Justifying Lawlessness

There has been public dissent with the announcement of the impending legislation regarding use of cellular phones whilst driving. $5,000.00 and/or 6 months (Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill, 2010) is the penalty being proposed. Of all the many varied reasons being proffered for its harshness only one has sounded reasonably apposite.  By attaching a possible jail sentence seems most oppressive and really inappropriate for this calibre of "criminal".

In criminalising an act, legislation to enforce it should by right not be comfortable to the potential offenders. In order for this particular legislation to be effective the normal law-abiding public should be sufficiently deterred by the inherent harshness of it rather than feel that they can afford a ticket thereby render the law ineffective.

The fact that people have a problem with the fines means that they are prepared to break the law at a lesser price. This being the case and our audacity to say it openly further means that, as a society we're not really serious about dealing with crime and any hope of turning it around is almost non-existent. This is essentially the societal attitudinal shift that is required that no government could affect, it's up to us all.

The general trend of increasing the fines for traffic related offences should be welcomed given the ever-increasing lawlessness on the roads and the level of comfort felt by the driving public to pay the fines. It indicates that the general standard of living has increased but the price to be paid is adding up to lost lives and road-rage.

If you've ever driven behind a driver speaking on a cell-phone you'd realize that the driver's awareness of his surroundings and the way he drives is seriously affected. The same thing is evident with the women who do their nails and don make-up while driving.

Drunk driving is criminal and by right the harsh penalties are justified. Similarly cell-phone usage whilst driving could be construed as equally criminal and as such attracts similar punitive consequences. Being a matter of opinion we must, nevertheless continue on the path to civilize our roads and make them safer for all. Putting cell-phone abusers alongside hardened criminals seems extreme but I'm sure a $5,000.00 dent in your bank account will no doubt be a major mitigating factor and serve as a deterrent.

Hands-free/blue tooth sets are relatively inexpensive and if it saves you $5,000.00 or more importantly, someone's life then it's obviously worth it. And if you can't afford a set, then just pull to the side of the road, that's free.