Drivers Ignoring Cell Phone Bans

This from England, where the use of cell phones is banned while driving: At least 50 percent of the driving population is essentially ignoring the law, happily chatting away (or, by God, texting) while driving on the wrong side of the road.

Strangely, about 75 percent of drivers support the law and think those who violate it should be punished with a fine. Of course, we all ignore speed limits, that "come to a complete stop" rule, and that pesky yellow light, so I suppose this is just a natural extension of growing driver apathy.

In related news, studies have shown that it's not the looking away from the road to dial a number that makes driving with a cell phone so dangerous. Rather, it's the concentration required to focus on a conversation with someone not in the vehicle that distracts the driver enough to make him a real menace behind the wheel. In other words: "Hands-free" devices don't make you any safer while you're chatting away.

A year or so ago, fellow Yahoo! Techie Roger Hibbert and I put a theory to the test at our local Malibu Grand Prix: That driving with a cell phone was just as dangerous as driving drunk. Our experiments, wherein Hibbert consumed half a bottle of vodka, were inconclusive, but tended to support the concensus: He was just as bad a driver after five drinks as he was while trying to juggle a handset and a steering wheel.

Does your county or state ban cell phones while driving? And do people actually follow the law? I'd love to hear how successful these early rules have been, and whether accident rates have declined as a result.