A Tangled Web

Mobile Phones and Stagnant Brains



Last December the Government introduced a law on the United Kingdom mainland banning the use of hand-held mobile phones whilst driving a car. In February the law was extended to include Northern Ireland. As much as I hate this administration, I am prepared to give credit where credit is due. I had been campaigning for the introduction of such a law for several months prior to its arrival on the statute book, and I was extremely glad when it came into force.



Since then, I have seen literally hundreds of drivers deliberately flouting the law without a care in the world. I am well aware that we now live in a society where a large proportion of 'dunderheads' flout any laws they see fit. At first the only culprits I saw were Asian taxi drivers. For readers unfamiliar with the contemporary UK phenomenon of the Asian taxi driver, I will give you a quick illustration. Asian taxi drivers are, I would argue with considerable tongue-in-cheek, ex-Islamic fundamentalists who were thrown out of Al Queda because they were too psychotic. These guys can make a Hillman Imp go at 100mph.....in reverse!! As they seldom obey any rules governing car usage in Britain, I was not surprised when I saw them contravening this one. But then I began to notice many other people disregarding the new regulations and feelings of anger and despondency arose within me.



On a slightly more serious note, using mobiles whilst driving is to be roundly condemned. The people responsible epitomise all that is selfish and inconsiderate in modern society. On the other hand, the Government is partly responsible for the spread of blatant lawlessness. It has introduced such burdensome levels of bureaucracy in our law enforcing agencies that there are insufficient numbers of police in public places to monitor the application of law and ensure its observance. It is no good for Blair et al to introduce relatively sensible policies and then procedurally suffocate the men and women responsible for implementing them. Using a mobile phone behind the wheel of a car speaks volumes about the cretin engaged in conversation, but it also says a lot about the priorities of the bigwigs who sought to curtail that same activity in the first place.