This NY Times article (full text linked below) exposes the hypocrisy inherent in the mobile phone industry’s lukewarm support for rules governing cel phones and driving. It also shows that despite evidence of the dangers since day one, corporate profits have (as usual) trumped public safety.
Promoting the Car Phone, Despite Risks
Martin Cooper, who developed the first portable cellphone, recalled testifying before a Michigan state commission about the risks of talking on a phone while driving.
Common sense, said Mr. Cooper, a Motorola engineer, dictated that drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.
Commission members asked Mr. Cooper what could be done about risks posed by these early mobile phones.
“There should be a lock on the dial,†he said he had testified, “so that you couldn’t dial while driving.â€
It was the early 1960s.