Amarillo Rep. Opposes Cell Phone Ban

Tomorrow a new law goes into effect.   It will be against the law to use a cell phone while driving in a school zone.   This is a good law, which will probably save the lives of some children here in Texas.

The law was passed in the last session of the Texas Legislature.   The only problem is the law doesn't go far enough.   It should have banned the use of cell phones while driving anywhere and anytime.   Fortunately, there are some members of the legislature that want to ban all cell phone driving, as soon as the legislature meets again.

Rep. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio), who authored the school zone bill, is one of those supporting the comprehensive ban.   Rep. Bill Pickett (D-El Paso), chairman of the House Transportation Committee agrees, and says the committee will be holding hearings soon so a bill can be ready when the legislature convenes,   

Menendez says,   "I am hopeful that my colleagues will understand that this is a serious issue that needs immediate attention because a lot of drivers now use cell phones as if they were computers and are getting too distracted....There is already too much evidence which shows that using a cell phone while driving, whether talking or texting, puts people at great risk of getting involved in a major accident.

But our own representative here in Amarillo opposes the ban on cell phone driving.   Republican David Swinford (pictured) says,   "The people I represent are not stupid, they are smart enough to take care of themselves.   Trust the people."

What an idiotic statement.   Stats from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have shown that a cell phone driver is as dangerous as a drunk driver.   And that a fact even among the folks Swinford represents.   Does he want to eliminate drunk driving laws too, and "trust the people"?

Personally, I don't care to trust cell phone drivers with the lives of my family and friends, anymore than I'd want to trust those same lives to drunk drivers.   There are at least 2,600 deaths and 12,000 serious injuries caused by cell phone drivers each year, and this number will only rise as our cell phones are capable of doing more things all the time.

Does Rep. Swinford just not care about the thousands killed and injured each year by cell phone drivers?   Or is he just getting too much campaign money from the communications companies?   Either way is a pretty sad commentary on his position.