Total driver cell ban?

Federal accident investigators want you to keep your hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road while driving, instead of using a cell phone for any function, including hands-free calls.

The National Transportation Safety Board is proposing that states ban all use of hand-held electronic devices while driving, much stricter than Iowa's current laws.

All drivers are prohibited from texting, but the 18-and-unders have it more strict: no use of phones while driving. Both laws are equally important, but totally taking away calling while driving?

I don't think that would go over well with the general public.

I, for one, am guilty of driving and talking on the phone, but I am careful about when and where I do it. Typically, I'll only make calls when I'm on a long stretch of highway.

My trek to Spencer every now and then to substitute teach for dance classes provides an excellent opportunity for me to talk with a friend in Minnesota who's so busy with teaching and coaching sports it's nearly impossible to get in touch with her any other time.

My car has a sync feature that allows me to take and make calls hands-free while driving. A voice command allows me to answer the phone, or dial a number, so I'm never fumbling around in my purse or taking my eyes off the road.

While it is the season to ruin your car by hitting a deer, c'est la vie. This is coming from a person who once hit two deer at once while driving without distractions. Sometimes you just don't have enough time to stop, no matter how quick your reflexes are or how great your night vision is.

News outlets across the U.S. have picked up the NTSB's recommendation, and a few have spun their articles in favor of the ban.

An article in today's Des Moines Register used a source in favor of the total ban, who lost two friends in two separate accidents, due to driver distraction while texting. Not the best choice of a source, since texting is already illegal.

And there was the out-of-touch source who said only "high-end" vehicles offer true hands-free calls. While my car is a 2011, it's hardly "high-end." Hands-free calling through connecting your car and phone through Bluetooth is fairly standard for new cars.

Online comments were scathing, which, again, shows a total phone ban would not go over well with the general public. The public's reaction is similar to the controversial SOPA and PROTECT-IP internet censorship laws, which have gone over as well as a homemade Christmas fruitcake.