Beware Of Drunk Driver Who Is Eating A Hamburger And Using A Cell Phone

A foreign news report reminds us that cell phones are not the only distractions that contribute to automobile accidents.

Jury out on cell phones

Calls are growing for a ban on cell phone use while driving, after a crash killed a cyclist in Chilliwack this week. The woman was hit by a 17-year-old motorist who was reportedly looking down at her cell phone.

The tragedy follows the 2004 death of Surrey resident John Heida on the Pattullo Bridge, who was killed after a drunk driver who had just answered her cell phone crossed the centre line and slammed into his car.

But even advocates of a ban say it’s a problematic and incomplete solution.

A 2001 study of driver distractions by the University of North Carolina put cell phone use well down on a list of driver distractions – after adjusting radio or CD controls, passengers, objects sliding around in the car, climate control or other adjustments, and eating or drinking.