May 14, 2011 12:30 AM PDT
I have mixed feelings about cellphones. I am required to have one for work, where I support construction projects and am on-call 24/7 for certain emergency response functions. I try to be judicious in how I use it - I avoid using it while driving (although I will occasionally take a call when I'm out in the sticks and traffic is light). In general, if I think it's unsafe or will annoy others, I just put it on vibrate so I know the call is coming in, and then find somewhere to return the call safely and unobtrusively. I resisted having a personal cell phone for years, but recently picked up one of those smartphone things because they have some nice applications I can use on the fly when I'm riding. Like many other things, cell phones are tools that need to be used appropriately and safely, and when used properly are generally a good thing.
But as others have noted, you have to be smart about it. I remember once, living in a college town, being tailgated by a young woman in a Jeep. One hand holding her cell phone, the other waving around as she talked to whoever. She was steering with her elbows, ranting about something. I hit the gas and got the hell out of her way. And I am sympathetic to the construction folks. I used to work for a state highway department and know how careless and thoughtless drivers can be when it comes to driving safely through a work zone. Personally, I think the penalties for killing a worker in a construction zone are WAY too low. I have absolutely no sympathy for people driving aggressively or inattentively in work zones.