Everybody agrees that distracted drivers are bad drivers, whether the source of the distraction is a cell phone or a Double Whopper with Cheese. The issue is what to do about it.
The Economist suggests that distracted driving should be treated like drunk driving with a mix of tough penalties and opprobrium. We like that idea, provided we can rely on the discretion of the enforcers to use common sense in getting it right.
Ultimately, the solution to distracted driving may be no drivers at all – the sort of system now being tested by Google. But for now, we need to take the problem of distraction seriously, use a combination of policy tools to balance risks and benefits.
