Academic

Oregon's cellphone ban and its budget deficit

By Tung Yin

Oregon has a new ban on driving and talking on a handheld cellphone, which apparently has operated as a mini-stimulus for the hands-free accessory industry, judging by how my local Verizon store was sold out of said accessories recently.  It's a $150 fine if you are caught driving and yakking on a phone that you're holding.

The other day, I was getting back to my car from the bank when I had a police car, sirens blaring, heading toward me from up the hill.  Hmm, I thought, this is Lake Oswego, you don't normally see police cars speeding down the boulevard.

Then I saw a pickup truck, still several vehicles in front of the police car, whiz by.  Driver was holding a cellphone quite clearly in his left hand to his ear.

The police car passed by where I was and got behind the pickup, and started flashing even more lights, and then having to make even louder honking noises.  I guess there's something to this law.  I mean, if you're so engrossed in your conversation that you don't even notice there's a police car with its sirens blaring and lights flashing, you really are a danger to everyone else!

As I witnessed this take place, the thought kept flashing through my mind was, "Yes, $150 for Oregon's budget!"  It's a drop in the bucket, but we'll take everything we can get.

Full post as published by The Yin Blog on January 15, 2010 (boomark / email).