Honolulu's city council has approved a bill banning the use of electronic devices to send text messages or play videogames while behind the wheel.
The bill is largely in response to an incident late last September when a bus driver in Honolulu was caught on video enjoying some quality time with what appears to be a PSP.
Critics of the measure, including the city's police force, believe it is unenforceable.
"We would be unable to determine what a person is doing as opposed from texting, as opposed from downloading, as opposed from utilizing the phone for communication purposes," explained Maj. Thomas Nitta, of the police force's traffic division.
Nitta suggests that a broader ban on using electronic devices while driving would prove to be far more enforceable, but for the moment the council is standing by its decision.
"Most citizens will abide by it, so if we can prevent one accident, whether it be by texting or playing a videogame, then the imperfect law on the books will have done its job,"
explains councilman Ned Garcia.
Abstaining from games while driving is an excellent idea, but does the practice need to be made illegal? What do you think – reactionary waste of tax funds, or an issue that needs to be solved with legislation?
Chris says: And shouldn't we be skeptical of any bill called "imperfect" by someone who just passed it into law?
Image: I'm George/Flickr
Honolulu City Council votes to ban texting while driving [Honolulu Advertiser, via GamePolitics ]
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