Legislators who, as the State House News Service reported last week, "are set to close January without finishing work on any major new laws," don't want their constituents to think they're lazy. So, its Committee on Transportation has once again trotted out a bill that would ban the use of handheld phones while driving.
Never mind that a similar ban on texting while driving — a truly dangerous activity — has proven virtually unenforceable. The joint House-Senate committee voted 8-0 last week to endorse legislation that would force drivers to install hands-free devices in their cars or forgo the use of their phones altogether.
The House has backed such legislation in the past, but it was defeated by a 16-18 vote in the Senate the last time it came up in 2010. However, support appears to be growing for a bill that would turn tens of thousands of motorists into scofflaws, yet likely would be enforced haphazardly, if at all.
The National Transportation Safety Board has proposed a ban on all electronic devices in cars, which some might interpret to mean that GPS systems and radios should be forbidden, as well. Use of any of these can be a distraction, but, then, so can sipping a cup of coffee or daydreaming while behind the wheel. Fortunately, no one at the Statehouse has proposed going that far — yet.
Driving responsibly is the obligation of every motorist, but as state Rep. Brad Hill, R-Ipswich, said recently, you can't legislate common sense. You can, however, increase the fines for those found guilty of driving negligently for any reason, which in our view would be a more effective deterrent.
Our guess is that if Beacon Hill could come up with a way to tax people who talk on the phone while driving, that would be the preferred route. The state makes money already by taxing another unhealthy habit — smoking — after all, and Gov. Patrick has proposed imposing a similar fee on those unable to resist candy or sweetened beverages.
Cellphones already provide a generous stream of questionable revenue to our state government. Anyone who has bought a cellphone has probably experienced sales-tax sticker shock. The state levies a sales tax on cellphones based on their "retail price," which is a price many times higher than consumers actually pay. It's not uncommon for people to pay a sales tax that's 50 percent of the actual price that they paid for the cellphone.
It's a dishonest practice, because it's a double-dip into consumers' wallets. Cellphone companies typically "subsidize" the price of a cellphone in order to get consumers to buy into expensive long-term contracts. And, of course, consumers are paying monthly taxes on those plans, thus, the double dip.
Why not take a different tack altogether and offer a tax break to those who equip their cars for hands-free calling?
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