Time for cellphone users to comply

Well, I agree 100 per cent with this and I also agree with the new rule that drivers caught speaking on a handheld cellphone should be prosecuted and penalized. Are we following those rules? I drive around everyday and see people still talking on the phone while driving, totally unafraid of being caught by the law.

I firmly believe that many accidents are caused by careless driving being enabled by these gadgets called cellulars. These careless drivers who use their cellphones while driving not only put their own lives in jeopardy, but create dangerous scenarios harming others in the process too. That is not fair to the ones who are complying with the law.

Many studies have been done and researchers have come to the conclusion that even when we have our earphones on, or even when we are on hands-free, we are still distracted enough to make mistakes. Can you imagine yourself doing two things at a time? This is what driving and speaking on a phone at the same time means. You are performing two distinctly different acts at one time. So really, you cannot fully concentrate on either one. This could be quite precarious for you and others.

Of course, the law has been passed, a grace period was granted, now the implementation of this law has begun. Are we, as citizens of this area complying? The easiest way to judge this is to notice whenever someone in front of you or behind you is steering in an abnormal manner. Observe them carefully and you shall see their hand next to their ear, with their index finger stuck to the top. Ahh! What is that tiny thing that they are holding so tightly next to their ear? Certainly, it is that very thing they are forbidden to use. Shaheen Ashraf, a Pointe Claire resident, is a member of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women.