Posted on 11/02/2014 11:34:16 AM PST by jiggyboy
1. The panhandler on the corner
Canadian cops dress up as panhandlers in order to get up close and personal with drivers. Officers in Ontario and British Columbia have slipped on hoodies, donned baseball caps and clutched tattered cardboard signs (complete with misspellings) before hitting busy street corners.
Their cardboard signs offer an upbeat message on one side and a clear warning on the other. One read, "My name is Constable Mike Cairns. If you are reading this sign you are about to get a cell phone ticket."
2. The trucker in the next lane
Last year, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo committed $1 million toward putting modified Chevy Tahoes on the road that sit higher than other vehicles.
3. The spotter on the overpass
NHTSA recently awarded $2.3 million to Connecticut so that towns there could experiment with various high-visibility enforcement measures, including overpass spying.
4. Your own cellphone records
This is not a commonly used tactic unless you have been involved in a car accident that resulted in an injury or death.
5. You, staring at your own lap
Drivers busy with their phones tend to be obvious. They drive slowly, hesitate at lights and are prone to weaving. Display any of these behaviors and there is a good chance you will be pulled over.
6. And now, the texting detector
A Virginia company called ComSonics is developing a radar gun-like device that detects the radio frequencies that are emitted from a vehicle when someone is using a cellphone.
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.yahoo.com ...
Well that is stating the obvious!
Ha, here on FR we have some sense, but I’d say that 5% of all drivers are texting at any given instant in Silicon Valley.
into your car
Got mixed feelings on this one, Big Brother surveillance vs the dangerously irresponsible citizen.
But after a number of near-collisions with cellphoning or texting drivers, I’m leaning toward the cops if it’s not a means of revenue enhancement.
At that point, "texting" will be no more distracting than having a conversation with the passenger next to you.
Unfortunately, 14-year-old girls will still be obsessed with sending each other an alphabet soup of abbreviations like OMG, LOL, YOLO, etc. But at least they are not old enough to drive.
One of the legitimate functions of government is to keep people safe from selfish idiots. Texting and driving should be a criminal offense with the same penalties as DUI.
Every person thinks that he or she is smart enough to text and drive, just like every drinker thinks that he or she can safely drink and drive.
And don’t forget those adorable emoticons....
>>Unfortunately, 14-year-old girls will still be obsessed with sending each other an alphabet soup of abbreviations like OMG, LOL, YOLO, etc. But at least they are not old enough to drive.
They don’t stop when they turn 16...or 26...or 36! I got rear-ended by a woman in her 30s who was texting.
LOL...why not just call the person and actually talk to them?
I have got no problem with this. Driving is a privilege, not a right. I don’t want the cops spying on us in our homes without a warrant, but bad drivers on public roads are a threat to public safety. Also, I have learned that bad drivers come from all socioeconomic groups. I have known people who are well educated and successful but cannot drive worth a crap.
Anyone texting while driving should do us all a favor and find a nice solid bridge abutment.
I don't; not while driving.
I don't even answer a call when I'm driving — it's just asking for a wreck.
That's what I used to say! But my kids finally explained it all to me.
Apparently the younger kids pride themselves in being able to communicate through electronic methods only. Unless they are "face-to-face", they go to great lengths to avoid speaking to each other.
They see direct voice communication as not only inefficient and disruptive but as an outdated relic of what their parents would do. Having a conversation by phone is as ancient and quaint to them as sending a telegram through Western Union would be to us. It is considered "lame."
“.why not just call the person and actually talk to them? “
Eggs Ackley! I have two friends who will not answer the phone, but will immediately answer a text! I just don’t get it! Makes no sense at all!
I’m the same way. I can tell that it messes with my concentration in a way talking to someone in the car doesn’t.
I don’t understand it but that’s the way it works.
Well, of that list, I have NO problem with item #4. Frankly, I’d likely have little problem with #6 as long as it cannot tell WHAT you are texting. Of course, this could be problematic if the texting is done by a passenger in the car.
My cell phone has texting turned OFF. If it is that important and must be typed, e-mail will have to do. Annoys some Craigslisters, though.
The thing I can't figure out is this:
Without fail, the IQ of every other driver on the road drops by at least 20 points as soon as I get behind the wheel.
Why is that? It's completely mystifying.
9 out of 10 times when someone is driving slow in the left lane on the expressway, they are either old or texting.
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