Explain to me why

I have heard the theory that the passenger's body language makes it easier to communicate than talking on a cell, plus the passenger is more sensitive to when to shut up.

Well, whichever way you look at it, Mame, discussions are continuing here:

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Cellphone driving ban to come to BC?

Vancouver/CKNW(AM980)
6/17/2009

Police chiefs in British Columbia want the province to ban drivers from using cellphones and other devices while behind the wheel.

The B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police has passed a resolution asking for changes to the law to ban cellphone use, even with hands-free devices.

Kelowna RCMP Supt. Bill McKinnon, who is the association's president, says research shows cellphone use only leaves half of a driver's attention on the road.

Victoria police Chief Jamie Graham says the chiefs' resolution goes further than laws in other provinces that have banned cellphones while driving.

While other jurisdictions allow drivers to talk on hands-free devices such as speaker phones and headsets, the B.C. chiefs want all cellphone use off limits.

Not everybody wears a headset. I don't think most people do voice programming...at least no one I know does.

Accidents happen - they drop the phone they look down...and BAM! But as far as making the phone any more dangerous than changing your radio station or smoking and driving...I have to agree...there is not that much difference. Probably best not to do any of it while your driving...but I don't see that happening anytime soon!

Every accident I have been in has been someone looking in their rear view mirror and changing lanes and then looking forward again to find that traffic has stopped unexpectedly....or someone driving on pain meds and misjudging how quickly they needed to apply the breaks when stopping for a red light....had nothing to do with doing something like using the phone while driving.

I'm not disagreeing that this is likely, but there other factors which can leave half of a driver's attention on the road, like fighting kids in the back seat, suddenly remembering you left your stove on, realizing how late you are for your professional evaluation at work, to name a few. Maybe these factors also cause people to have accidents... regardless, I'm not advocating cell chatting while driving, but I do think more research should be done before jumping to conclusions and banning the things outright. That's our society's standard response. We often make sweeping laws based on the actions of a few. It's illegal to have a bottle of beer on the beach, for example, yet most of us would do so responsibly. Back to the issue - I'm quite sure there are many people out there who can chat and drive simultaneously without causing harm to anyone.

Again, I think it goes back to what Chai mentioned about this, that there are times while driving that requires more concentration then other times.

For example, driving down a straight country road, versus making a lefthand turn in a busy city intersection. It all depends on the circumstances.

you have been talking and multi-tasking (everything else) since your were one years old, but not with a phone (and one hand suck to your ear)..think about if you were a toddler walking around with a phone in one hand--stuck to one ear. You would be prone to more accidents than those toddlers that weren't.--that's easy to see.

Before enlightment
Chop Wood
After Enlightment
put on coat--chop half as much wood