefully, a little safer.

Mark Wilder - WSFA 12 News Operations Manager

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