Marta Mossburg On Legislative Logic (or lack thereof) In Annapolis

Marta Mossburg in her commentary in yesterday's Baltimore Sun captures the essence of legislative logic in Annapolis:

ANNAPOLIS — April 13, 2012

State legislators voted to close drive-throughs yesterday in a late-night, pizza-fueled frenzy in which they passed 20 other bills in the last minutes before the end of the session.

They said the ban, part of legislation outlawing eating while driving, will save lives. They also described it as one more victory in the war against distracted driving, which studies show is a major cause of accidents. Other distractions on the hit list: GPS systems, smoking, applying makeup, radios, Hooters billboards — and passengers, who may be required to be silent in coming years.

"We did not have the votes for a comprehensive ban on all distractions this year," said House Speaker Michael E. Busch. "But we're hopeful we'll push it through next year."

Fast food chain restaurant owners were blindsided by the vote, they said. "How can you ban drive-throughs?" said Mike Schmidt, who owns a McDonald's in Annapolis. "They are the quintessential American dining experience."

Another said there was no way to enforce it, since people could buy food to go and still eat in their cars. "Are they going to station cops outside our driveways, like bars?" asked Michelle Smith, who owns a Taco Bell in Dundalk.

Legislators could not say whether the ban would stop people from eating in their cars, pointing out that after hand-held cell phones and texting were banned in New Jersey, the number of people who admitted to texting while driving rose, according to a study by Fairleigh Dickinson University of New Jersey drivers.

Maryland has not analyzed whether its ban on using hand-held devices two years ago has reduced accidents. But Maryland reports $2 million higher revenue this year from tickets related to it.

To read the entire Mossburg column on the Baltimore Sun Opinion website, click here.