Vroom Mobile.

People are spending inordinate amounts of time in their car, to and from work, so much so that statistics are now bulging with numbers amounting to days out of their lives. I have colleagues spending anywhere from 10 to 20 hours a week in their cars as the urban fringe extends past the mountains. With traffic slowing all the time people are looking to do more than just listen to the latest Grammy winner on the car stereo, no matter how many speakers are involved. Thankfully the mobile phone along with Bluetooth technology has come to the rescue of workers and bored commuters alike.

Thanks to the government's short sighted approach to road infrastructure, we are all having to conduct some business over the phone while in the car. So it comes as no surprise the government in their budget forecast have almost doubled expectations for fines levied on motorists and are looking to phone bans to help fill those coffers. The data for hand held phone conversations along with texting distracting drivers is hard to overlook but with so many cars now having hands free, we are at least trying to resolve the issue concerning many motoring bodies along with the government.

From many views including workers productivity, banning mobile use in cars is a real slap in the face because the need would not be there for many if the road system actually worked. The government can't use the fatality or accident rate as this has been in decline for the past 30 years, from a high in 1979 of 29 deaths per 100,00 to less than 7 per 100,000 today. The fines already in circulation have most people scared enough to look after the road rules and there are no statistics claiming mobile leads to road deaths, in fact speed at 39%, alcohol at 21% and fatigue at 18% are still the main causes according to RTA crash data.

One of the reasons for my last car purchase included inbuilt Bluetooth technology, so if the car manufacturers and the consumers are going to great lengths to adhere to the letter of the law, why can't the government work with their constituents on this? Even in the land of the car, California, where people live in their cars and where on most mornings you can see people doing everything from shaving, having a full breakfast to putting on makeup, they have come to agreement on hands free mobile use and the fact it doesn't add to the crash statistics.

So with everyone working to make something possible why would the government consider such bans unless it really is just a revenue stream for future election campaigns? Here's a thought, fix the road system and public transport and maybe there wouldn't be a need to impose bans to raise more revenue, we'd actually pay taxes to make that happen.

When we are disadvantaged in any way, be it by time constraints via traffic caused by infrastructure shortcomings or any hurdles not of our own doing that stand in the way of accomplishing our jobs competently and living our lives well, the last thing we need is bureaucracy taking advantage of that situation. Banning hands free mobile and then profiting from the fines feels a little like taking the piss.

My rant for the day.