'Car Talk' Guys Declare War on Cellular Phones
9 November 1999
'Car Talk' Guys Declare War on Cellular Phones BOSTON, Nov. 9 -- Bill Clinton declared war on poverty.
Janet Reno declared war on Microsoft. George Bush declared war on broccoli.
Now Click and Clack, the popular hosts of NPR's "Car Talk," have declared war
on cell phones -- specifically, driving while talking.
"It was bad enough when people were shaving and putting on lipstick while
driving," said co-host Tom Magliozzi. "But now they're trying to dial the
psychic hotline while changing lanes at 65 mph!"
"And LaToya Jackson should be telling them, 'I see an airbag deployment in
your future,'" adds Ray Magliozzi, Tom's brother and co-host.
Tom and Ray Magliozzi also write a nationally syndicated twice-weekly
column "Click and Clack Talk Cars," which runs in 300 newspapers. It was a
column they wrote in mid-September on cell phones that helped form the
battlelines, resulting in a barrage of e-mails and many thousands of letters.
"We received a question from a guy who wanted help in finding a cellular
phone to use in his 1995 Lexus LS400," said Ray. "We told him we could help,
but wouldn't because we're opposed to the use of cell phones in cars for
anything other than emergencies. We said it's immoral, unethical,
inconsiderate and downright stupid."
Unlike their usual advice -- which they say is, "unencumbered by the
thought process," the brothers have plenty of facts to back up their position
this time, including a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
It showed people talking on cell phones while driving were four times more
likely to be in a crash than the average driver, about the same risk as
driving drunk.
"When you're trying to merge onto the highway between a moving tractor
trailer and a Fed Ex truck, your brain is performing a complex mathematical
calculation. I think most people know that they can't do that and have an
intelligent conversation at the same time," says Tom. "And we have proof of
this, because every one of us has had a near miss with a jerk holding a cell
phone up to his ear."
The positive response to the anti-cell phone newspaper column was so
overwhelming that the brothers followed up by offering a free "Drive Now, Talk
Later" bumper sticker to anyone who wanted one.
We're still getting thousands of requests a week," said Doug Berman, the
show's producer. "We ordered 30,000 of them to start. We thought that would
last a year, but they were gone in two weeks. It's clear that people are
getting tired of getting cut off by some guy talking to his broker!"
The brothers' Internet site (http://www.cartalk.cars.com) is filled with studies
and stories showing the dangers of talking on a cell phone while driving, and
information on how readers can contact their local legislators encouraging
them to pass laws against the practice.
Tom and Ray hope that a bill currently working its way through the
Massachusetts Legislature will provide an example of tough new legislation.
The proposed bill would make it illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving.
"For the moment, it's being stalled -- pardon the pun -- in the House
Rules Committee by some guy named Angelo," Says Tom.
"Nobody wants to take on this issue," says Ray. "The politicians all
drive around and talk on cell phones, so they don't want to be inconvenienced.
If we have to go it alone, so be it. We have truth, justice and the American
way on our side."
Adds Tom: "I know it's inconvenient to pull over to make a call. But it's
inconvenient to be operating your motorized wheelchair with your tongue, too.
Think about that the next time you start fumbling for your keypad."
Car Talk, a Peabody Award winner, is a one-hour weekly radio program heard
by more than 2.9 million listeners. Ostensibly about cars, the show is
actually a mix of automotive advice, philosophy -- and wisecracks.
Car Talk's Internet site is hosted by cars.com, which provides consumers
with simplified on-line shopping for automobiles.
