Teen Witchhunt: Episode 1 - Attack of the Phantom Menace
The Virginia legislature is now looking at the issue of cell phone use by teen drivers. A bill was recently introduced, and apparently overwhelmingly passed through committee that would ban all cell phone use of drivers under 18. Including hands-free attachments. Before I get upset over the fact this is being discussed at all, a patient, discerning person must look at the issue impartially and ask a few key questions.
Have there been a rash of accidents by teens involving cell phones in Virginia? Hmm, not really.
Are teens more prone to get into accidents while talking on the cell phone? Hmm, not really.
So….why is this bill being introduced and overwhelming passed? Ah yes, its a teen witchhunt based on nothing but anti-teen fears, pandering, and the lack of teen political power. Yes, of course.
I was contacted by WAMU this afternoon because they wanted to do a piece on the subject. Wanting to be a good, informed guest I diligently went online to find statistics and such on either side of the issue. A cursory look found no mention whatsoever of a higher than average rate of teen accidents caused by cell phone use, yet I did turn up a recommendation by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration that states pass laws banning the use of cell phones by teen drivers. According to CBS News the recommendation was made after reviewing “a February 2002 accident in which a 20-year-old Maryland driver with little experience flipped over her SUV and landed on a minivan. The driver and four others were killed.”
I’m still waiting to hear an explanation for why an accident caused by an adult would lead to the recommendation for further penalties on teenagers.
As for whether cell phones cause accidents or not, well I dunno, but this bit is interesting,
Drivers who are doing other tasks are more likely to have an accident. Inattentive drivers contribute to at least 25% of accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This equates to 1.2 million accidents each year caused by distracted drivers. The American Automobile Association (AAA) estimates that 1.5% of distracted driver accidents were attributable to cell phone use (compared to 10.8% caused by other occupants causing a distraction; 11.4% to adjusting the music). A driver who inserts a music CD increases the likelihood of an accident by six times as compared to glancing at the fuel gauge. So if cell phone use causes fewer accidents than fiddling with the radio, why are cell phones getting much of the blame? For one thing, it’s a distraction that is easier for other drivers to spot. It’s easy to blame another driver if he or she is on a cell phone. And cell phone use is becoming more and more common; it’s a visible distraction.
So 25% of accidents are from distractions, and 1.5% of THOSE are from cell phones. That means just .375% of all accidents are related to cell phone use. That’s less than half a percent! Switching the radio contributed to almost 8 times more accidents than using the cell phone. Of course there are three types of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics, so who knows if the above are true. A study by Harvard quoted by CBS News claims that cell phones caused a full 5% of accidents in the country. In any event, it doesn’t appear to be a national epidemic.
Still however the question remains: why scapegoat teens?
In a moment of clarity by the Virginia committee chair I think we have found the answer. When asked why the committee unanimously supported a ban on all teenage cell phone use and then rejected a proposal to require adults to use hands-free cell phones, the committee chair had this to say,
“Things change when you’re not old enough to vote,” joked Sen. Marty E. Williams, R-Newport News. “We can be tough on them, can’t we?”
Yes you can.
For those who haven’t gotten the message yet, this is exactly why teens need the right to vote. To protect themselves from hypocritical bureaucrats who fall over themselves to pass more restrictions on their lives no matter the cause.