Poole #53: By the way I heard where one lawmaker is proposing to make it illegal to use a touch screen GPS unit while driving.

The ultimate case of “fixing by forbidding” I can recall was a proposed law in Maryland in the early 90’s. They wanted to make it illegal to sell cups of ice. It seems that people were buying cups of ice and then pouring in their favorite hard liquor adult beverage to enjoy while they drove. It was noted that such people were involved in an unusually high percentage of accidents, so the idea was to outlaw cups of ice. Drinking while driving was already illegal so they were going to outlaw the ice in an attempt to stop it. The reality is that they were unwilling to prosecute the people who drove while drunk – one suspects that in Maryland it would have resulted in a racially incorrect percentage of prosecutions – so they were going to outlaw ice.

Instead of outlawing texting or talking, how about a law that makes the cellphone records of people involved in accidents immediately available to both all parties involved and the law enforcement authorities?