How far should a government go in order to protects its citizens? Like in the case of traffic laws, you aren't allowed to drive drunk, or text while driving, and you must wear glasses if you have crappy vision. That's the law and thanks to it, the fatalities and accidents on the road have been reduced greatly. I think most of us would consider these laws beneficial and overall positive.
That's great and everything, but then, what about other situations like driving while sleep deprived, or when feeling sick, or eating and driving, or blasting music and singing at the top of your lungs? These are potentially as lethal as the instances the law is protecting us from, so why aren't there laws for these situations? Perhaps there are far less related incidents, I really don't know, but the risk of hurting others in these situations is, in my speculating little mind, as high, if not higher (depending on the circumstances), yet, they are perfectly legal. Perhaps they could be brought up in court and be treated as reckless and inconsiderate behavior, I'm guessing, but still. Wouldn't the roads be safer if there were also penalties for those who choose to drive under these circumstances? Hell, if we really want to get rid of fatalities on the road, then why not bring the speed limit on the highways down to 40mph and down to 20mph everywhere else. Your commute may increase by 10 or 20 minutes, but think about all the lives that would be saved! I think the benefits would outweigh the inconveniences of having such law in place (not that I really want that!).
I find it kinda weird. Where do we draw the line where we say "please, dude, stop acting like we were 5 year olds, we can take care of ourselves"? In my opinion, at the end of the day, there are good drivers and bad drivers, and people who are capable of texting and driving without risking other people's lives, and people who are so bad that even reading the signs on the road could lead to fatal accident, so perhaps they shouldn't be driving at all.
Nowadays, whenever people hear about someone texting and driving, they will point with their fingers and shout "asshole!" while raising their little pitchforks, regardless on whether the person actually put anyone's life at risk or not, yet no one notices when an easily distracted individual, who's also a terrible driver, decides to drive to work after not being able to sleep all night long. At most, people will just express concern, but no one will judge them as despicable human beings, like in the text-and-driving situation. If I had to choose between riding with one or the other, I'd choose the skillful asshole any day.
I think there should be some laws to discourage assholes from behaving recklessly and endangering other people's lives. These laws should be reasonable and not overprotective. I could tell you what I think about the different traffic laws in place around the US, but the point is not for you to know if I think penalizing having your phone in your hand while driving is ridiculous or not, but for you to think about things that you might have never considered before. I know this isn't too helpful, but whatever. Oh, yeah, and also, this is for you to stop being so judgmental, especially when you don't know the circumstances and context. Calling someone an asshole may get you some pads on your back, but you're not really doing anything good. In my humble opinion, of course.
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