Cell phone fine

[topspeed]

I'm seeing more and more students at my school with them. BTW,its K-5th.

Wow Shok, you communicate pretty well for someone who's less than 10 years old!

I'm amazed that in the incredibly litigious state of California, we don't have a cell phone bill on the docket. I would support any law that would force either hands-free only usage or a ban altogether. Today's drivers are bad enough without trying to text message (another pet peeve) while navigating a 3500lb hunk of moving death. It's ludicrous. The problem is that not enough people take the job of driving seriously enough. They are so self-absorbed that the world around them is merely another blown Stop sign.

Cell phones are cars simply don't mix.

[markw]

I just did about 600 miles between here and Delaware twice this weekend (don't ask) and spent a lot of time on the NJ Turnpike and became reacquainted with this one...

OK, I'll drive a little over the limit and, if possible, not ride the fast lane. But, when there's slower traffic I stay in the left lane. BUT... when someone approaches, I pull over and let 'em pass. no ego here...

Generally, once they pass and I'll pop out and resume my cruise control set 74 mph.

BUT, and here's the biggie... Twice this weekend, the person "passing" me just pulled alongside of me and simply matched my speed, effectively trapping me in the traffic.. doncha just love that?

Fortunately, there's at least three lanes most of the way and I have no objections to passing on the right if circumstances necessitate it.

[FLZapped]

While you're at at, why not stop women from putting on make-up & guys from shaving while they drive?

Add to that teachers grading papers, lawyers reading legal briefs. And so on, and so on. Hey, how about cops talking on their radios, or taxi drivers for that matter?

Oh well. At least it's a step in the right direction.

No, it isn't. It is a knee-jerk reaction to stupid people who can't talk and drive at the same time. It isn't the only offense on the road, as listed above. It is just the latest poster child for poor driving habits.

There were already laws available, i.e.: Wreckless Driving. If that were being enforced, we wouldn't need a special set of laws. It only penalizes those who can manage two tasks at once.

-Bruce

[GMichael]

Add to that teachers grading papers, lawyers reading legal briefs. And so on, and so on. Hey, how about cops talking on their radios, or taxi drivers for that matter?



No, it isn't. It is a knee-jerk reaction to stupid people who can't talk and drive at the same time. It isn't the only offense on the road, as listed above. It is just the latest poster child for poor driving habits.

There were already laws available, i.e.: Wreckless Driving. If that were being enforced, we wouldn't need a special set of laws. It only penalizes those who can manage two tasks at once.

-Bruce

It's the latest craze. A new way to not pay attention to what they are doing. People get bored too easily. They're always looking for something else to do to keep them busy. And they all think that they are the ones who can do more than one thing at a time. Bull. Put the phone down. Put everything else down too. Watch the road and keep two hands on the wheel. People's lives are a stake.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Add to that teachers grading papers, lawyers reading legal briefs. And so on, and so on. Hey, how about cops talking on their radios, or taxi drivers for that matter?



No, it isn't. It is a knee-jerk reaction to stupid people who can't talk and drive at the same time. It isn't the only offense on the road, as listed above. It is just the latest poster child for poor driving habits.

There were already laws available, i.e.: Wreckless Driving. If that were being enforced, we wouldn't need a special set of laws. It only penalizes those who can manage two tasks at once.

-Bruce

Bruce,
It has long been proven time and time again that NOBODY is good at doing both. We may think we can drive and talk, but test after test after test done shows that everyone (at least those tested who claimed they were good at both) has diminished driving skills once they pick up that phone and begin to talk. Even those using headset had diminished driving skills.

It has already been said in this thread, cars and cellphones do not mix.

[ForeverAutumn]

It's the latest craze. A new way to not pay attention to what they are doing. People get bored too easily. They're always looking for something else to do to keep them busy. And they all think that they are the ones who can do more than one thing at a time. Bull. Put the phone down. Put everything else down too. Watch the road and keep two hands on the wheel. People's lives are a stake.

Well said.

I'm a sales rep. I drive around the Province in which I live. I spend A LOT of time in my car, frequently travelling to cities that are hours away. I refuse to use my phone when I drive. If my customers need me, they can leave me a voicemail message. That's why I have voicemail. If I'm on a long drive I will stop approximately every hour to stretch my legs and return phone calls. I will not put my life, or anyone else's life, at risk in an attempt to try to work and drive at the same time. My customers are important to me. However, I have no qualms in telling them that nothing is so important or so urgent that I feel the need to risk a life. Not one of them has ever argued that point with me.

People who think that something is soooo important that they can't wait until they are not moving to make or accept a phone call are just ignorant. I think that $90 is far too small a fine.

A couple of years ago, I was hit by a woman who ran a red light. She stopped, briefly, and then split the scene. A witness said that the woman was on the phone when she hit me. On the phone and too engrossed in her conversation to realize that the light had turned red. And it hadn't just changed either. She wasn't running a yellow that had turned red. It had been red for several seconds...long enough for me to be in the middle of the intersection when she ran it. She hit me on the passenger side and, luckily, I didn't have a passenger in the car so no-one was hurt. But if they had been...well...I just hope that her phone call was important enough to have been worth it.

[nightflier]

I'm amazed that in the incredibly litigious state of California, we don't have a cell phone bill on the docket.... The problem is that not enough people take the job of driving seriously enough. They are so self-absorbed that the world around them is merely another blown Stop sign. Cell phones are cars simply don't mix.

'Never happen in California. Cell phone use is a way to get poor smucks like you & me to work while they are not in the office. Most people will check their messages on their way to work, update their calendars during their lunch hours, and leave more messages for fellow workers on their way home. And somehow we are led to believe that we win out because we get a "free" cell phone out of it. Yeah right! If I had a dollar for every weekend call I've gotten since I've had this cancer-magnet glued to my belt....

That is why I'm fighting this every step of the way. I don't answer the phone when I'm driving. Period. I drive a stick (yes, there are still some of us out there who do), so using a cell is dangerous, and besides, I actually enjoy driving. I also listen to music on the road, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let them add OnStar to interrupt that (another freebie my company is trying to foist onto us). I also don't turn on my phone until I'm in the office and it's off when I walk out, even during lunch, meetings, etc. And on weekends, they can leave a message. If it's urgent (and it always is) then they can call my unlisted house phone. If I'm in the yard or listening to my music downstairs, or watching a movie upstairs, guess what? For all practical purposes, I'm not home. If they fire me over this, then I'll expect some overtime pay.

I encourage everyone to do the same.

[Woochifer]

I very well might be the only native Californian left who doesn't own a cell phone! I never found a need for one, though I do carry my laptop with me much of the time and will "borrow" an open Wi-Fi connection every now and then so I can pick up my e-mail.

As for cell phones, I don't think they mix with cars, period. Even with hands-free devices, I've read that they while they make the physical driving tasks easier, they make no significant difference in improving the impaired reaction time that cell phones create. I've read studies finding that drivers on cell phones are not that much safer than drunks because their reaction times are similarly impaired. In my experience, it seems that half of the drivers doing dumb things on the road are yapping on a cell phone, and the worst part is that they're totally oblivious to the problems that they create for other drivers.

And don't even get me started on the complete lack of discretion and etiquette when it comes to cell phone use in public places! As others have said, are these cell phone yakkers sure that they want THAT much information heard in public? Restaurants, movie theaters, on the subway -- sometimes I just want a few minutes away from other people's one-way conversations. I know that theater owners have been pushing for the FCC to legalize jamming devices like the ones that are used in Japan and other countries, because they get so many complaints about patrons talking on the phone or text messaging during movies. Oh well, just more reasons to stay at home.

[FLZapped]

Bruce,
It has long been proven time and time again that NOBODY is good at doing both. We may think we can drive and talk, but test after test after test done shows that everyone (at least those tested who claimed they were good at both) has diminished driving skills once they pick up that phone and begin to talk. Even those using headset had diminished driving skills.

It has already been said in this thread, cars and cellphones do not mix.

Did you miss the point. Is it any worse than a lawyer reading his legal briefs on the way to court? A woman putting on make-up? Man shaving? etc. These are examples where people actualy take their eyes completely off the road (which would apply to cellphone users dialing out while driving.)

It is a law not needed. If soemone is driving poorly, including those who can't drive properly when they aren't doing something else, charge them with reckless driving, or wreckless endangerment, both which have been around since nearly day one.

Ya don't need a seperate law that penalizes someone who is NOT displaying any reduction in their driving ability. Part of good driving is not to put yourself in situations you can help. I've seen those tests, most are constructed to produce a given output to make the point wanted.

So what does the woman putting on her make-up and weaving all over get charged with, the lawyer reading and weaving? Not cellphone use while driving, that's for sure.
Actually, one of the most dangerous things we find on the road today is people falling asleep at the wheel.

[FLZapped]

It's the latest craze. A new way to not pay attention to what they are doing. People get bored too easily. They're always looking for something else to do to keep them busy. And they all think that they are the ones who can do more than one thing at a time. Bull. Put the phone down. Put everything else down too. Watch the road and keep two hands on the wheel. People's lives are a stake.

I agree, it is the latest craze. I also agree that people need to pay closer attention to their driving. I ride the bus to and from work and the majority of the idiots I see daily are NOT using cellphones, they are simply careless.

The last accident I had was from some guy playing with his in-dash CD player and not talking on a cellphone.

-Bruce

[GMichael]

Did you miss the point. Is it any worse than a lawyer reading his legal briefs on the way to court? A woman putting on make-up? Man shaving? etc. These are examples where people actualy take their eyes completely off the road (which would apply to cellphone users dialing out while driving.)

It is a law not needed. If soemone is driving poorly, including those who can't drive properly when they aren't doing something else, charge them with reckless driving, or wreckless endangerment, both which have been around since nearly day one.

Ya don't need a seperate law that penalizes someone who is NOT displaying any reduction in their driving ability. Part of good driving is not to put yourself in situations you can help. I've seen those tests, most are constructed to produce a given output to make the point wanted.

So what does the woman putting on her make-up and weaving all over get charged with, the lawyer reading and weaving? Not cellphone use while driving, that's for sure.
Actually, one of the most dangerous things we find on the road today is people falling asleep at the wheel.

So people who drink and do drugs should be alowd to drive as long as they stay between the lines?

[ForeverAutumn]

It is a law not needed. If soemone is driving poorly, including those who can't drive properly when they aren't doing something else, charge them with reckless driving, or wreckless endangerment, both which have been around since nearly day one.

Ya don't need a seperate law that penalizes someone who is NOT displaying any reduction in their driving ability. Part of good driving is not to put yourself in situations you can help. I've seen those tests, most are constructed to produce a given output to make the point wanted.

As far as I know the woman who hit me was driving perfectly fine until she ran the red light. She was in her proper lane, doing the speed limit. Nothing wreckless about it.

Would she have run the red light and caused the accident if she weren't on the phone? We'll never know, but my guess is "no" because she would have been paying more attention to her surroundings. The fact that she left the scene indicates to me that she knew that she was doing something wrong (even though cell phone use while driving is perfectly legal here). And, btw, she was caught and charged with running a red and leaving the scene. The cops said that there was no sign of alcohol or any other reason for her bad driving. Her licence was suspended for six months.

If having a specific law against cell phone use while driving saves a life, I'm all for it. Just being on the phone displays a reduction in driving ability. Your attention is not where it should be...on the road. And yes, I agree that people should not fiddle with radios, cds, put on make-up or shave while they're driving.

If "part of good driving is not to put yourself in situations you can help", then being on the phone while driving should be punishable as bad driving. I don't care what law it's under.

[Feanor]

My friend just called and got a $90 fine for using his cell phone in a car in NYC.Yes they are inforcing it.

A license suspension might have been better -- or jail time.

No one can do two of these things at once -- not well, anyway.

[Fergymunster]

A license suspension might have been better -- or jail time.

No one can do two of these things at once -- not well, anyway.

Unfortunitly both,however in moderation

[bubbagump]

A wonderful story! I recently bought a phone and all the add-ons to it: a protection and a case. I was upset because they sold me the original cover, and it turned out to be a fake. I read koretrak reviews and it turned out that I am not the only one, be careful.