Hands free? Just me?

I live in Ontario, and recently they passed a law banning the use of handheld devices for emailing or calling.

While I totally understand the safety issues around being distracted while talking to your Mother, husband, boss, or other significantly annoying people in your life, let alone trying to thumb out a quick message while shifting gears, this new law has not addressed the biggest distraction I face while driving.

You know what it is.

The kids.

They are, unfortunately, not "hands free", leaving them FREE to smack each other, poke each other, grab from each other, make obscene gestures to each other...even throw the occasional tennis ball at the driver. (

Note to Carol Brady - you always said "Don't play ball in the house"; what about the station wagon?)

And that's just their hands, let alone their mouths.

Is there anything more distracting than listening to a conversation between your children that includes the phrases:

- I can't believe you spilled that. Dad's going to kill you.
- Is that poo?
- Look at this video on my iPod. Ignore the naked parts.
- Shhh. Mom's going to hear.
- And another reason why I know you're adopted?

I also wonder if the whole movement wasn't started by the paper manufacturers. Now, instead of being able to look up street directions I have handily placed within my BlackBerry calendar (at a stop light/BlackBerry pitstop), I have to print everything out, as apparently looking at something on paper is allowed, while on a screen it isn't.

Now excuse me while I have to go print a sign for my kids that says:

"Keep your hands to yourself...it's the law!"