Instead of telling me that I can’t multitask, how about this: add driving and talking on a cell phone to the driver’s test. If you can’t do it, no license.
"Drinking alcohol has become politically incorrect; not too far removed from pederasty in the hierarchy of evil. We've adopted a virtual zero-tolerance attitude toward any drinking before driving, which may or may not be a bit over the top.
"But if it isn't an overreaction, then how come we tolerate people smacking away on their cells when it's beyond dispute that talking while driving is at least within the same ballpark, risk-wise, as having a glass or two of wine over dinner and then driving home?"
If someone can have their driving privileges jeopardized without any evidence of impaired driving except that any alcohol had been consumed, then a similar penalty should exist for those driving while distracted unless their driver's license was obtained and qualified for driving with neuropsychologically equivalant distractions. The latter isn't rocket science, and it is easily quantified, e.g. reacton times, collisions with pylons on standardized test tracks, etc. Selective categorical prohibitions, such as no drinking before driving, just breeds more contempt for the law in a society that wants a pill for any problem.
"Green pig" gives birth to green piglets
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
“which may or may not be a bit over the top.”
(Snort. Gross vulgarity.) It is as bad as Carrie Nation or our experiment with prohibition. It is counterproductive in that it issues an order that is *not* going to be obeyed, people being people.
We would be much better off drawing the line at “drunk.” There is some chance that most people will see the sense in that.
“it’s beyond dispute that talking while driving is at least within the same ballpark, risk-wise, as having a glass or two of wine over dinner and then driving home?”
IOW, zero, right? This looney obsession with eradicating every possible whiff of *some* risks is as stupid as it is nutty.
“If someone can have their driving privileges jeopardized without any evidence of impaired driving except that any alcohol had been consumed, then”
Then our liberties have been wrongfully infringed, and we need to get up on our hind legs and start barking, and if necessary biting, until the blue-noses are slapped down and the law put right.
“a similar penalty should exist for those driving while distracted unless”
Unless we are still sane enough to understand that passing a second bad law justifies neither.
“The latter isn’t rocket science, and it is easily quantified”
It would be, except that academia is writhing in its death-throes from the disease of liberalism. It is corrupt, top to bottom, and no trustworthy study could be funded, executed, or published.
“Selective categorical prohibitions, such as no drinking before driving, just breeds more contempt for the law”
That’s certainly true, but the solution is not the categorical prohibition of everything, but the tarring and feathering of these Miss Grundies who keep attacking our freedoms.