Calling the cell phone militia

Cell phone users are giving municipal officials in Cheyenne, Wyo., an earful for banning texting and phoning while driving. As irate as they are, let's hope they first pull off the road.

Opponents of the ban also have collected signatures for a petition aimed at a city council repeal of the ordinance. It's possible that opponents could force a referendum on the issue if council refuses to pull back.

Petition leader M. Lee Hasenauer takes a page from gun rights advocates in his comment, quoted by the Los Angeles Times: "We have the right to bear a cell phone."

City council approved the ban after a review of police records revealed that 50 drivers who had been involved in accidents acknowledged that they had been either talking on their cell phones or texting.

It would be safe to assume that even more would be reluctant to admit it.

Cheyenne is one of 12 U.S. cities to ban the use of a hand-held phone while driving. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have also banned texting. At least a few members of Congress support a national ban.

Research has shown that cell phone use greatly increases the incidence of mishaps behind the wheel, and that texting is far worse from a safety standpoint. Folks certainly have a "right to bear a cell phone," just as elected officials have a right to pass laws to stop drivers from yakking on a phone when they should be paying attention to where they are going.

Their objections suggest another parallel to the bumper sticker language invoking the 2nd Amendment. Without reasonable restrictions on their use, expect police to be prying more cell phones from the cold dead hands of self-absorbed motorists.