Pass cellphone ban in Ada County to avoid tragedies like my father’s death

Unfortunately, we all know why the car in front of us is not proceeding on a green light or why more vehicles are weaving side to side, or why more vehicles are driving, say, 15 mph in a 35 mph zone.

Lately, there has been a resurgence of interest in the Treasure Valley about cellphone use while driving. Meridian and a few other Idaho cities have even gone so far as to implement stricter enforcement. Most people would agree that it’s time to implement a countywide program that will bring some uniformity to the current hodgepodge of laws and restrictions, as they pertain to driving while simultaneously using a cellphone.

Nobody wants more regulations, but something has to give. Cellphone use and driving don’t mix. The daily war stories in the office coffee room about being tailgated, cut off, red light runners and people asleep at the wheel — all while being preoccupied with their cellphones — have got to stop.

Ada County is a wonderful place to live, and if we want to maintain that, then we have to take measures to protect it by implementing cellphone restrictions while driving. Statistics cite cellphone-related accidents as being somewhere between 20% and 50% of all auto accidents. The death rate is probably somewhere in the same range, not too dissimilar to drunk driving.

Cities can be loved to death, and Ada County is at risk of just that. Let’s get creative and enact common sense driving laws that will help to create an environment of civility and responsibility. Let’s not bury our heads in the sand, because our “rat maze” is not going to fix itself. Together we can create a safer and more civil commuting experience. And let’s start with intelligent driving regulations that require focused and attentive drivers. And yes I do mean required because self-regulation and “responsibility” is too easily compromised.

In the last three years, my vehicle has been rear-ended twice while sitting at red lights and in one case the driver had no driver’s license or insurance. In another incident while in the middle of a marked and lighted crosswalk, I was struck by a hit-and-run driver. He was apprehended but not cited. Make no mistake, we are all paying higher insurance premiums to cover distracted drivers on cellphones.

Last winter, my hunting, camping and fly fishing partner was riding his bicycle on a rural county road with no cross streets, no houses, and almost zero traffic on a sunny afternoon. He was on the furthest right side margins of the road and was mowed down and killed by someone in a borrowed vehicle. She also had no insurance and no assets to even cover the funeral. He was also my best friend and father.

Ada County, please enact strict laws to prohibit cell phone use while driving. It is time!