IN THE PIPELINE:

In the last couple of years, Huntington Beach has made headlines outside the city for events that might be defined as somewhat offbeat.

There was the 2007 “Naked Guy” controversy, which challenged public nudity laws. There was the “Surf City, USA®” battle with Santa Cruz a couple of years ago and more recently, the “Blessing of the Waves” by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange.

Last week put us back in the news when the Huntington Beach City Council voted to ban sidewalk sign spinners, citing the twirlers were too distracting for drivers.

So say goodbye to Uncle Sams, Statues of Liberty and various assorted animal figures twirling signs and giant arrows. Personally, I’ve never found the sign twirlers that distracting, but it did get me thinking — if distractions while driving are this big an big issue, why not attack the problem where it really lives — behind the wheel and on the street.

Not sure about you, but since the ordinance banning hand-held cell phones went into effect, I still see plenty of people yakking away, seemingly oblivious to cars, pedestrians and other minor distractions that get in the way of a really meaningful discussion while behind the wheel.

Which got me thinking even deeper: The Huntington Beach Central Library has a rule that I love — $100 for cell-phone use within the library. If the city really wanted to make a difference regarding driving distractions (and no doubt make some headlines), why not push for some special local legislation that I can virtually guarantee would cut down on accidents and probably save a few lives. Here are my ideas for new local laws:

1. No dogs allowed in driver’s laps. I get it — you love your dog — but we love our lives. So watching you try and use a turn signal while managing Fluffy (why does it always seem to be poodles behind the wheel?) is a painful experience for many of us. What if Scooter goes to the bathroom? Or becomes startled at a siren? I know, your dog doesn’t do those things. No offense to Snowball — but you’re driving a 3,000-pound complex machine, which requires focus. Leave Fifi home or stick her in your purse.

2. No application of makeup/no shaving while driving. To anyone who says, “What’s the big deal about makeup/personal grooming actions while driving?” — let’s say a car being driven by someone with a dog in their lap is careening toward you by someone who can’t see you because they’re petting Bijou. Wouldn’t you rather be in a position to get out of the way? You have a bathroom at home — use it.

3. No cell-phone use/texting by bike riders/skateboarders. How is this not already a law? A recent study found that drivers talking on cell phones, either hand-held or hands-free, are more likely to crash because they are distracted by conversation.

“Just like you put yourself and other people at risk when you drive drunk, you put yourself and others at risk when you use a cell phone and drive,” writes David Strayer, a psychology professor and the study’s lead author. “The level of impairment is very similar.”

If this applies to drivers, why not the rest of traffic? Why are we so fast to demonize drunk drivers if, as many studies reveal, digital devices create the same (or worse) degree of impairment?

4. No use of digital devices in crosswalks. This makes me nuts. Many times while sitting at a red light, a teen will be walking by, texting, cutting across two, maybe three corners and not look up once to see if any cars are about to hit them. They assume that because they have the light, everyone will stop for them. From an article on MSNBC, just last week: “Kids who talk on a cell phone may be more likely to step into traffic, a new study shows.” (“Duh” — end quote).

“Children should learn to end phone conversations before they step up to the curb and prepare to step into traffic,” says David Schwebel, an associate professor and vice chairman in the psychology department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and co-author of the study.

The researchers found that children speaking on a cell were 43% more likely to be hit or to have a close call in the simulated street crossings than kids who weren’t on the phone. They also kept track of how many times a child would look left and right before stepping into the street and found that number fell by 20% when a phone conversation was going on. There was no difference whether the participant was a boy or girl. Experts in child safety applauded the cell phone study.

“If you’re talking on a cell phone, you’re not paying as much attention to the environment around you,” says Susan Baker, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore. This goes for kids as well as adults.

I say, if you really want to help public safety, create some new laws that truly target traffic distractions — not the sign twirlers. I know these laws might seem a bit “Nanny State,” but when a large part of society, old and young, is acting like a bunch of distracted 2-year-olds, well, maybe we need a bit more Nanny. Thoughts? Leave a comment at www.hbindependent.com.

At 2 p.m. Sunday I will be at Barnes and Noble in Bella Terra to sign copies of my books including “Huntington Beach Then & Now” for the Centennial. Tuesday, the official centennial day, I’ll be at Springdale Country, 15802 Springdale St., at 5 p.m. signing books.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 15 books, including the new “Vanishing Orange County.” Write him at chris@chrisepting.com.