SENSE & SENSITIVITY

Keep kids cell-free while on the road

DEAR HARRIETTE: I tell my daughter to never use her cellphone on the road, not even for a second. It is the law, and texting while driving causes countless deaths. She retorts that using it for navigation is different, but I still think it’s a dangerous distraction. I’d rather have her use the car’s navigation. Is using the phone as a GPS a loophole for the law? -- No Distractions, Baltimore

DEAR NO DISTRACTIONS: The law requires that drivers never use cellphones when they are driving. There are not supposed to be exceptions to that rule. You are right to be concerned about your daughter’s cellphone use, primarily because people break that law so often. But there is a way to use the GPS navigation on the phone effectively and within the parameters of the law. By setting up the GPS before driving and then linking it through Bluetooth in your car, she will not need to use her hands to get directions or even to answer the phone.

Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO...