Fifty people were injured Friday when the driver of the Boston trolley in which they were riding was text messaging his girlfriend instead of paying attention to his job. Luckily none of the injuries were life threatening and it's probably a safe bet that this particular driver will be losing his job. But another consequence of this incident is that the head of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has announced he will ban all train and bus drivers from carrying cell phones on the job. In light of the fact that the MBTA already bans drivers from using the devices while on duty, do we really think another ban is going to do any good?
Every time one of these tragedies (or near tragedies) happens involving some irresponsible person, those in power jump to the assumption that we need a ban or a regulation. It's as if unless some government agency tells us very specifically that it is wrong to write while operating a motor vehicle, we would never come to that conclusion on our own. Should the MBTA ban its drivers from carrying books? Should a driver be fired for having a notepad and pencil in his pocket? How about we confiscate any photos of their children they may be carrying in their wallets? After all, they may have an irresistible urge to gaze at their child's face while they're supposed to be concentrating on the road ahead.
Somewhere, somehow we have abdicated way too much of our personal responsibility to the government and the lawyers who write these ridiculously obvious policies. We shouldn't need to be told that a cup of coffee from a fast food restaurant may be very hot or that texting while operating a mass transit vehicle may kill people. And those who do need to be told such things would probably ignore such warnings anyway (see Boston trolley driver texting his girlfriend in direct violation of current ban).
I hope this recent incident will serve as a wake-up call to those who need one that texting while driving, putting on make-up while driving and reaching back to help your kid get a straw into his juice box while driving is a bad idea. If not, someone in authority may soon ban juice boxes.
Every time one of these tragedies (or near tragedies) happens involving some irresponsible person, those in power jump to the assumption that we need a ban or a regulation. It's as if unless some government agency tells us very specifically that it is wrong to write while operating a motor vehicle, we would never come to that conclusion on our own. Should the MBTA ban its drivers from carrying books? Should a driver be fired for having a notepad and pencil in his pocket? How about we confiscate any photos of their children they may be carrying in their wallets? After all, they may have an irresistible urge to gaze at their child's face while they're supposed to be concentrating on the road ahead.
Somewhere, somehow we have abdicated way too much of our personal responsibility to the government and the lawyers who write these ridiculously obvious policies. We shouldn't need to be told that a cup of coffee from a fast food restaurant may be very hot or that texting while operating a mass transit vehicle may kill people. And those who do need to be told such things would probably ignore such warnings anyway (see Boston trolley driver texting his girlfriend in direct violation of current ban).
I hope this recent incident will serve as a wake-up call to those who need one that texting while driving, putting on make-up while driving and reaching back to help your kid get a straw into his juice box while driving is a bad idea. If not, someone in authority may soon ban juice boxes.
