In our ongoing series of Talk of the Day topics that ask you to balance the rights of individuals against the interests of the public, I bring you today’s topic: Driving while talking on your cell phone.

We reported in a story on the site today on the six-month anniversary of a tremendous and deadly wreck on Highway 40 in west county. The wreck involved a loaded tractor-trailer that ran into and over 10 other vehicles.

Thursday will mark the six-month anniversary of the crash. No charges have been filed against the truck driver, Jeffrey R. Knight of Muscle Shoals, Ala. Authorities have only described Knight as being inattentive, but a Missouri Highway Patrol report has revealed he admitted to an investigator that he was distracted by a cell phone.

The comments on the story were really interesting. Some were discussing whether the truck driver should be punished (no charges have been filed in the case). There was a lot of discussion about how much of a roll the cell phone played.

The question here: Should the state outlaw talking on your cell phone while driving, as other states have done? Do you buy the study that says talking on a cell phone while driving is like driving drunk?

And yes, regular TOTD readers, we have discussed this before. But it was nearly two years ago, so it’s possible points of view have changed since then.