Several weeks ago, a woman here in my home town of Portland, Oregon drove off a bridge while yacking on her cell phone. It was a hands-free handset, by the way.

Fortunately, she survived with mere cuts and scratches on her face. She was more than lucky. Instead of the admonition "Hang Up And Drive," "Hang Up Or Dive" would have been a more relevant caution.

Then, last week, someone nearly sideswiped me while executing a left turn through an intersection on a busy, two-lane street. She was talking on her cell phone as well.

I'm the last person to knock communications technology. I've had a cell since the 1980s, and while I might be happy to see you, that is a cell phone in my pocket.

Still, maybe I'm old fashioned enough to adhere to the notion that when driving, you use your cell in an emergency. Such as calling in a police report of a knife fight on the street that you are driving on, or helping a fellow motorist in distress. Or, if necessary, return the day care center's call.

While driving, you do not use your cell phone to ask what you should pick up at the supermarket, what DVDs you should pick up. Nor do you call your Realtor, your broker, your hairdresser. Pull to the side of the road for that.

Which naturally leads to a discussion about whether local governments should ban cell phone use while driving.

I'm not a reflexive Libertarian, but I would say no. For every near-miss, there's got to be many multiples of successfully executed talking-while-driving conversations. So to me, the issue is whether government should regulate behavior that is more risky than normal - or whether your own common sense should prevail.

Here's how I would parse this issue. Don't outlaw cell phone driving. Instead, sell cell-phone-while-driving permits to individual motorists, and then use the proceeds to support E911 services. Those permit-holders who would abuse the privilege and either cause accidents or get arrested for other moving violations would lose their permits.

And of course, see their insurance rates rise as well.