Good reason to consider banning cell phones

The Houston County Sheriff’s Department has received the results of a state Department of Public Safety investigation of a county jail vehicle that crashed on July 22, killing an inmate being transported to Dothan for a court appearance. The news couldn’t be worse: The driver of the van, corrections officer Michael Brian Shelley, was talking on a cell phone and ran a red light just before the three-vehicle crash near Montgomery.

What happens next should certainly be watched closely. Considering that drivers who have violated traffic laws resulting in a fatal accident are often at the mercy of a grand jury with regard to criminal charges, will Montgomery County District Attorney Ellen Brooks send this case to a grand jury for review?

Certainly; this traffic fatality should receive no special treatment simply because the victim was a convict in state custody and the driver at fault is a public employee.

The incident should also serve as an impetus to debate over the method of transporting inmates, how they are secured and whether they are provided with safety belts.

But, as one reader of the Eagle’s Web site pointed out, “our most precious resources” — our children — are transported in school buses every day without the benefit of safety belts.

The time to consider banning the use of cell phones — even hands-free phones — is long overdue, and this crash is a prime example of the dangers of driving during a phone call.

All government officials should see this incident as a cautionary tale and issue an immediate caution on the use of cell phones by any public employee operating a moving government vehicle.

With one fatality and a second person injured in the crash, one worker’s inattention could potentially cost Houston County taxpayers millions of dollars. Officials must act to prevent a similar occurrence.