Banning cellphones in cars

Normally I'm not one for outright bans - I prefer that the full costs of the risks are transferred to the risktaker - but I support the ban of using cellphones while driving.

My own experience of using cellphones while driving I did notice an impact on my concentration. How unsafe my driving became would be hard for me to judge.

Just last week I was following a driver on a busy highway in the Waikato who was competent and predictable until they answered their cellphone. They then drove erraticly - slowed to 80km/h, the sped back up and weaved about on the road. The worst thing is that they didn't realise how bad their driving was as they finished one call and then made another.

And it would be terrible for all involved if an otherwise safe driver killed another person while distracted. We ban driving under the influence of alcohol primarily because of the danger it poses to other drivers - it's about time we banned driving and using cellphones.