Don't be fool with lethal weapon

HOW long is it going to take before motorists realise that using their mobile phone while driving is against the law?

It's not a suggestion, nor a matter of choice.

Since 2009, when Parliament added a new clause to the Land Transport (Road User) Rule, it has been illegal in New Zealand to use a mobile phone while engaged in the act of driving a vehicle.

And, yet, every day we still see dozens of people flouting the law and either texting or conversing on their phones while also trying to negotiate traffic, change gear, operate the radio and air conditioning and remember ... brake on the left, accelerator on the right.

Driving is a responsible job, putting people in charge of a large mass of motorised metal capable of transforming into a huge, lethal weapon. A car can cause a lot of damage and its impact on human flesh can often prove fatal; so wouldn't you want to give your full attention to keeping it under control?

Using the rear-vision mirror to check your make-up, hair and teeth is not yet illegal, although it bodes ill for the driver if it causes an accident, but using your mobile phone is against the law - whether a crash results or not.

According to the law, there are two exceptions - when dialling 111 or *555, but only if stopping the car is impractical or dangerous.

Drivers generally wear their seatbelts and ensure their cars are road safe, but that distracting phone is still proving a problem to far too many people.

Perhaps we just have to wait for a new generation to come along and police their parents' driving habits.

In the meantime ...