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Old 08-02-2010, 06:45 AM
 
27,203 posts, read 46,518,781 times
Reputation: 15651

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When is a Governor or Senator stepping up to get his law in place.

It seems that 90% of the people are txt or calling and not paying attention to traffic while driving.

Many States and countries have it for years...Hands free calling behind the wheel...so you can still talk but at least it is less dangerous.
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Old 08-02-2010, 07:18 AM
 
Location: FL
789 posts, read 1,848,676 times
Reputation: 1659
I couldn't agree more. It is getting so bad out on the roads, I hardly go a day without some sort of episode. It's sometimes comical, people can't even stay between the white lines on I4 anymore because they are too busy on the phone or texting.

I was getting off an exit on Friday behind a Truck and without using his blinker, doing 45 mph he decides to quickly make a right turn into a gas station at the bottom of the exit and jams on his brakes without signaling WHILE HOLDING THE PHONE TO HIS HEAD! Luckily I wasn't tailgating, but I still had to jam on my breaks for this clown.

STOP THE MADNESS TALLAHASSEE!
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Old 08-02-2010, 07:44 AM
 
Location: Tampa
2,602 posts, read 8,261,001 times
Reputation: 1565
Just because it's a law doesn't mean it will be enforced. The police could bust most drivers for things like improper lane change or reckless driving, but they don't.
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Old 08-02-2010, 08:20 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
27,798 posts, read 32,204,693 times
Reputation: 14611
I sat behind a person yesterday for about 30-45 seconds before they realized the red light had turned to green. All the traffic around the driver had moved along. The person was clueless. I could see him texting while I patiently waited for him to move out.

A month or so ago, a lady was killed in my neighborhood in the middle of the day because she didn't see stop sign and drove through a t-intersection. It was an ugly scene. I'm pretty sure she was preoccupied w/ texting.

The sad thing is that texting will get innocent people killed.
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Old 08-02-2010, 08:22 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
27,798 posts, read 32,204,693 times
Reputation: 14611
Quote:
Originally Posted by ferret111 View Post
Just because it's a law doesn't mean it will be enforced. The police could bust most drivers for things like improper lane change or reckless driving, but they don't.
Maybe not, but you might be able to show that the person texting caused an accident or prevented them from taking corrective action. Might be an important fact in a manslaughter case or lawsuit showing responsibility for an accident.
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Old 08-02-2010, 08:27 AM
 
Location: South Carolina
14,785 posts, read 23,946,607 times
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I dont think florida will ever have this law in place because you have too many tourists that might stop coming if they actually start giving tickets for this . As I heard one senator say "We dont want to run our friends from the north away " . No we would rather have them killed by drivers who are texting . I used to live in florida I know what the traffic is like and it is horrendous and bad enough without someone always on their cell or texting . I fear for my nephews and my nieces that live down in tampa still .
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Old 08-02-2010, 08:39 AM
 
Location: Tampa Bay`·.¸¸ ><((((º>.·´¯`·><((((º>
4,696 posts, read 7,853,640 times
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I agree with most of you. This should be banned in all of the states.
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Old 08-02-2010, 08:53 AM
 
17,815 posts, read 25,502,192 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phonelady61 View Post
I dont think florida will ever have this law in place because you have too many tourists that might stop coming if they actually start giving tickets for this . As I heard one senator say "We dont want to run our friends from the north away " . No we would rather have them killed by drivers who are texting . I used to live in florida I know what the traffic is like and it is horrendous and bad enough without someone always on their cell or texting . I fear for my nephews and my nieces that live down in tampa still .

Ummmm.... CA has tourists and has this law on the books.

FL is a reactive state.
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Old 08-02-2010, 10:00 AM
 
27,203 posts, read 46,518,781 times
Reputation: 15651
Quote:
Originally Posted by ferret111 View Post
Just because it's a law doesn't mean it will be enforced. The police could bust most drivers for things like improper lane change or reckless driving, but they don't.
In The Netherlands where 16 million people live, they started this law a couple of years ago and I can assure you it has been enforced over there with at first low fines, and when people kept doing it the fines went up to $ 145.- per offense and that made more people realize that they had to change things.
Nowadays you hardly see people talking on the phone without hands free equipment.

If you hear friends have gotten a ticket and read about it in the news paper...than you will change it fast or you will pay...

The same will happen over hear when people get caught.

BTW it is very easy for the police to proof that a car accident happened due to calling or txt and when they don't see hands free equipment the ins. companies will crack down on the people.

We are in the middle of a legal case for over 3 years now, and one of the questions we got when subpoened was "were you or or any one in the car txt or calling on the phone while the accident took place"....and my family was the victims!!! The ins. companies try to blame someone for the other persons mistake.
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Old 08-02-2010, 10:09 AM
 
78 posts, read 185,047 times
Reputation: 48
Living in Chicago where this law has been enforced for a while doesn't mean s***. You still see 1000's of people a day on the expressway blabbing on and on or looking down at their phone texting while the rest of traffic is moving. And then people complain how it takes 1-1.5hrs to get home! And what do police do about it..not a whole lot.

While I am all for the enforcement and ban of using a cell phone while driving, but seems like people just don't care about others around them.
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