Al Cinamon is a frequent commenter on this web site. He maintains that our current crop of traffic laws is phony. They actually encourage distracted driving, he says. Now Cinamon has published his opinions in the book “What You Don’t Know About Driving Can Get You Killed!”
Cinamon, a driving instructor for more than 50 years, says the book targets “fables and fairy tales.”
The book is an exposé divided into two parts: Part 1 deals with “phony traffic laws that can get you killed” and Part 2 reveals “bad driving habits that can get you killed.”
In Part 1, he attacks the cell-phone and anti-texting laws. Here’s an excerpt:
“Many drivers have been lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that it’s OK to talk on a hands-free phone rather than a hand-held phone. The National Safety Council (NSC), headed by Deborah Hersman, the former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said, flat out, that “hands-free is not risk free.” When she was at the NTSB, she advocated for a ban on all phone types, but it fell on deaf ears. Shortly thereafter, she quit her post to become president and CEO of the National Safety Council.
“According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), there is no difference between talking on a hands-free phone or a hand-held phone. The conversation is the distraction, not holding the phone. Legislators know this or should know this. Every survey confirms the findings of the IIHS. Yet, laws that are enacted give drivers the impression that it’s safer to talk on a hands-free device instead of a hand-held device. It is not!
“The anti-texting law is also phony! It’s a money-maker. Anti-texting laws don’t stop drivers from texting — what it does is force them to put the device in their lap where no one (read that, police) can see them texting. What they didn’t know is that state troopers would be patrolling in SUVs so they can look down into cars to spot drivers who are texting. It’s been reported that tickets for texting increased by 840 percent since the law was passed proving that those drivers who were ticketed were not deterred by the law and that the state knew they would continue texting. Furthermore, before the anti-texting law, drivers were able to hold the device and manage to steer and watch the road while texting. Once they were forced to hide the device in their lap, they were also forced to look down in order to text, thereby taking their eyes completely off the road for a period of time.
“The question often arises as to why the state would enact laws that encourage distracted driving. To my way of thinking, it’s because crashing is a big business — a multibillion dollar industry — and crashes are not to be discouraged. Do you realize there are people who go to work in the morning depending on crashes to justify their existence and/or boost their income: doctors, nurses, ambulance and tow truck drivers, insurance agents, car dealers, repair shop workers, funeral directors, florists and yes, even driving instructors? Consider, if there were zero crashes would there be a need for auto insurance companies; would there be a need for body repair shops?
“The fact is that crashes are good! They generate a lot of income for a lot of people — and the state gets a cut in the form of taxes. Pay a repair shop and it’s called a sale — sales tax! Pay a doctor and it’s called income — income tax! My feeling is that crashes won’t be discouraged until the profit motive is somehow removed from the equation.”
Cinamon’s “What You Don’t Know About Driving Can Get You Killed!” is available on Amazon and on CreateSpacee-store.com
