So the law against teenage drivers talking on cell phones has not been enforced? So what? And what else did anyone expect?

The legislature passed this law in 2007, in the form of HB 2827. It says that drivers under the age of 18 are subject to a $90 fine if they are caught driving while talking on a mobile phone. The only exception is if they're on the phone to make a 911 call.

This is the kind of Mickey Mouse law that gives legislators something to do between important issues.

Everybody knows that talking on the phone is distracting. Everybody knows that teenagers need distractions even less than older drivers. Presto, you have the official rationale for yet another statute imposing penalties on people.

But is this a burning problem? Moreover, is it s a burning problem that the police can realistically do anything about?

The answer is no to both questions. Teenagers and other drivers get into trouble far more often for speeding and other forms of hazardous conduct than for talking on the phone.

And the police have absolutely no way of telling if somebody they see talking on a cell is under 18. If they pulled over every telephone user who looks on the young side, they they'd have no time to do anything else.

So it's no surprise that the Associated Press, when a couple of staffers starting asking around, could no find cases in Oregon where somebody had been pulled over or fined in line with this law.

This is not to say that the statute has had no good effect. Maybe some teens are aware of it and act accordingly. But if that's the case, the same effect might be achieved by their parents telling them not to use the phone or their driving privilege will be lifted for a time.

The lesson here is that it's not necessary to pass a law every time somebody gets concerned about yet another potential hazard in our lives.

Wait and see would be a better approach. Wait and see if it's really serious. Then we'd have to deal with fewer laws, less potential liability for fines, and a general sense that we're still more or less free. (hh)