Guilty of Gabbing While Driving?

Re “Cell Phones and Driving a Lethal Mix, Study Says,” Dec. 2: Clearly, some people can’t talk and drive at the same time. However, many others can do so safely. Since our politicians tend to be reactors, the safe ones will end up being punished for the sins of the unsafe drivers. A fairer response would be for police officers to look for these unsafe drivers and cite them for “unsafe driving.” That would not require another law on the books or punish those who can drive and talk at the same time.

Paul D. Blumstein

Rancho Palos Verdes

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The study of cell phones and driving accidents by Harvard University’s Center for Risk Analysis is rather incomplete. One would need to compare the number of accidents and deaths involved while driving with passengers, while putting on makeup, drinking coffee or driving alone. Far more people are killed in accidents while carrying passengers in their vehicles than driving with cell phones. Should we ban passengers in cars?

Jim de Boom

Newport Beach

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In your article on cell phone use while driving, you state that a previous economic analysis by Harvard researchers found that “the benefits of being able to readily communicate for business or pleasure while on the road clearly outweighed the social costs of injuries and deaths in accidents.”

Is this what we’ve become? Apparently, George Bailey really did jump off that bridge!

Pat Bransfield

Los Osos

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Re “L.A. County Is Seeking Words to Slow Down By” (Dec. 3), on new slogans to promote driving safety: How about “Hang Up and Drive!”

John Atkinson

Westwood