What the hell are you guys thinking about when you propose banning cell phone use while driving?!?!?! There is absolutely nothing wrong with talking while driving; statistics mean absolutely nothing. I drive while talking on my cell phone frequently, and it has NEVER, not once, hampered my ability to drive in any way, shape or form, EVER. All my friends drive exactly the same way as I do, and we are proud not to have had any accidents while driving and using cell phones. Nor has either one of my parents, who both handle extremely large business deals while talking on their cell phones and driving.

I will honestly admit that I am 16 and an occasional listener of Car Talk. I am also proud to say I am an extremely overly considerate driver in all conditions.

Jon Leventhal

It is going to take a lot to overcome the cell phone lobbyists and other people who might be, ahem, helping the politicians to make their decisions. So here is my plan:

Skip the bureaucracies. Hit the people where it hurts. That is, play upon the natural greed of people. I am sure insurance companies would have absolutely no problem with charging people extra money if they use cell phones while driving. Increase the premiums even more than the usual amount for people who have crashes in which cell phones were related. I would imagine that this would get the attention of offenders REAL quick (as humans in general seem to be very stingy about the green stuff). So, in lieu of making it illegal, at least for the time being make it economically unwise to do so.

Sincerely,

Jeff S.

Talking on a cell phone and driving is like having sex while you are driving...you want to do it, but deep down inside, you know it's so tacky.

Thomas Dieso

One morning in 1997, as I walked near Boston's South Station, I was nearly run down on the sidewalk by a driver who was talking on a cellular phone. She was apparently too busy to turn her head and notice me coming her way, as she one-handed the car's wheel and drove into my path.

"Watch your driving!" I shouted at her.

She gave me an incredulous look. Then she replied, "I'm on the phone!"

It's time to do something about this nonsense.

Tom Revay

I'd like to catch up with the schmuck in the Buick who should have been paying attention to the fact that the highway was splitting (it had only been advertised for two miles) rather than talking on his cell phone. He almost creamed me on my motorcycle. Even the Southern Pacific-style horns on my bike couldn't attract his attention. I sure wish I could say this was a rare incident. It has made me stop using my phone while in motion.

Keep up the good work.

Tim Botsko

I was cruising down the Southeast Expressway from Dorchester to Braintree when a big red SUV "merged" right in front of me. The thing just came barreling on. The driver kept speed, zooming along the on-ramp and into traffic without even pausing to merge. She nearly crashed into me. Shaken, I managed to compose myself and take the middle lane, and when I took a look to the side--would you know? She was chatting away on a cell phone. Can you imagine? She didn't even pause to look before getting on the expressway.

No talking and driving!

Braintree, Mass., Mom

I had been driving, accident-free, for about 30 years. Two years ago I was bringing my son home from college, and my car was rear-ended on a Virginia highway. The cause? Cell phone usage! A young lady had her puppy dog in one arm while the other arm was supporting that brain-draining auricular device. She apparently couldn't react quickly enough to keep from hitting my car in a sudden braking situation. I was driving a 1989 Buick fully loaded with college-student stuff. Her car, a late-model Mazda, was empty of everything except the vehicle's standard features, herself, her dog and her CELL PHONE.

The good news was that nobody was hurt.

Walt Zolkiewicz

Your comedy is great, but as you move further and further to the left, following the rest of the FREEDOM HATERS on public radio, you become increasingly odious to people like me who believe that our freedoms and rights are slowly being eroded. Soon we'll be in the same state of affairs as we were before we set up the colonies, if you catch my drift.

If you must keep pushing on this cell phone thing, then at least don't harass folks who have the hands-free feature. These people talk while giving their attention to driving with both hands, hopefully on the wheel.

You should realize that the amateur-radio crowd and other such groups (police, fire, ambulance, etc.) have been talking on radios, while driving, for years--and safely.

Cheapskate Phil

You say that hands-free phones are just as dangerous. So it's not the action of holding the phone that causes accidents, but the conversation? In that case, should we ban passengers from cars? Say goodbye to car pool lanes! While we're at it, what about schizophrenics? Should we ban them from driving altogether?

Matthew W. Younce

For me, the icing was put on the cake last week while I was a passenger in an emergency vehicle responding to a fire call. With siren sounding and lights flashing, we were attempting to turn left across the two southbound lanes of a highway to enter a crossing street. All traffic stopped except the van with the two young children and the driver with the phone glued to her ear. I believe she had no idea what was happening around her.

We have become too accustomed to doing too many things behind the wheel besides driving.

Steve Zorbas

It was one of those rare nice, warm days in Milwaukee. I saw a cute young thing going down the expressway in her Mercedes Benz convertible (75+ mph, top down), with her left hand holding a cell phone to her left ear and her right hand covering her right ear to block out the wind noise. We won't talk about her hair color. I couldn't see the cat, but I think it was steering.

I used to drive with a cell phone until my significant other said I drive a LOT worse while doing it. I didn't want to kill her, so I let her do the talking.

Lee Arhelger