Hang Up and Drive
Sweden, the world's largest exporter of unsolicited advice, has produced a report that may actually do some good. The Swedish National Road Association has released a study that shows hands-free cellphones present the same danger to a driver as a regular mobile unit. It seems driving with one hand or two makes no difference when driving with no brain.
Driving, especially in traffic and at speed, requires the operator of the vehicle to pay attention. Ideally, so does talking. Doing both simultaneously reduces the quality of each activity. When that occurs, bad things can follow. In the case of talking, one can appear stupid. In the case of driving, one can die.
The cell phone is a most useful item when truly vital information must be conveyed in a timely way. Like the conventional telephone before it, and writing, and speech, the cell phone is now abused when it is not necessary. Of the thousands of night and week-end, roll-over, any time minutes on a plan, probably three are used to convey truly vital information -- "My car has broken down", "I agree to the $100 million deal", and "It's a girl". More than likely, the phone is used for entertainment purposes, what one might call small talk.
Most things said on cell phones don't need to be said. If Al-Qaeda's chatter increases before a possible terrorist attack, then the blither must increase during times of boredom for the rest of humanity. As the price of making a call drops, the value of the message also drops, while its frequency and length increase.
It is against the law in many states in the US to drive and chat. Ironically, it is not in Sweden. Maybe that's why they need those extra safe cars they make. So, in the interests of fair, free trade between nations, "Sven, put the cell phone in the trunk until you get to where you're going."