Brazil, Twitter, and Speed Traps

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/02/10/brazil-wants-to-ban-tweets-about-road-traffic/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=

I was looking through the Wall Street Journal and came across a really interesting article about Twitter and how the Brazilian government is trying to put a ban on people tweeting about the location and time of police speed traps and traffic checkpoints. According to the article, the fine could be as high as $290,000 for those who violate the injunction. There are more than 55,000 deaths per year due to automobile accidents in the country, and by banning people from tweeting about police speed traps and traffic checkpoints, the country is attempting to have people drive more safely to avoid getting pulled over and fined.

When I first read this article, I understood why the government would want to prevent people from tweeting about their check points. However, after thinking about it for a while, I think the government is missing a huge point. Maybe they should pass laws that prohibit people from using their phones while driving in general! After passing a check point, it is not my first instinct to get on my phone and tweet about it. If the government is finding that people are tweeting about it after they pass by, then they must be on their phones to do so! By prohibiting phone use while driving, they could find that their death toll decreases. Also, my generation are the ones who use twitter the most, so maybe the government should just prohibit people under a certain age to use their phone/texting and driving and have a heavy fine for that to deter people from trying.