Have you ever talked on your cell phone while driving? C’mon, be honest—we’ve all done it. And, at least some people are pretty opinionated about their right to talk and drive, as North Carolina-based Triangle Business Journal learned recently when it conducted a poll on this very topic.

The poll asked, “Do you think North Carolina motorists should be allowed to use their cell phones while driving?”

More than 739 people participated in the poll, and of those about 51 percent said that talking and driving should remain legal in their state.

Participants also were allowed to add comments, which were made anonymously. Some of them are pretty telling:

“It seems to me that cell phone users are not the worst offenders. Look at the cars you pass and count the folks reading books and papers propped on the steering wheel. Add to that the ladies who are applying makeup - particularly eye makeup - while moving at highway speeds on 540. How many of these same folks have a coffee cup in their hands? Breakfast? My favorites are the ones who are shaving or brushing their teeth while driving! Get up five minutes earlier, folks! Ban all these activities, or keep them [all] legal.”

Hmmm… I can’t say I can recall the last time I saw someone putting on makeup or reading a newspaper while driving. Drinking coffee, though, I can believe. I’m guilty of eating breakfast in the car on the way into work almost every day, and don’t think this activity has much, if any, effect on my ability to be a safe driver. (I can justify that claim by the fact that I always pause my meal while merging onto the interstate.)

Here’s another comment that reveals frustration with what may seem a double standard:

“I live in Washington, D.C., where it is banned. The rule is pointless. I am often passed by police who are driving while talking on their cell phones.”

Yet those who think driving and talking should be banned also had some good points.

“It should be legal, [but] only with a Bluetooth or hands-free set. Too many of our drivers think they are paying attention, but they are not!” one person said. Another countered: “The problem with the hands-free devices is that if the phone rings or you need to make a call, wrangling with the hands-free thing is more dangerous than simply picking up the phone!”

Yet another got directly to the point: “Shut up and drive. People are getting killed because of these idiots.”

I wonder if this will become a new source of road rage?

What do you think—is it okay to talk and drive? How about eat and drive? Where do you draw the line with distractions from the job of getting the vehicle, and yourself, safely to your destination?