There Ought to Be a Law!

How many times have you said that? Or heard someone say that? There are newspaper columns, blogs, even a film or two around that theme. And yet . . .

Sometimes you find that there is a law already in place but it’s simply not followed nor enforced. A great example of this is a California law about not using a mobile phone while driving. You can be on the phone while you’re driving if you’re using a hands-free device like a headset, a bluetooth earpiece, or a speakerphone. And yet . . .

Sit at an intersection in any city in California and count the number of people who are talking on their cell phone without using a hands-free device. Or the number of people – I love seeing this – who are obviously using the speakerphone feature of their cell phone but are holding the cell phone up to their mouths. You’ve seen them – they look like they’re about to take a bite out of their cell phone, which defeats the whole purpose of using the speakerphone to be in compliance with the law. And yet . . .

If it’s the law, then why are people still doing it?

The next time you find yourself saying, “There ought to be a law about that,” take a moment to realize that there may already be a law. It’s just that people don’t care about the law enough to follow it or enforce it.

The thought processor churns on . . .