I may not have as much experience driving as RKL, but I have to weigh in on this. I think I may have earned the right since I've been in collisions about 5 times or so, and before you even ask, not one was my fault. Mind you, I also drive an emergency vehicle, so I have a little extra training as well, and spend a LOT of time driving.
That all being said, we make driving entirely too easy in this country. Personally, I feel that 16 is too young to be driving, and that what little training people get is usually just a parent teaching them the basic mechanics of how to operate a vehicle. Very few people get any actual training in how to handle a vehicle, and even less training in how to handle an emergency. And responsible vehicle operation? What's that? And yes, I know about driver's ed programs. And I also know that most of the kids aren't exactly paying attention to the instructor.
The problem isn't cell phones. The problem isn't a passenger. The problem isn't the radio, or the makeup application, or the fast food meal you just grabbed in the drive-through. All of those are a symptom of the problem. The problem is between the ears of the person operating the vehicle.
RKL, I tend to agree with you that we have a very skewed system in how we deal with "accidents". Frankly, I think that it would be appropriate to involve criminal charges when you do something stupid and it causes someone a loss. And I bet that if Suzy Soccermom knew she might get jail time if she rearended someone while yakking on her cell phone and slurping her soy-milk latte, it might make her think twice about what she was doing.