Bad habits are like a comfortable bed; easy to get into and hard to get out of. This is especially true if you are a licensed driver. There is no better (or worse, depending on how you look at it) place to develop bad habits than on the roadways that you share with other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Jennifer Steinhauer wrote a great article for the New York Times about how the state of California is doing something to help curb the bad habits of motorists. In her article, she states:

…California became the fifth state to require that all drivers use a headset with their cellphones. Drivers under the age of 18, under a separate law, may not use a wireless telephone of any form while operating a motor vehicle, a law shared with 13 other states.

Additionally, it is now illegal for California drivers to smoke in their cars if minors are with them (which really isn’t such a bad thing if you think about it). Other considerations that the state of California is thinking about include:

• a bill that would forbid driving with a dog on your lap
• a bill that would empower cities to impound vehicles used by motorists who are soliciting prostitutes

Perhaps we should pick up a few ideas from the state of California. In cities where people don’t really have a choice but to hop in their car and hit the road, it is absolutely imperative that we have some sorts of rules or regulations in place to help us all be safer on the roadways.

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