Reply #51: Couple of points

[dbmk]

Generally all those activities can be punished if they are exercised in a manner that impedes a safe handling of the vehicle.

Talking to someone next to you does not, normally at least, involve the interaction with a tool - like a phone. its not so much the talking, but the handling - picking up, answering, entering numbers and so on thats the problem. Taking your arm of the wheel for extended amounts of time.

You have a point with the other activities ofc. But a lot of those are not actions that impede your handling of the vehicle for extended periods. Either phisically or mentally.

It can seem a bit arbitrary, but its an activity thats easily identifiable and correctable with a headset. So really, why not?