Keller @ Large: Time To Punish Distracted Drivers

BOSTON (CBS) - I didn't think I needed a reminder that some people are careless idiots, but I got one anyway Tuesday on my drive home from work.

You know what it was like, rainy, foggy, lots of water on the road, conditions that screamed "go slow." So of course, I was nearly sideswiped by a creep cutting me off from a lane he or she wasn't supposed to be in, who then sped off to endanger the lives of others.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

No idea where they were or what they were doing, but bent on doing it at high speed.

There's no reasoning with someone like that, and no reason to assume they posess a shred of common sense.

So it was with that experience still fresh that I read the report of a growing movement in New Hampshire to ban a range of distracting behaviors for drivers, including hands-on cellphone use, putting on makeup, fiddling with the GPS, and, my personal favorite, reading the newspaper while behind the wheel.

Regular readers will note that my instincts tend toward the libertarian, but in this case, nanny state intervention is definitely warranted.

Where does anyone get the idea that it's OK to multi-task while piloting two tons of metal within inches of other cars and people at deadly speeds?

Most people do figure it out. If that weren't true, the carnage on our roads would be much worse than it is.

But some apparently cannot, like the dim bulb who nearly took me out Tuesday.

So government, do your thing.

Let the steep fines and jail time roll, so the rest of us can roll just a bit more safely.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.