Lawmakers and policy makers love to feel like they’re doing something, even when that “something” is passing yet another bad law or writing more paternalistic policies. Well-intentioned though they may be, the government — and in fact, nobody — can stop you from making bad decisions about your life. You can’t legislate good judgment.
This past week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) urged a complete ban on talking or texting on smartphones while driving — including hands-free devices. While the ruling isn’t law, it’s a strong recommendation from a federal agency that everyone take up the kinds of strict bans that many states already have on the books in one form or another.
The focus on the method of distraction is the same kind of “blame the technology” emphasis I’ve seen elsewhere in our society (most notably when it comes to “Internet addiction“). It’s as if our mobile phones offer a magical, supernatural ability to distract while we’re driving, while the other thousand things that can also distract us aren’t so bad.
While no one — myself included — is arguing that distracted driving is a good thing, some common sense should enter into the picture when talking about new policies and laws. There is little evidence to suggest focusing on banning a single type of distraction while driving is going to result in much change in driver behavior.
I’m a little astounded by how quickly some people are willing to just throw up their hands and, rather than learning how to gain more willpower and self-control in their life, use technology tools as a substitute for learning those skills. Or how some suggest how we seem to be at the mercy of social networking sites, which have some sort of undeniable power over us, our choices and our behaviors.
It’s been a rough week for kids and young adults with ADHD — attention deficit disorder. Attention deficit disorder is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Someone with ADHD has a hard time focusing and concentrating on work or school work, often finds it difficult to sit still and concentrate in meetings or classes, and will often act in an impulsive manner that they later regret. It’s estimated that between 3 to 9 percent of school-aged children and young people suffer from ADHD.