Oh smart phones! How I love thee! You’re everything I ever wanted a handheld device to be. You’re a cell phone, music player, camera, video screen, mini-computer, and best friend. Is there anything you can’t do? Maybe that’s the problem.

These little pocket genies are just so convenient and handy we want to use them all the time. Hell, they’re not just a good way to augment the conversation: they are the conversation—at least in my circle of friends. It seems everyone has an iPhone or some other super phone these days. I’m jealous with iEnvy every time people tell me about a new app on their phone that makes life more worth living.

But not everyone is so fond of the pervasiveness of these handheld units. The government of B.C. is contemplating a ban on using cell phones while driving. It sounds like a no brainer, but think to yourself about how many times you’ve talked on the phone while steering your vehicle around a corner, or worse yet, read a text message.

Not having a car myself, I asked someone I know who I’ve seen use a smart phone while driving about this habit. He doesn’t want to be identified (he knows it’s frowned upon), so let’s just call him “H”, shall we?

H has an iPhone, and he loves it. When asked whether or not he texts while driving, he responded, “Yes, a lot. I’ve got like 2500 free texts messages, so I use the text function a lot more than calling.”

I asked him if he thinks it’s distracting to text while driving, he enthusiastically replied, “Absolutely, I’m positive that it’s distracting. I only throw a glance at my phone at most. If I have to read something or focus, I pull over.”

What do you think about the idea of banning the use of cell phones while driving, was the next question I asked (while I pondered how he could spell words properly while navigating the road). To which H said,

“I think it’s a great idea. It’s so easy to text while driving when it’s allowed. If they made it illegal, I’d think twice about doing it. But car companies are making cell phone use in vehicles easier.

Now you don’t have to look anywhere to use your phone because the controls are on your steering wheel, and the sound is coming out through your stereo. The more laws you have against looking at your phone, the better car manufacturers will integrate your phone with your car.”

From H’s responses, I took two themes: using your cell phone, including texting with it, is bad, and we shouldn’t do it, and laws might help us stop. However, since car makers are making it so easy to use your phone these days, maybe using your phone with hands free isn’t as bad as holding the phone while driving.

This raises an interesting question: is it the physical phone being used while driving that’s the problem, or is it the distraction it causes while driving tons of metal down the road that’s wrong, or is it both, or neither?