Posted on 02/07/2011 8:10:43 AM PST by AT7Saluki
On Monday, a bill banning talking on the phone while driving will be introduced in the North Carolina Senate. The bill would ban using hands free devices while driving as well.
Highway Patrol Trooper Beckley Vaughn said it boils down to being distracted while driving. Vaughn said at only 55 mph, a driver goes about 88 feet per second. He said the average reaction time is only .75 of a second.
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.nbc17.com ...
How about using funds from the Stimulus package to pay for signs that say “No Talking!”? Police can use Big Ear Listening Devices to make sure our lips are sealed.
Just sayin’, you give them an inch don't bitch when they think they're ruler.
Yep, but worse, how many people will get killed sitting on the side of the interstate on the phone?
hows about closing the gap on illegals voting without picture ids....or getting state aid, food stamps and free health care without documentation...and on and on FIRST!
I think it’s more sinister than that. How can a cop know whether you are talking on a cell phone hands free? In other words, what constitutes probable cause? Your lips are moving? You’re gesturing? You”look” like you’re deep in conversation?
If this passes, you can be stopped for anything. It’s one of those “dragnet” laws designed to put all citizens under the cops’ watchful eye.
Distracted drivers pose safety hazard, according to new UNC study
The study found that drivers were most often distracted by something outside their vehicle (29.4 percent) followed by adjusting a radio or CD player (11.4 percent). Other specific distractions included talking with other occupants (10.9 percent), adjusting vehicle or climate controls (2.8 percent), eating or drinking (1.7 percent), cell-phone use (1.5 percent) and smoking (0.9 percent).
http://www.aaafoundation.org/multimedia/index.cfm?button=disdrv
Will this same law apply to law enforcement? Would it ban the use of two-way radios, as well?
No. Unless the legislature is willing to try banning these other distractions first this one needs a lot more explanation.
Instead of the nanny "because we said so" argument they will need to cite the studies showing a very real hypnotic state appears to exist among drivers when talking on a cellphone while driving.
The legislature will need to explore less baby & bathwater measures, such as limiting hands-free calls while driving to thirty seconds, or something similar.
This bill, as it stands, amounts to a ban on cellphones in general, or a ban on their use, and smacks of creating probable cause for officer intervention where no other exists.
The Mythbusters did some experiments with this and found that carrying on a phone conversation caused as much driver impairment as driving drunk. Of course there is a difference in real life so that a person carrying on a conversation while driving would most likely stop talking and paying attention to the phone if conditions required rapt attention to driving. But it did show that being distracted by a conversation causes unsafe drivers.
Cop: "OK, sir. Have a nice day. Sorry to inconvenience you."
I think they should every time I get behind someone engaged in conversation with their passenger while looking at them, gesticulating, and ignoring the traffic.
Hands' free is much less distracting for me. It leaves me with both hands on the wheel and you are not distracted with 'talking into the phone' which tends to isolate you from external events.
If you are in an accident and are sued, they can get your cell-phone records to see if you were talking at the time of the accident.
I can see where that would become license for the state to monitor everyone's cell phone usage and fine everyone for 31 second calls which pass from one tower to another.
There are laws against distracted driving already. Most of them include harsh penalties for causing an accident, plus penalties for infractions caused by distraction. Enforce the existing laws, says I.
give how smartphones now require letter entry to call a specific name, technology has already outpaced the law.
This sounds like a nanny state politician who was pissed off at someone. I bet there is an exclusion for these “special” people.
As a motorcycle rider who has had near death expierences from idiots talking on their phones I say ban the damn things while driving.
I also agree to ban eating, makup, shaving, reading, watching tv, etc while driving. When you are driving you should be just driving not a bunch of other stuff.
I don’t want to die because you feel it is time to say hello to grandma.
...or the goal is to keep pushing the cattle car white elephant train systems.
Remember, the government wants us to use tains along government sanctioned courses.
But, but, Gov workers will be exempt. And maybe a couple union vehicles.
Yay, more Government control because we cannot take care of ourselves.
Cop math fail. 55 mph = 80.67 ft/sec
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