EDITORIAL DRIVING DISTRACTIONS CELL PHONE BAN NOT MAGIC, BUT COULD HELP.

FROM the way some politicians are talking about it, cell phones are the most dangerous thing to happen to driving since black top was invented.

No doubt the ubiquitous phones are often a hazardous distraction -- just as text messaging, playing the radio, fighting with the spouse and watching TV behind the wheel are. But worse than drunk driving, as one suspect study suggested? Unlikely.

What does set hand-held cell phones apart are their visibility. Who doesn't have a story about some driver, hand to hear, absorbed in conversation, oblivious to signs, lanes and other cars?

Not surprisingly, hand-held cell phones have become a target for legislators looking to limit their use in the car. While several bills have been proposed in recent years, so far the reality of enforcing such a sweeping ban has tanked every attempt.

A breezy comment by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week supporting the latest legislation has changed all that. Now the bill, by state Sen. Joe Smiting, has a real shot at approval.

There's sure to be an outcry over this attack on the quintessential L.A. car culture, probably not dissimilar from the opposition to stabled law. And there are sure to be good arguments on both sides. Maybe a ban on hand-held cell phones is not a cure-all for distractions behind the wheel.

But sometimes legal nudging does result in public benefit. All you need to do is watch the original ``Red Asphalt'' driver's education movie to understand that.