Stupid Driver Stories

A step in the right direction regarding phone use while driving:

Pennsylvania Senate votes to make texting behind the wheel a primary offense.

Still needs House and Governor approval, and it leaves talking behind the wheel as a secondary offence, but given the state's budget woes and the sheer number of idiots on the road with phones now, I can definitely get behind this.

Mother informed me today we have the safest public transport in that sense in our state. Why? because about 2 years ago a someone had a train accident due to the train driver texting behind the... whatever they use in trains. If you are seen with a cell phone as someone driving one of the public transporters (buses, trains etc) you get fired. Doesn't matter if it's your phone, if it's off, if you are on break. Fired on the first offense. Good job MA for doing SOMETHING right. Now raise the penalty for drivers up to drunk driving offenses.
 
behind the... whatever they use in trains

Throttle and brakes mounted on a panel with monitoring equipment. ;)
 
What I'm wondering though is how would you possibly enforce it. So the officer sees me with the phone in my hand pulls me over and claims I was texting. I tell him that I wasn't texting but was using it to control the music, since I have a smartphone that's a feasible scenario. Now he has to prove that I am not lying but going into my phone and seeing when the last txt was sent (useless in iPhone since it doesn't time stamp every txt) would be considered a search and would require a warrant from a magistrate.
Word against word. Cop wins. ;)
 
Word against word. Cop wins. ;)
Well, they could "analyze" your cellphone and check the timestamps on your messages ...
 
What I'm wondering though is how would you possibly enforce it. So the officer sees me with the phone in my hand pulls me over and claims I was texting. I tell him that I wasn't texting but was using it to control the music, since I have a smartphone that's a feasible scenario. Now he has to prove that I am not lying but going into my phone and seeing when the last txt was sent (useless in iPhone since it doesn't time stamp every txt) would be considered a search and would require a warrant from a magistrate.

Hands free means hands free. This includes holding it in your hand. Its like people who think "hands free" means "holding it next to my mouth while i talk on speaker". Its just wrong. another thing that kills me is when i see someone in a newer car, like a Merc or a new Ford, and i know they have bluetooth built in. did you not pay attention when you paid the $85,000 for that car? WTF!
 
Hands free means hands free. This includes holding it in your hand. Its like people who think "hands free" means "holding it next to my mouth while i talk on speaker". Its just wrong. another thing that kills me is when i see someone in a newer car, like a Merc or a new Ford, and i know they have bluetooth built in. did you not pay attention when you paid the $85,000 for that car? WTF!
It's always the businessman in a shiny new BMW or something when I see it. I am pretty sure they have that option on those now.
 
I don't understand why people still do that. I mean, they keep pumping messages against that on the radio, and people *are* getting killed because they were phone-driving. And yet some knuckleheads still can't get into their heads that it's downright dangerous to do so. I really can't get their reasoning. And when it isn't dangerous, it's still idiotic and causes the amount of times I use my horn due to people failing to obey stop/yield signs because they didn't notice them to be doubled. ><
 
IIRC In Washington State, it is a primary offense to talk on your phone, not just text. In Colorado it is a big problem like you guys have mentioned. I would rather it was a ticket-able offence here.
 
Well, they could "analyze" your cellphone and check the timestamps on your messages ...
That would be considered search and I would not consent to it period, they want to search my property they can get a warrant. Also iPhones for instance don't TS each message. To PROPERLY prove my guilt they would have to do the following:
1) Use the name/SS# from the registration to obtain a warrant
2) Contact the cellphone company and get my account information
3) Go through the account information and match up time of usage with the time when they pulled me over
4) Present the evidence in court
What they will actually do is:
1) Stop you, issue a ticket and leave it up to you to prove your innocence*

*happened to my dad he got pulled over for using his cell, cept that:
a) he has a BT headset and always uses it, in fact he likes it cuz his a geek and its a toy :p
b) he had a total of 2 phone calls that day hours apart and neither with even 2 hours of the time that he got a ticket

He got a print out from the phone company of usage and went to court, cop didnt even show up and he got off scott free.
Hands free means hands free. This includes holding it in your hand. Its like people who think "hands free" means "holding it next to my mouth while i talk on speaker". Its just wrong. another thing that kills me is when i see someone in a newer car, like a Merc or a new Ford, and i know they have bluetooth built in. did you not pay attention when you paid the $85,000 for that car? WTF!
The law only applies to txting/talking does it not? If I'm using it as an mp3 player the law does not apply. By the same token I could have it in airplane mode and use it an mp3 player only and I can easily show him the icon in the top right that doesn't show a signal. Not a problem for me really I just hook it up to HU and forget about it till I get of the car and then lock the car and then swear and go retrieve my phone.

My issue with laws like these is that while I understand the reasoning behind them its the fact that:
a) If you can't talk on the phone and drive you shouldn't be driving
- if you txt while driving (assuming you are not stationary) you shouldn't be alive.
b) Enforcing it properly requires much more police work than LEO is willing to do
c) People just submit to 5-0 for no reason
d) It's another fake reason for the pigs to pull you over
 
[...]
What they will actually do is:
1) Stop you, issue a ticket and leave it up to you to prove your innocence*

*happened to my dad he got pulled over for using his cell, cept that:
a) he has a BT headset and always uses it, in fact he likes it cuz his a geek and its a toy :p
b) he had a total of 2 phone calls that day hours apart and neither with even 2 hours of the time that he got a ticket

He got a print out from the phone company of usage and went to court, cop didnt even show up and he got off scott free. [...]
Well, if you don?t fight injustice in court, what are you going to do? Sit in a corner and cry?
I was just saying they could prove/disprove cellphone-usage/texting/whatever otherwise. I did not say they should, nor that they should accuse people without proof. I just said it would be possible. A cops "word" wouldn?t have to be the only evidence/indication, just like your father proved.
 
Well, if you don?t fight injustice in court, what are you going to do? Sit in a corner and cry?
I was just saying they could prove/disprove cellphone-usage/texting/whatever otherwise. I did not say they should, nor that they should accuse people without proof. I just said it would be possible. A cops "word" wouldn?t have to be the only evidence/indication, just like your father proved.

Unfortunately it usually is :(
 
In my view a hands free phone conversation isn't much less dangerous than holding the phone in your hand.
The primary danger in being on the phone while driving is that you're not paying full attention to driving, and holding the phone in your hand or not is a relatively small factor compared to that.
Having a conversation with someone in the passenger seat or listening to talk radio is just about as dangerous.
I'm always surprised on the rare occasions that I do have a passenger at how much less aware I am compared to my normal solo driving.

I'd settle for people having at least the awareness that such things are dangerous rather than having laws for it.
But of course that would mean they would have to actually take driving seriously, which they obviously don't.
 
Standard Swedish highway with two lanes in each direction. One truck overtakes another truck and clogs up the road. 18 kilometers later, the truck managed to pass his nemesis...
 
I'm always surprised on the rare occasions that I do have a passenger at how much less aware I am compared to my normal solo driving.
Yeah I have noticed that too. Especially since it is usually my mother and I argue with her :lol:
 
So I'm driving along on a 3-lane motorway, I'm in the middle lane overtaking a truck in the right lane, and about to be overtaken by two random lunatics driving ~140km/h.
Then, the truck started to deviate to the middle lane- directly into my direction. Apparently a wild merging lane appeared in the right with a car in it; I didn't see that lane because it was obstructed by the truck, so I figured he didn't notice that he was deviating. I knew I couldn't move to the left lane, so I gave him a short beep to warn him I'm there, but he kept getting closer to me.
I went into fear mode (Trucks are ten times as scary when you're in a small supermini) and sat on the horn as the truck was covering about a third of my lane. Fortunately the cars on the left lane had gone past, so I moved to there and squashed the gas pedal, to the sound of the truck's reply horn - he might have got cross over me honking so long, and I understand that.
But what made me really angry is that he wasn't showing any sign of changing lane. I mean, he could have turned my car into a shiny red pancake without even noticing, given the size of his lorry. FFS, give me a hint you're about to do that, you could probably see the merging lane long before- at least indicate, take your hand out of the window, cough or something D:
 
Standard Swedish highway with two lanes in each direction. One truck overtakes another truck and clogs up the road. 18 kilometers later, the truck managed to pass his nemesis...

We have a road called the A14, dual carriageway exactly the same, lots of hills and valleys. It's got so bad that lorries are banned from overtaking on the section near me.
 
I don't understand why people still do that.

Because they are stupid. It's really that simple. And I know I'll get neg-repped for this but thats my opinion.

And I know there'll be tons of folks out there who say that.."Ive texted once and a while and I'm still alive.../ I've texted for years cause I know my phone like the back of my hand and I'm safe/I only have to touch one button in the menu/Blah blah blah..."

Dont use your phone while driving. This means texting, using it as a MP3 player, talking while holding it, snapping pics, saving the Earth from the Decepticons....all of it.

If you have to pick it up or touch it in any way even "for a second", then DON'T!

You are in a big heavy machine traveling fast, maybe even at speeds up to (or over) 70mph thats being controlled just by you, using your hands and more importantly...by what you can see on the road ahead. Why remove your hands and your ability to see the road...even 'for a second'?

And to be more to the point, does anyone here remember the whole point of a text? It's to send a message to someone for them to look at later, cause it's something that can wait!

If it's so important that you have to speak to them right away...go ahead and call. They can see that its a call, and pull over where its safe and answer it then.

If it's so vital that you have to speak to a human being RIGHT THIS SECOND OR ELSE!!!...then call 911.

Why the Hell is this so hard to understand?<_<

What I'm wondering though is how would you possibly enforce it. So the officer sees me with the phone in my hand pulls me over and claims I was texting. I tell him that I wasn't texting but was using it to control the music, since I have a smartphone that's a feasible scenario. .

Sorry Priz, but I still think that's wrong. The stereo in my Taurus was stolen (man, they were desperate!) so I use my cell as my portable Mp3 player myself. So I get in the car, turn it on, and set it down in the cup holder while I drive

But I don't futz with it while I'm on the go. I mean I drive a Taurus, I have enough issues already! :p
 
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I can skip to the next track with a hardware button on my phone - no different from changing the radio station on a stereo. But I had to install custom software to do this. Why isn't this always a feature?
 
If it's so vital that you have to speak to a human being RIGHT THIS SECOND OR ELSE!!!...then call 911.
You can txt 911 too now :p
Sorry Priz, but I still think that's wrong. The stereo in my Taurus was stolen (man, they were desperate!) so I use my cell as my portable Mp3 player myself. So I get in the car, turn it on, and set it down in the cup holder while I drive

But I don't futz with it while I'm on the go
For iPhone/iPod touch you can shake it to go to the next track (it will shuffle the playlist too). Some have hardware buttons (like Blackberries and some Androids I think), question is why would it be different from using my HU? In fact my HU is a touch screen (though it does have hardware buttons).

Not that I condone txt/IM while driving but you can do it one handed w/o looking, you don't need two hands to drive a car.
I mean I drive a Taurus, I have enough issues already! :p
No doubt :p
 
You can txt 911 too now :p

Oh for the love of God! :p

For iPhone/iPod touch you can shake it to go to the next track (it will shuffle the playlist too). Some have hardware buttons (like Blackberries and some Androids I think), question is why would it be different from using my HU? In fact my HU is a touch screen (though it does have hardware buttons).

Not that I condone txt/IM while driving but you can do it one handed w/o looking, you don't need two hands to drive a car.

I get what you're saying, but not all phones can do that. Why? I dunno. I guess that would be to easy.

It's just hard to say.."No using your cell for any reason in the car..except as a MP3 player...the one that has this feature...but not this one, or this one, or this one or for this reason, or this one..."

The last rental I had had Sirius, Sat-Nav and everything on the dash...but looked like I was trying to function as Mission Control for NASA.

I had the kiddo select stuff for me, but if I had to change the station or type anything in...there's no way..safely or otherwise that I could have done it without pulling over. And then saying screw it, and hitting the "OnStar" button. :p

And yet Ive been in newer cars that I could change anything in a heartbeat without looking away, or really having to think about it.

Thats the problem. I guess. Why would it be okay for this person in this car to do this...but not legal for another person to do the same in a different car?

I have no idea how you'd even start to rationalize that legally.
 
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