Federal Ban on All Cell Phone Use While Driving Proposed For US

[jntdroid]

wow how did I miss all this... closing for a few.

 

[jntdroid]

Ok, I'm re-opening. I cleaned up anything that was related to a personal attack on this last page or so.

I know this is a hot-button issue for a lot of people, and this thread has almost stepped over the line a couple of times, but so far has maintained a decent level of respect. But please keep it respectful and refrain from any personal attacks. We all have differing opinions, that's what makes life interesting. If we can't respect each other in the process of "debating", then infractions will be handed out, and the thread will ultimately be shut down.

 

[Josefius]

God help us if Google Goggles takes off:

[video=youtube;t3TAOYXT840]http://youtu.be/t3TAOYXT840[/video]

 

[xeene]

it won't because it's not practical.

 

[MrCatPC]

I know I pounced quick on that reply but I have heard so much BS from liberals trying to blame and ban guns instead of dealing with the scum using it. A little background on me. I'm ex military police so this is an issue near and dear to my heart.

Sent from my HTC Rezound using Droid Forums

No offense taken. I'm conservative. I think critically. I forgot to put the Mr. Macky South Park "Guns are bad mmmkay?" into my paragraph and that totally changed the tone...

We're an unarmed household by choice, but only because we are protected by the peace officers and soldiers who are actively making our city & country safe. I'm related to & know a few, and it's not a job I think I would ever be strong or brave enough to fulfill.

Where I was going is a little more archaic actually. In my *young* old age, I'm seeing connections between the oddest things, likethe hearing on the radio about a college "protester" at some occupy whatever location who'd written "pay my college tuition" on his sign impressed only himself by his own cleverness, I suddenly realized how quickly we've become an eBay meets Craig's List society. I'm gonna have a lot of trouble explaining that thought process, so I'll try to bow out for now. Maybe just broadcast whatever & see who buys it cuz somebody's bound to sooner or later...

It's my opinion that deep critical thinking requires more than the visceral emotional gut response to the tragedy of this situation. Federal laws can only coat the issue but not dig down deep where individuals need help changing habits. The big question is how to change the behavior, and Washington can't do that, AND MORE TO THE POINT THEY HAVE NO BUSINESS TRYING! Dictators gain power in this way, culling the masses on an irrational whim...

The way I see it, banning guns created a lucrative black market where it's nearly easier to buy high-powered military-grade firearms in an alley, and likewise saying we stop drivers for holding a phone has resulted in a steep rise of "lap texting." Or maybe it's just timing?

JENGA! A "simple" federal law won't help here. But man it will look impressive on paper and nobody wants to stand up and say wait we should NOT pass laws where other solutions could be far better, so they all step up, smile, and sign. And see my previous post about what happens to the people they think they're protecting from secondhand smoke...

Dizzying. What's bad about the object (insert phones, etc) is how dehumanizing it allows us to become. That's man's fault, not his technology, I know. But it sure moves faster than legislation can comprehend. So I think that cannot be the answer.

 

[huskur]

No - using the cell phone, period, is the culprit with the exception of a handsfree device.

"point #1": This is the same type of distraction as using a cell phone and worse. Someday, you'll get in an accident and blame it on the other driver instead of your kids that actually caused the distraction.

"Point #2": You were lucky to not have a safety issue taking a phone call in your vehicle. You should; however, pull over if texting (so we're on the same page). Cell phones are the true culprit in this convo, not just texting.

Apparently my multitasking abilities are far greater than some. Cell phones are one of the greatest technologies in the world today. Using them in a safe manner is always recommended. I feel totally safe taking a call on my cell phone (either with the phone or handsfree) and still being in total control of my vehicle. If you or others do not feel you can safely do that then it would be in your best interest not to do it.

 

[huskur]

A little extreme?
Try getting hit by someone using the cell phone when they're driving 45 mph when you're waiting for a green light. I can use a handsfree device - what's the point? How is it so important that you need to talk on the cell at all when you're driving? Before cell phones were popular or used by the consumer, what did you do? Go to the nearest phone booth at every other block to make a call to see how someone's doing? You shouldn't depend on cell phones like their part of you body. People are getting more & more attached they won't know what to do if a catrostrophy happened. "oh my, what do I do, I don't have anymore signal - well i may as well kill myself since my cell phone doesn't work anymore". Think about it.

There is nothing to think about here. The world of technology is evolving around you and you/we have to make adjustments to the benefits. What is so important? I have a life that is full and communication is a must. 3 young kids in school, a full time job and donate 30+ hours a week of my time to my community coaching baseball and being on several boards within my city.

It's OK to get "attached" to your cellular device but remember where you came from. Anyone that can competently operate a smartphone will not have the "what do i do since my cell phone isn't working". They will know what to do.

You cannot group everyone into one category just because of a experience that you have had with someone that did not have the ability to "safely" use their device.

 

[SquireSCA]

Apparently my multitasking abilities are far greater than some. Cell phones are one of the greatest technologies in the world today. Using them in a safe manner is always recommended. I feel totally safe taking a call on my cell phone (either with the phone or handsfree) and still being in total control of my vehicle. If you or others do not feel you can safely do that then it would be in your best interest not to do it.

The problem is that the overwhelming majority of people that think they can both talk on a phone and drive just as well, are sadly wrong. If their driving isn't worse with the phone, then most likely their driving skills are so poor to begin with that adding a phone to the mix doesn't drag down the score much.

I said it before and I will say it again... Go ride and commute on a motorcycle for a few months and get back to me on how great the average driver is. The truth is that most of them are oblivious to their surroundings, and most other drivers don't notice most of the stuff that goes on because they too are insulated behind glass, steel and airbags, with wonderful distractions like food, soda, radios, DVD players, gadgets, phones, GPS, the kids in the back seat, etc...

In our effort to take cars from a simple means of transportation to this serene, safe mobile entertainment systems, we have in fact made the act of being on the road LESS safe over the years. As we add more technology like "self-parking" cars, and cars that scan the road and brake when there is an obstacle and all that, we remove the driver from the act of driving, and the consequences, even more.

And look at our driving tests. A monkey could pass them, they truly are pitiful. Our driver education and test procedures in no way certify you as qualified to drive a car.

So while most people THINK they are good drivers, very few of them are. Go ride a motorcycle and you will have none of those protections, none of those distractions. You will see that each day is a video game where you "win" if you can make it to your destination alive past all the absolute blathering morons on the road and all the asinine things they do, usually while on the damned phone, all the while patting themselves on the back for what a great driver they think they are.

It's an eye-opener, and I am willing to bet that anyone here who rides and is reading this post, will agree with me 100%.

 

[SquireSCA]

There is nothing to think about here. The world of technology is evolving around you and you/we have to make adjustments to the benefits. What is so important? I have a life that is full and communication is a must. 3 young kids in school, a full time job and donate 30+ hours a week of my time to my community coaching baseball and being on several boards within my city.

It's OK to get "attached" to your cellular device but remember where you came from. Anyone that can competently operate a smartphone will not have the "what do i do since my cell phone isn't working". They will know what to do.

You cannot group everyone into one category just because of a experience that you have had with someone that did not have the ability to "safely" use their device.

The point is that the stats are in and growing. Cell phone use while driving does have an impact.

Look how many people call on the banning of guns? Even though gun accidents account for barely 1,000 lives per year. In a country of 300+ million, that's an accidental death rate of what 0.0001% or so?

So when cell phone related deaths while driving is 3,000 per year and CLIMBING, why shouldn't people be concerned?

If you are the 1% that can drive and talk and have it not make you a worse driver, great. But the other 99% need to be put in their place and if they won't take it upon themselves to do the right thing then we leave the gubment no choice but to get involved and do it for them. What do they expect? Is yapping with their fat girlfriend about Idol really worth killing someone over? Seriously? Is that a Right?

 

[silverfang77]

The problem is that the overwhelming majority of people that think they can both talk on a phone and drive just as well, are sadly wrong. If their driving isn't worse with the phone, then most likely their driving skills are so poor to begin with that adding a phone to the mix doesn't drag down the score much.

I said it before and I will say it again... Go ride and commute on a motorcycle for a few months and get back to me on how great the average driver is. The truth is that most of them are oblivious to their surroundings, and most other drivers don't notice most of the stuff that goes on because they too are insulated behind glass, steel and airbags, with wonderful distractions like food, soda, radios, DVD players, gadgets, phones, GPS, the kids in the back seat, etc...

In our effort to take cars from a simple means of transportation to this serene, safe mobile entertainment systems, we have in fact made the act of being on the road LESS safe over the years. As we add more technology like "self-parking" cars, and cars that scan the road and brake when there is an obstacle and all that, we remove the driver from the act of driving, and the consequences, even more.

And look at our driving tests. A monkey could pass them, they truly are pitiful. Our driver education and test procedures in no way certify you as qualified to drive a car.

So while most people THINK they are good drivers, very few of them are. Go ride a motorcycle and you will have none of those protections, none of those distractions. You will see that each day is a video game where you "win" if you can make it to your destination alive past all the absolute blathering morons on the road and all the asinine things they do, usually while on the damned phone, all the while patting themselves on the back for what a great driver they think they are.

It's an eye-opener, and I am willing to bet that anyone here who rides and is reading this post, will agree with me 100%.

This reminds me of a video I saw on YouTube where a motorcyclist was steering with his feet while he texted on a freeway.

Tappin' and talkin' with Tapatalk.

 

[SquireSCA]

This reminds me of a video I saw on YouTube where a motorcyclist was steering with his feet while he texted on a freeway.

Tappin' and talkin' with Tapatalk.

Nobody said that there are not retards that ride. LOL

But the point still stands. Cars kill almost 50,000 people in this country per year, injure more than 250,000 more and cause billions in property damage, and that is just in the US.

Why is that? How many accidents do we see on the interstates alone, during the commutes? I mean how hard is it to drive in a straight line with everyone else and not smash into someone? But even that simple task is beyond a long of people's ability to handle. Throw in curves, lights and turns and the average person starts making mistakes left and right. Throw in a parking lot where the popular belief is that there are no real rules, and the entire act of driving seems to fall apart.

And when you throw in all sorts of distractions, especially one that takes away not only focus and attention, but removes one hand from the wheel, leaves you no hand to use a turn signal and limits the movement of your head and field of vision at the same time, it's no wonder that cell phone related deaths are in the thousands and climbing...

And so when some lawmaker starts making proposals for legislation, why is anyone surprised?

 

[jonathankrall]

I said it before and I will say it again... Go ride and commute on a motorcycle for a few months and get back to me on how great the average driver is. The truth is that most of them are oblivious to their surroundings, and most other drivers don't notice most of the stuff that goes on because they too are insulated behind glass, steel and airbags, with wonderful distractions like food, soda, radios, DVD players, gadgets, phones, GPS, the kids in the back seat, etc...

It's an eye-opener, and I am willing to bet that anyone here who rides and is reading this post, will agree with me 100%.

I ride a bicycle instead of a motorcycle and do it almost every day. Yes, I agree 100%. Many people in cars are on phones and are oblivious to the world around them. That includes people who are "just talking." The fact is that a person has only one visual cortex. If they are using it to try to visualize the person on the other end of the phone, they are _not_ using it to avoid crashing into people nearby on the road. The reason we have a so-called "nanny state" is that many people are idiots who never grow up. I'll take the "nanny state" over being run down by a self-described "good driver" any day of the week.

 

[SquireSCA]

I ride a bicycle instead of a motorcycle and do it almost every day. Yes, I agree 100%. Many people in cars are on phones and are oblivious to the world around them. That includes people who are "just talking." The fact is that a person has only one visual cortex. If they are using it to try to visualize the person on the other end of the phone, they are _not_ using it to avoid crashing into people nearby on the road. The reason we have a so-called "nanny state" is that many people are idiots who never grow up. I'll take the "nanny state" over being run down by a self-described "good driver" any day of the week.

I agree with that, although being on a regular bicycle presents its own issues... Mixing self powered bikes and cars that go much faster and trying to occupy the same space is a bad idea IMHO. Bikes are allowed on most roads only because the laws were written back when bikes were a common means of transportation and cars and speed limits were lower. Today, I see bikes going half the speed limit, blocking a lane and causing people to swerve or jam up traffic, wearing their "share the road" shirts... No offense, but roads, in 2012, are made for motor vehicles, not bikes, skateboards, etc...

I think that we should share the road, so long as cyclists can do the posted speed limit, and so long as they also share the responsibility of being on the road. Meaning lights, turn signals, paying for insurance in the event that they cause an accident, having to get a cycle endoresement on their driver's license the same way I do for a motorcycle, etc...

Sharing the road should mean sharing the responsibility and costs, obeying the same laws or you get a ticket, etc... not just enjoying the benefits with none of the rest...

 

[silverfang77]

Texting bans aren't just for drivers anymore

Tappin' and talkin' with Tapatalk.

 

[SquireSCA]

Texting bans aren't just for drivers anymore

Tappin' and talkin' with Tapatalk.

There you go. As silly as it sounds, most people cannot handle a phone and simple tasks... If in a small town 3 people have already died from WALKING and texting, what makes people think that they won't also be dangerous behind the wheel of a car?

I hate the government being a nanny state, but if we as a society are too selfish and stupid to do the right thing, what choice do we leave them?