Since people can't seem to figure this stuff out for themselves, California lawmakers have put forth a new initiative in the hopes of making it illegal to use your cellphone to do things like play Pokemon Go while driving.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out why this is so difficult for people to wrap their brains around. There is nothing safe about trying to capture fictional creatures in a smartphone game while steering a massive piece of metal on wheels down the road.
Playing Pokemon Go has turned out to be quite dangerous for a handful of people. Not only did a couple of fools walk off a cliff playing the game in California, but we've also reported on a guy who slammed his car into a tree while playing Pokemon Go, and another who literally struck a cop car while playing the game.
Over the past week or so, a couple of deaths have been reported to have ties to folks playing Pokemon Go, including a guy in Japan who allegedly struck a woman on a bike because he just had to catch them all.
It looks like folks in California realize that some people just aren't going to figure this out for themselves, as the Los Angeles Times is reporting a bill was proposed during a recent State Assembly that would make it illegal to not only text while driving a car, but also do anything else that could be considered distracting to the driver. Governor Jerry Brown has the proposed bill in his hands for the time being. According to Bill Quirk, one of the folks pushing for the bill, the purpose of the proposed law change would be to help keep things with the times. You can do a lot more on a smartphone than call and text these days, so the proposed bill would make engaging in those distracting activities illegal.
We understand that Pokemon Go merely served as a catalyst here, but it's high time a bigger push be put behind what is and is not appropriate behavior while driving a two-ton death machine. There's literally no excuse for risking the lives of others to catch a damn Charizard. If you want to walk off a cliff playing the game, more power to you. Once you introduce a vehicle and the lives of others into the mix, however, you've officially entered inexcusable territory.
To developer Niantic's credit, they've done everything possible to make it clear that Pokemon Go should not be played while driving a car. They've got a warning that pops up stating exactly that from time to time, and the game warns players to be aware of their surroundings every time it is booted up. To be crystal clear, we don't blame Pokemon Go in the least for the stupid and deadly behavior of a few individuals.
Now we just have to wait and see what happens with this proposed bill coming out of California. If passed, maybe we'll see stricter penalties for on the phone while driving in more states.
