More News About Teenage Drivers

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Legislative proposals continue to flow in response to a recent AAA Study suggesting that teenage drivers in Arizona are accident prone. The most recent legislative proposal relates to teenagers and cellphones.

The East Valley tribune just reported about legislation introduced by Tucson Representative Tom Prezelski seeking to ban all cellphone use by teenage drivers under the age of eighteen. While this bill may have good intentions, without addressing cost and enforcement problems, its passage this year seems unlikely. Also, everyone using cellphones and driving can get distracted and not just teenagers. This legislation may be an example of a failed government attempt to legislate or require certain behavior.

Perhaps the final comment in the Tribune article is right:

The answer is not new legislation, said Susan Bitter Smith who represents the Arizona Competitive Telephone Coalition, whose members include some of the largest cell phone providers in the country. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to legislate this,” she said Thursday. “You can’t legislate good behavior.”