A close call on cell call

We are an unabashed nation of multitaskers. With lengthy to-do lists and limited hours in the day, we squeeze as much as we can into every waking moment.

There's nothing wrong with that - unless we're driving. Then the affinity for multitasking veers into a dangerous habit, one that too often leads to accidents, injuries and even deaths.

So it was Sunday when, according to the State Police, a 24-year-old woman's Chevy Suburban struck a trooper's car parked along Interstate 264 in Virginia Beach. The trooper said Sabrina Farbor, of Virginia Beach, was talking on her cell phone when the accident occurred.

The trooper had stopped a pickup truck for speeding on eastbound I-264 near Mount Trashmore and had returned to his car. The Suburban hit his car, then the pickup; the Suburban flipped several times before coming to a stop. The trooper suffered minor injuries, while no one in the pickup was hurt. Farbor was taken to a hospital, but her injuries were not life-threatening. She faces reckless driving charges, said State Police spokeswoman Sgt. Michelle Cotten.

One can only imagine the public shock and grief that would have resulted had the trooper been run over and killed. The demands would be widespread for a crackdown on cell phone misuse. Still, the near occasion of such a tragedy should prompt state legislators to take another look at banning all cell phone use by drivers. So far, Virginia lawmakers have been loath to do so; maybe it's because many of them conduct business on the phone while going to and from Richmond. However, they did pass a law in 2007 to limit cell phone use by teens.

That's a half-measure that is simply inadequate. University of Utah researchers have published more than a dozen studies that show the risks associated with drivers who use cell phones. Even with hands-free devices, too much of the driver's attention is on the conversation - not on the road, not on motorists, not on pedestrians. Drivers on cell phones are four times more likely to be involved in accidents, and their reactions tend to be slower.

Lawmakers should have a chat with the State Police, and police officers around the commonwealth, for that matter. They see every day how risky multitasking has become.