Rocky gets one right
There are no comments for this page [ Add Comment ]Thursday, April 26, 2007
Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson may spend too much time wearing "kick me" signs for many Utahns to take him seriously, but the guy doesn't spend all his time begging to be ridiculed. For example, his executive order this week banning city employees from using mobile phones while driving is something all Utah mayors should emulate.
As Anderson noted when he signed the order, talking on a cell phone while driving -- hands-free or not -- is dangerous. He referred to a 2003 University of Utah study that found cell-phone chatting while driving may be worse than drunken driving.
The cell-phone-while-driving habit is something a lot of us share even though we realize it is inherently hazardous. Anything that distracts our attention behind the wheel is a no-no, and anyone who drives on Utah roads can tell stories about accidents, near-accidents or at the very least boneheaded driving maneuvers made by people talking up a storm on their cell phones. In fact, those of us who have foolishly done our share of driving while chatting on a phone -- if we're honest -- could tell a story or two about near-catastrophes.
The truth of the matter, though, is that even though our own experiences teach us the truth of the risks posed by driving and cell phone use, we pretty much won't behave without threat of severe penalty -- as if causing injury to someone else, ourselves or a loved one wouldn't be penalty enough. We need a law or a rule that says we'll be in trouble, facing job loss or a severe fine if we talk on a phone while driving, in order to make us behave responsibly. Now Anderson has put the employees of Salt Lake City on notice (police, firefighters and other public safety employees are exempted), just as Salt Lake County employees were similarly warned in 2005 by County Mayor Peter Corroon.
The next step should be other cities and counties in Utah taking up the cause -- banning employee cell phone use while driving. We all know it's the smart thing to do.
And even though the lead has been taken by Anderson, the one man the Legislature seems to dislike the most, we sincerely hope our lawmakers will rethink their passage of a bill in 2006 that prevents cities and towns from banning cell phone use while driving by the general public. Local leaders ought to be able to enact ordinances that make their streets safer.
Rocky Anderson's done a good thing. In this regard, we hope other mayors follow his example.
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