I have the "pleasure" of driving quite a bit for work. This exposes me to a lot of different towns and a lot of different rules.
Specifically, distracted driving rules. This is becoming more popular as people crash into each other while posting photos of their cat to Instagram.
The city of Clemson has long had signs posted warning you not to text and drive. I'm not sure what the law is, but I know the sign says you can't text.
Now the city of Greenville has a law against "distracted driving". You can't be holding your GPS or phone in your hand at all. Not at a red light, not stopped in traffic, not ever. Don't touch your phone unless you are parked (legally). The exception is if it is in a mounted holder. Then you can poke at the screen all day long. Because that isn't as distracting?
I'm not writing to complain about the city of Greenville and their crazy rules. I'm here to complain about the inconsistency of these types of laws. If I drive from Greenville to Clemson I'm dealing with a minimum of two totally different laws. If in six months the city of Easley decides they want in on it, then I'm dealing with a third different law. I agree that we shouldn't be texting and driving. But the law truly doesn't do enough. If I pick up my phone and call my wife while sitting at a red light, is that more dangerous than eating a Big Mac while driving down the interstate at 70mph? How about when the ketchup starts running down my arm and I have to find a napkin on the floor of the passenger side? Is that distracted enough for you?
I'm fighting for a ban on eating and driving. How about women (and some men) that apply makeup while driving? We've all seen the woman driving down the road with the sun visor down so she can see how she is doing with that mascara. I don't see signs going up trying to stop that!
If you want to stop me from checking Twitter while at a red light that lasts for fifteen minutes then I want to stop you from all the distracting things you are doing too.
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