It's not using your hand to hold the cell phone that irks me. What irks me is that the cell phone is in use while you are driving in any way, shape or form. Frankly, unless it's a life or death situation it's not that damned important. They did a study on cell phone use while driving, and compared hands free vs. hand held vs. no cell phone at all, and found that hands free or hand held didn't matter. The rate of accidents while using a cell phone and driving was the same as the accident rate of someone with a BAC of .10.
Most states have laws against distracted driving, and they aren't enforced. Instead they put band aids on the law and make it look like they are doing something.
I miss driving in Germany. In that country, there are areas with no speed limits, but if you tailgate, do something that the officer feels is distracting you from driving (i.e. talking on a cell phone, eating, talking to passengers in a manner that is taking your attention away from the road) you are fined severely. Other offenses in Germany that are either not enforced or tolerated in the states include pulling too close to someone at a stoplight, failing to yield, and impeding the flow of traffic. I think we could learn a lot from a country that didn't even have cupholders in cars until very recently. Driving a vehicle is a priviledge, not a right, and it is very easy to cause major damage if you don't pay attention.
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