Distracted driving law has limits

The Olympian reported on July 26 of a petition to change the distracted driver law to eliminate the part of the law that prohibits eating, drinking, combing hair, etc. A petitioner is quoted as saying “It’s my car. I will do as I want in it. Until you pay for my car or insurance you have no right telling what I can or can’t do in it or with it.”

Fair enough. As long as your car is off the road and not moving. I am the driver of the car you’ll run into when you are distracted while traveling at 40, 50 or 60 miles an hour. You have no right to kill or maim me or damage my car.

I do, though, support a change in the law that would permit eating, drinking, making love, and other distractions in a moving car IF that vehicle is a driverless car.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Distracted driving law has limits."