Memo to drivers: hang up the cell phone

It never ceases to amaze me how many people still blab away on their cell phones while they are behind the wheel. And it never ceases to annoy me. The annoyance turns to anger when I read about accidents resulting from cell phone use. The latest occurred last week, when a 50-year-old grandmother transporting two of her grandchildren in the rear seat of her SUV was killed when she went through a red light in Jackson while talking on a hand-held cell phone and was sideswiped by a truck. The two children were critically injured.
Back in 2003, inattentive driving replaced drunken driving as the leading cause of fatal accidents in New Jersey. It's not known what role cell-phone use has played in that trend because there is no breakdown for the "inattentive driving" category. There should be.
People who talk on hand-held cell phones while they drive offer all sorts of excuses for doing so. All the excuses are lame. It is totally self-indulgent, irresponsible behavior. There is no good reason for not either using a hands-free headset or for not pulling over to the side of the road if there is a need to talk to someone right away.