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NTSB Urges Ban of Cell Phone Use While Driving

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by jdcollins5, Dec 13, 2011.

  1. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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  2. Michgal007

    Michgal007 Senior Member

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    Sounds great!
     
  3. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    I think that's a good recommendation.

    If you had to choose, which would you consider to be the most distracting: Texting or Talking on the phone?
     
  4. amm0bob

    amm0bob Permanently Junior...

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    I think the Cali law is a good one... well... except hardly anyone is minding the new law...

    I do... but, I am in the minority...

    Is the NTSB version similar to the Cali one...
     
  5. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Totally agree: Cell-phone usage while driving is reckless and should be illegal and punished by jail time.
     
  6. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Not only talking on a cell, TEXTING, WATCHING TV ON MFD, and whatever distractions I might have missed!
     
  7. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    To me, texting is even worse than talking on the cell. At least while talking you can keep your eyes on the road. For texting you need to continuously look down at the keyboard.
     
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  8. Felt

    Felt Senior Member

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    While I agree with all of the above .... is it enforcable?

    Obviously the Police can stop someone they see, but I anticipate the ACLU will cry foul .... violation of Freedom of Speech or some other ploy.

    Do citizens call 911 and report? That raises questions about being a witness, willingness to testify at hearings, jamming the courts with minor infractions, not to mention the additional load on Police Departments.

    There are simple, after the fact, test for DWI. Standards that can document the infraction. Yes, cell phone records can document a tell-call occurred, but the police will need a court order to open the file.

    Great idea, but enforcement would be problematic.

    My vote goes for texting being a larger detraction. Followed by girl watching, ..... LOL.
     
  9. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    Is it all that much different than enforcing seat belts? Cameras and radio technology could catch quite a few. Hermetic enforcement of anything is not possible, but good enough enforcement may save a few or more lives.
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    about time, couldn't agree more. i don't think you can pay attention while talking on the phone. it's not the same as talking to someone else in the car, something happens to your brain. my only concern is that drinking coffee will be next. enforce as best you can, like any other law. :phone:
     
  11. Prius101

    Prius101 Paid off Prius Member

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    Well, Washington State banned cell phone use without hands-free and texting was specifically banned as well. Still see lots of people using cell phones AND texting while driving. A lot of people figure it doesn't mean THEM. Of course, when they have an accident, the police and/or insurance companies are very willing to check if they were texting or talking on their cell phone.....
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    good point. when enough accident cases come up where people are denied insurance and/or are criminally liable, usage will go down.
     
  13. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    Some nitwit was weaving around on the road last week. I pulled up next to her to see what she was doing and she was typing on her laptop, that was in the passenger seat.
     
  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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  15. Feri

    Feri Active Member

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    Using mobiles in cars has been banned for a couple of years in Australia. Never the less I overtook a young lady travelling at 110kms/hr. She had both hands off the wheel looking at her mobile while texting. :rolleyes:
     
  16. Pinto Girl

    Pinto Girl New Member

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    No kidding. What's interesting about cell phones and driving is (and I'm making an assumption here), the younger someone is, the more they seem to crave social connectivity. And the less experience—and more importantly, judgment—they have behind the wheel.

    I'm not always a letter of the law person, but using a cell phone while driving is one of those things that I think really should be enforced in some way.

    How about this: If the GPS in your phone detects that it's moving faster than 20mph but less than 100 (so it could still be used in private planes, etc.) then the phone locks up and can't be used. I know, what about limousines and passengers in moving cars, etc. Just a bit of harmless ideation.
     
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  17. amm0bob

    amm0bob Permanently Junior...

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    I would agree to this Sis...
     
  18. Pinto Girl

    Pinto Girl New Member

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    The thing about phone use is, it's not only the physical act of dialing, holding the phone, etc. that causes the problem. It's the cerebral bandwidth that talking on the phone redirects from driving.

    It also puts folks in a place where somewhere else can become more important than where they are at the moment.

    I mean, in a car we're surrounded by strangers, but we tend to talk to those we care about. It's easy to see how attention could be shifted towards loved ones and away from someone we don't know in the metal box next to us, even if a false move could be deadly.
     
  19. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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    Problem with such a ban will be enforcement. Perhaps education and awareness campaigns can work better. Especially in high schools.
     
  20. direstraits71

    direstraits71 Member

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    I think the problem in California is too low of fines ($20 first offense and $50 for all subsequent offenses) and the resulting lack of interest in enforcement by police. Considering how frequently I see drivers on the phone, more enforcement and higher penalties could make a fortune for local and state governments. Maybe to be fair, make the first offense reasonable, but with rapidly escalating fines for subsequent offenses. Raise the second offense fine to $500 and higher for the 3rd, increase enforcement and see how that works.