Or at least it will be once the provincial government shifts out of neutral and officially bans the use of cell phones and other hand-held devices while driving.

Passing a second reading late last month but since tabled for further discussion and possible revision, the proposed law certainly isn’t the solution to all our traffic ills. However, it’s a move in the right direction.

Quebec, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia have all recently introduced such restrictions — which are already in place in about 50 countries, including Australia, China and France. Now it’s time for Ontario to catch up.

My only reservation with the as-yet-to-be-implemented law is that it doesn’t go far enough. That’s because as it stands, hands-free devices won’t fall under the list of items that’ll be restricted. In fact, North American car manufacturers are already building such technologies into new vehicles in anticipation of widespread bans on electronic gadgets.

As far as I’m concerned, that merely creates a lesser-of-two-evils scenario, seeing as the primary objective of the proposed law isn’t so much keeping drivers’ hands on the wheel as minimizing distractions.

I may have my hands in the 10 and 2 position, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m completely focused on what lays ahead, behind or beside me.

And undivided attention on the road is particularly important in a growing community like ours, where traffic woes continue to mount and the potential for accidents — fatal or otherwise — due to careless driving is on a sharp rise as well.

With more than half of those polled in an RBC Insurance/Ipsos Reid survey last month admitting to using a cell phone while driving, the law will no doubt be a source of much frustration once it’s finally put into effect.

But given that it’s public safety we’re talking about here, convenience simply isn’t worthy of consideration. Bottom line, when someone operates a cell phone or other device behind the wheel, they’re saying that driving doesn’t require all of their attention.

News flash, it does.

While not generally recognized as such, driving is a skill just like anything else. I wouldn’t sit here talking on the phone while trying to write my stories, so why would I do so while surrounded by two-ton machines that can end my existence in the blink of an eye?

That sounds somewhat dramatic I know, but choosing to multi-task behind the wheel simply puts you and others in harm’s way. There’s no two ways about it.

And for those who feel the proposed law is hypocritical and needs to include eating or even drinking coffee, I say fine. My Tim Hortons double-double will still be hot when I arrive at the Champion.

Of course eliminating the use of cell phones and other devices while driving can’t be done by the lawmakers and police alone.

We all have a role to play in discouraging this behaviour. I plan to start my part now and refuse to conduct interviews with people while they’re driving.

That may present the occasional obstacle to getting my stories done, and I’m sure there will be at least a couple of instances where I’ll regret this public declaration.

But shedding our convenience-at-all-costs mentality is the only way we’re going to start making a real dent in careless driving.