Sometimes I think folks focus so much energy on getting laws passed to ban people from talking on cell phones while driving that they overlook all the other stuff people do while driving that, IMO, is way more dangerous. Today a guy passed me on the right with his head hanging out the window. He was yelling something, and at first I thought he was yelling at me, but then I realized he wasn't looking at me and he was actually singing along with his radio. A little further down the road, I ended up behind him, and I saw his left arm come flying straight out his window. Then his right arm shot up and he proceeded to do an arm wave dance move...no hands on the steering wheel! For about two miles he continued to car dance, hopping up and down, waving his arms, and clapping his hands. This wasn't a kid either. He looked to be in his late 20s, old enough to know better. Meanwhile, I was talking on my cell phone with my hands-free earphone. Now which of us was the greater danger to others?

I also frequently see moms driving, with kids in car seats behind them, turning around, reaching back, and hunting around on the floor to pick up the bottle, book, pacifier, or whatever the screaming child dropped or threw. I've actually been in a car with a mom who did this and it scared the daylights out of me. She told me she was used to it and did it all the time.  Then there was the guy I saw the other day who was holding his super-sized fries in one hand while stuffing them in his mouth with the other. By my count that left no hands to steer the car, unless he was an alien or something.  There are also the folks who choose to read the newspaper or put on their makeup during morning rush hour. Yeah, that's safe.

To me, the people who talk on cell phones with hands-free devices are no more distracted than they would be if they were having a conversation with a passenger in the car. In fact, I believe passengers are more distracting; yet nobody seems to have a problem with them. Cell phones aren't the evil people make them out to be. The real issue is that many folks just lack common sense.    

I don't think it's the talking on the phone that causes the problems, it's the dialing, looking up phone numbers and information and texting that are so dangerous. Of course, there are also those who aren't able to drive decently one handed yet they still have that phone plastered against their ear while making turns that cross completely over into the opposite lane of traffic. Yeah, I've seen all these things and I'd rather people hold off on their conversations until they get to where they're going. No chat is so important that it's worth risking someones life.