Nearly all of us have been driving down the freeway or a city street and have noticed another motorist driving erratically.

The clues are obvious. The vehicle is weaving, and sometimes it’s traveling too slow or too fast. The driver may occasionally brake for no reason or reacts slowly to changes in traffic.

For all intents and purposes, the motorist resembles a drunk driver.

And then you see the cause. A cellphone is pinned to his or her ear.

But this opinion piece isn’t promoting hands-free cellphone use.

We’re calling for a total ban on cellphones in motor vehicles except in emergencies. Talking with someone who isn’t present is entirely different than conversing with a passenger.

If you talk on a cellphone while driving, you are preoccupied even when you’re using a hands-free device .

All drivers, even good ones, are distracted by conversations over the phone.

The insurance industry knows that cellphones and safe driving are incompatible and that hands-free devices help only a little.

The modern motorist has so many distractions. The list includes iPods and other MP3 players, satellite radios, CD players and whatever’s next.

But the worst culprit, bar none, is the cellphone.

The best advice is to turn off your cellphone before you strap on your seat belt and to reach for your phone only in a life-or-death situation.

As it is, cellphones are causing life-or-death situations.

Until the law changes, the inmates are running the asylum.