Friends, Romans, fellow drivers. There is a scourge is in our midst...

Cell phones.

We've all seen it. A moron with a cell phone epoxied to his ear, driving through red lights, obliviously chatting away...while pedestrians dive behind park benches and mailboxes.

Resource Center The Facts Take Action Cleveland suburb enforces cell-phone ban Roadblocks to Change More Resources Safe Phone-Use Tips Defensive-Driving Tips State-by-State Directory of Wireless-Phone Legislation Tom and Ray Rant and Rave on NPR's "Talk of the Nation"

The Car Talk Column That Started It All Cell Phone Press Release Interested in Cell Phone Legislation? Cell Phone Poll Results Cell stories from fellow drivers What The Cell Industry thinks of Tom and Ray Tommy's Update on the Cell Phone Issue Write Click and Clack with your own Cell Phone Story Read some of our cell phone e-mail Spot a violator? Write 'em up with an electronic ticket Want to enlist recruits? Send them an electronic postcard Listen to the Cell Phone Rant

Driving while talking on a cell phone is dangerous. We know it. You know it. Even the cell phone industry flacks know it, though they'll never admit it. And there's no shortage of research results to prove it.

Here are a few examples from several studies:

1. The odds that you'll slam your jalopy into some other hapless driver--or your local guardrail--increase 400 percent when a cell phone is being used. Those are about the same odds of having an accident as when you're legally drunk.

B. Drivers with a cell phone in the car are 34 percent more likely to be in an accident. Drivers who used their phones for more than 50 minutes per month increased their risk of collision fivefold.

III. And (sorry, cell phone industry apologists) hands-free devices are just as risky as hand-held phones.

Are you sick and tired of having your life endangered by drivers who are too self-important to put their phone down and pay attention to the road?

Well, if you are, you definitely need one of our bumper stickers.

It took us a while, but we narrowed it down to two finalists:

1) "Drive Now, Talk Later" and
2) "Would You Drive Better If I Crammed That Cell Phone Up Your Keister?"

NPR management vetoed our top choice, however, so we went for "Drive Now, Talk Later."

Here's how you can get your free bumper sticker.

And, if you feel really strongly about the issue--either way--you can express yourself to those who make rules about such things (a.k.a., the sleazeball politicians). It doesn't matter if you don't live in Massachusetts--other states will be watching to see what happens. Express your own opinion, whatever your take is on this important issue.

Here's how you can get involved today.

Tell a friend...