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There will not be a law passed that also requires passengers in addition to the driver to not be using technology...people will NOT allow it - it is too ingrained...how do you stop kids from screaming in the backseat? ...that's just one example. Technology will have to be a lot smarter and be able to only cut off the driver from distraction...that might take awhile to get there. Might as well wait for cars to drive themselves and it will be a moot issue.
Ya know, there are actually parents who take a couple minutes out of their day to focus on raising their children and teaching them how to act. They are cruel and insensitive enough to limit the amount of time their child is allowed to be 'plugged into the Matrix' each day. Much like my parents used to limit the amount of time I was allowed to stare at the 'boob tube' (i.e. television) each day.
Technology will never be smarter than the people using it. Every programmer knows that in and of themselves, computers are stupid. People will have to be smarter, and take more responsibility for themselves and their offspring.
That's what happens when you pass all these feel-good laws. A large segment of the population violates the law and they know the chances of actual punitive consequences are almost nil. Pass all the laws you want. There simply aren't enough police to stop but a fraction of one percent of the violators.
The advantages to such a law are not always apparent. If Smith is in an accident while using his cell phone it probably will come to light. Either someone will have seen it or phone company records can be obtained that prove it later on. If Smith was indeed using his phone at the time of the accident it makes a case against him for driving negligently--perhaps even recklessly--that much stronger.
I would encourage folks not to text and drive. Sooner or later it will come back to haunt you.
The cell companies would never get on on board with any law that limits use of their products.
Why arent we looking to technology to solve this problem? Seems by now, someone should have come up with something to solve this problem.
I think maybe they arent addressing it, because once self drive cars hit the roads, problems like these are going to be things of the past, it just wont be an issue anymore, just like DUIs will no longer be an issue.
If the texter is not driving sporadically, how does law enforcement prove that the person was texting? Driver will simply deny it. There are no breathalyzers or neurological tests to provide some sort of objective evidence to support the cops.
Distracted driving accidents and deaths have SURPASSED drunk driving statistics.
Millenials down to teens are totally addicted to tech gadgets ....it's like a disease and it's killing innocent people like the grandmother with her two grandchildren that were mowed down recently by a teenager in a 3/4 ton pickup.Most pay a very small price for these crimes and it's time to put a stop to it.
TWI should have the same penalties as drunk driving....loss of license and a heavy fine.It's only going to get worse as todays kids grow up attached at the hip to their cell phones.
The cell companies would never get on on board with any law that limits use of their products.
Why arent we looking to technology to solve this problem? Seems by now, someone should have come up with something to solve this problem.
I think maybe they arent addressing it, because once self drive cars hit the roads, problems like these are going to be things of the past, it just wont be an issue anymore, just like DUIs will no longer be an issue.
The cell companies have too much political influence for any meaningful laws to be enforced. Used to, when a cell phone was the cause of a head-on, fatal accident, the media would report it as such. Nowadays, it's "car drifted left of center for unknown reasons."
The cell companies have not been actively opposing distracted driving laws. AT&T has taken the lead in trying to get people to stop texting & driving with its well-funded PSA campaign. That might change if states start looking at banning all cell phone use by drivers, not just handheld, as urged by the NSC. But that's at least a few years down the road.
Automakers, however, have been actively lobbying against laws that would restrict use of in-vehicle entertainment and data systems.
Most of the opposition to distracted driving laws comes from legislators concerned about "personal liberties." Legislators of color have also been objecting on grounds that more traffic laws encourage racial profiling by police.
For those who ask... How can Police enforce laws about driving while texting " ?'
Here are a few tactics used in Canada.
Police ride on local buses, observing cars that pass, they radio to a patrol car, who stops the vehicle. The people on the bus see this and comment favourably.
Police stand on the sidewalk at a intersection, looking at cars that are stopped at the red light. Video camera in hand. Head down ? Officer moves out and directs driver to pull around the corner.
On the highway........Motorcycle cop with video helmet camera. Driver is pulled off the highway, and written up.
In Ontario, the set fine for texting while driving, is $499, if you pay out of court. If you contest the charge, and are convicted in court , the fine is One Thousand Dollars, plus 3 demerit points on your licence.
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