Texting-while-driving ban now in effect (Bowie: move, car, ticket)

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by OzzyRules

I usually favor common sense over more and more rules and regulations. But whatever works.

Every single person that I’ve heard saying that, thinks that people should be thrown in jail if certain weed grows in their backyard…
not exactly my definition of common sense.

[TexHwyMan]

Originally Posted by svg210

GPS units are sometimes misleading, when I was training a driver to take over my routes, He kept using his Tom Tom GPS and I insisted he relied upon Maps, and studying the night before.

Sorry, this is a little off-topic, but this comment reminded me that In England, they had such a problem with trucks hitting low-clearance bridges or getting stuck in narrow-width locations because they were following their GPS units that they have installed signs at those locations specifically warning truck drivers to ignore their GPS directions and follow the directional signs instead.

[xsa210tx]

Originally Posted by meisha210

For many people, $200 is just pocket change and they would think more about their actions if they had to serve jail time.

Uh...

I wouldn't say $200 is "pocket change" for many people. In this recession, that's a lot of money. Pocket change is more along the lines of $5 or $10.

But your point that they might not take it as seriously if there is just a fine rather than jail time, is definitely agreeable.

Originally Posted by meisha210

Jail time = more taxpayer dollars, community service = free labor. Make them clean up crime scenes so they can see what a dead body can look like after being hit by a distracted driver.

Eeek! I wouldn't go that far to say they should clean up crime scenes.

But I do think that community service is much more beneficial to the city in some cases (for the "first" DUI offense) than jail time which just squanders away taxpayer money.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by meisha210

For many people, $200 is just pocket change and they would think more about their actions if they had to serve jail time.

More people in jail = higher taxes.
I rather make them pay for breaking the law, than give them free room and board payed with taxes.

[pr57001]

Originally Posted by catman

I have a cell phone, but I only use it for emergencies. I used it once while driving and felt like an idiot, so I never did it again. Texting while driving is unbelievably stupid.

I'm sorry, but if you have only used a cell phone "once while driving" you are so far out of touch it would be hard for you to comment on this issue.

I think this ordinance is nothing more than political grandstanding at its finest. It is unenforceable, unnecessary and useless.

There are 1000's of ways to distract oneself while driving and there are 1000's of activities that one could engage in that might, in a freak sequence of events, endanger an innocent and unrelated third party.

Unfortunately, we cannot protect everyone from themselves nor can we protect everyone from every individual freak hazard that might happen. And, yes, an injury causing by a texting driver that hurts someone OTHER THAN the driver or driver's passengers is a freak accident. Before you go there, if your driver is texting and that makes you uncomfortable, get a different ride. It's your problem, not the government's or the people's.

In the slippery slope world we live in, transportation secretary Lahood was shown on a clip on Fox News this morning suggesting a 100% band on all cell phones with or without handsfree capability across the country as a new federal law. Wow, now we can inconvenience 200 million, reduce productivity all to save the lives of a few hundred people a year. My indifference may sound callous, but saving everyone from everything is not possible. We wouldn't be having this discussion as even internet forums have killed people.

Enough is enough!

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by pr57001

I think this ordinance is nothing more than political grandstanding at its finest. It is unenforceable, unnecessary and useless.

I'll say it again, you can make the exact same argument about marijuana
Spending billions on tax money stopping something that any High School kid can get for free from their friends.

If it's unenforceable, then change the law to make it forceable.
I would change it to:
(1) Anybody seen with a cellphone on the left lane of the highway gets a ticket
(2) Anybody seen on the other lanes with a cell phone on their hand for X seconds gets a ticket.

Here's where I blame the government (existing and previous one)
why don't we have cell phone mounts with microphones that I saw in Korea in 2002 to allow people to talk without holding their cellphones?

[L210]

Dopo, that's why I said I prefer community service. Tickets haven't stopped the reckless driving in this city.

xsa210tx, how many times do people break traffic laws before they're finally pulled over? I drove over the speed limit almost everyday for 4 years before I received my first ticket. I don't think $200 every few years when you finally get caught is enough to deter people. Can people get out of these tickets by taking defensive driving or accepting deferred adjudication (probation)? If that's the case, this new law is not going to do much and it still costs the city money to process all of these offenders.

pr57001, mass cell phone use while driving is fairly new and accidents caused by distracted driving have gone up since it started. Getting hit by a distracted driver is not a freak accident because it happens everyday in almost every city. And I highly doubt that productivity has gone up ever since people started using cell phones in their cars, if that were the case, we could've avoided the last two recessions. Any increased productivity from having people work in their cars is offset by people using the internet, playing games on their phone, or texting at work and people being held up in traffic because of an accident. Thousands of people are injured every year by drivers texting. It is mind boggling that you would think you would be so inconvenienced by a complete cell phone ban, that it's not worth saving lives and people from injury. Only a few people have the super multitasking skills that allow them to safely do other things while driving. I don't see why people need to work or hold casual conversations on the phone in their car. Is that seriously such an inconvenience? With your reasoning, we should just allow people to drink and drive because drunk drivers have caused less accidents than distracted drivers.

[nismospec]

just thinking out loud, so exuse my naivity, but what happens if I get pulled over under the assumption that I was texting and driving, when all I was doing was dialing a number?

if it gets proven that no texts occured, yet I was pulled over wrongfully....is there anything that can be done? honestly that'd be my biggest pet peave, a waste of my time and a waste of my tax dollars.

[dtom]

Originally Posted by Bowie

Driving = vehicle in motion. If you're at a red light with the brake fully engaged, you're stopped. That's not driving. That's being temporarily parked. When you disengage the brake when the light turns green, you're driving again. Do that after putting the phone away and you won't be violating the law against distracted driving.

Sorry that you are misinformed. Whenever you are on the street, behind the wheel of a vehicle, in the flow of traffic, such as at a stop light, stop sign, in traffic....you are driving. If you do not understand this simple point of DRIVING a vehicle maybe you should give it up.

[Bo]

Originally Posted by dtom

Sorry that you are misinformed. Whenever you are on the street, behind the wheel of a vehicle, in the flow of traffic, such as at a stop light, stop sign, in traffic....you are driving. If you do not understand this simple point of DRIVING a vehicle maybe you should give it up.

I understand it quite well. I've even spent some time with traffic planners and read a few of their trade publications, so I understand things about the big picture aspects of driving that the average person doesn't seem to grasp. We have traffic lights in this city that stay red for 3 minutes at a time. I don't see why I should be prohibited from reading a few text messages while I'm sitting 12 cars back from a red light that won't turn green for another 3 minutes. My vehicle can't move in that situation, with vehicles in front of, beside and behind me. There is literally no action I can take behind the wheel as long as that light is red.