He drives and texts with his child in the car -- "Is the father an idiot?"

Q: My grandson's dad is driving dangerously with his son in the car. He's messing with his cell phone, talking on it, even looking down to read text messages. Is the father an idiot? -- Reba in Tacoma A: Reba, that's a good question on the cell phone issue, and the fact that there's a child in the car, and the car seat might not be right, and he's leaning over and talking on the phone, and holding his phone a foot away, that's still not hands-free. That's still in your hand, and even though you're using the speaker phone, it's still a problem and is not legal. What you need to do is get the proper wireless device, and you might have to get it for him, if he's being stubborn. But, for the safety of your child, make sure that's done, because the police aren't going to be able to catch everybody who's on a cell phone, because there's just too many of it. We really look at that law for something that people do on their own to stop causing accidents. -- Pierce County Det. Ed Troyer