People are sick and tired of laws that seem to serve no purpose other than to infringe on their choices.
If talking/texting on a cell phone whilst driving were legalised across the board, do you think it would free up the court systems?
Also, odo youw wert hey watch where ewrf
Sorry, gotta take this...
Hell No!!
😎
"I Am the FBI."
Those laws are made for one's own protection, as well as that of others. They don't infringe on anybody's choices. They infringe on people's presumed rights to act irresponsibly and put other people's lives and general overall safety at risk. Try to realize that driving is NOT a right, but a privilege that can be taken away if it's abused
shareThing is, the list of presumed rights is growing. There's more more entitlement now.
shareThat doesn't mean that it's a good thing. People do not have the right to do things that put other people's lives and/or generally safety at risk.
There is more entitlement, that's true, and it's gotten a lot worse.
But, they may argue, they also have the right to call a loved one, make an important call, do you have any idea what kind of day I'm having, etc.
shareIf somebody's going to call or text a loved one or whoever from their cellphone, they do not have the right to do it while they're driving, or to keep others in a check-out line waiting while s/he yaks to his/her loved one or whoever, on his/her cellphone about whatever. They should do the calling after they're out of the check-out line, and before they hit the road. What's there not to get?
shareWhat you've described is based on laws that apply in certain places, but not everywhere.
shareImho, these laws should apply everywhere.
shareCould that hurt the Carriers and Providers, costing jobs?
shareIt's not going to cost Carriers and Providers their jobs. These laws can and should apply to everybody, regardless of what kind of a job they have.
shareIf they can't talk on the phone during their commutes, and they wait until they get home, those are peak hours and networks get jammed during these peak hours. Ask a telemarketer some time aboot not being able through during peak hours. It's almost futile.
shareThey can argue all they want. They are wrong.
they do already have the right to call, just not while driving.
Your childish need for constant stimulation and constant entertainment does not supersede the safety of others. Being alone without a phone for an hour is not going to kill you, and might actually be good for you and will help you grow up and become more self reliant.
You made some great points, as those who agree with you have, to illustrate the hazards of texting/facebooking/skyping while in heavy traffic, at night, etc.
As long as technology keeps developing and people have more and more on their plates, they'll undoubtedly give new reasons for staying in constant communicado with their loved ones.
You mean new excuses.
Your emotional crutch is still not more important than other people's lives.
Being alone with your own thoughts is not fatal, and is in fact good for you. That is when you get creative ideas and epiphanies. If you are constantly distracting yourself with trivial "communication" (neither necessary or profound), you are drowning out any glimmer of inspiration that might whisper to you. How can the muse compete with instagram banality?
I suppose that's another way of putting it: new excuses. But not everyone is comfortable with their own thoughts. Not everyone likes what hey think aboot when they're alone. Some prefer not to use their imaginations.
shareIf someone cannot be alone with their own thoughts for an hour without having dangerous or destructive thoughts, they might need mental health help. I do not say this facetiously. I am serious. If you hear voices or something that you need to drown out with outside stimulation, that is a red flag. There is help available.
A person like that probably should not be driving at all, honestly. Especially if they have so little regard for the safety of others.
And there is always MUSIC. That can keep you company safely. It's perfectly safe to listen to music while driving, as long as you're not fiddling with a device looking for a song or something. Make a playlist beforehand so that you can just listen without playing with the device.
Just because someone is uncomfortable being alone and thinking alone, it isn't necessarily a red flag.
Some people get bored and don't have distinct taste in music. They're accustomed to calling each other and asking each other where they are so they have something to talk/think aboot. Not everyone is comfortable in public situations without a phone.
It really does sound as if you're using your cellphone or whatever as a crutch. Suppose you ended up killing or seriously injuring somebody while you were DUI, texting/talking on your cellphone while driving, or doing both? If you're over 18 (which I assume you are.), you'd have to live with that for the rest of your life. How would you deal with that?
jamesboland, this is for you.
You assume quite a bit. No need to worry aboot me doing any of those things.
shareOh? This:
"No need to worry about me doing any of those things."
means what? That you won't kill or seriously injure somebody if you're talking/texting on your cellphone while driving, or DUI?
There's no telling when that day will come up.
I don't know how else to convince you because I already told you that you needn't worry aboot me doing any such thing.
shareHere's another things, jamesboland: When you're talking/texting on your cellphone, you may not notice if or when the driver of another car is going to bump into you, either. You're also putting your own life and general safety, not to mention other people's lives and safety at risk when you talk/text on your cellphone while driving.
shareCertainly true, at least in the particular example you gave. But what of getting weather and traffic alerts texted to your phone? Are those not valuable tools for a motorist?
shareALL LAWS NEED TO BE JUSTIFIED AND SIMPLIFIED ... AND ALWAYS UPDATED.
For example, with the prevalence of video these days, why not have every car equipped with video, and if the person who caused an accident was under the influence, or distracted ... or whatever - throw the book at them - AFTER THE ACCIDENT. Give people the benefit of the doubt and if they betray the public trust - revoke that trust, throw the book at them, and remove them from the road for a very long time.
For example, I am not a great driver ... I am, may be above average. No tickets in years, I drive carefully, but I have driven under the influence, or texted ... when I use my best judgement as to when it is safe. So far my good judgement has avoided all accidents, and I do not bother other drivers when I text for example. That is, when the light turns green - I am on it. I don't make the people behind me have to wait a while, and then tap on their horns to remind me the light is green - I am already going. Most of the time when I drive a few minutes are taken up waiting for these imbusiles that have poor judgement, impolite, bad drivers and stupid on top of it.
As a kid I lived in Texas where at the time it was legal to drink and drive. My Dad used to drive us to the beach with a beer in his hand ... never got a ticket or an accident. He never got drunk.
Today we have this weird idea that if we make a big show about something it is the same as fixing a problem ... but it is not.
@brux
Did you happen to read the link I posted previously? If not, here is the link:
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/texting-while-driving-how-dangerous-is-it-the-results-page-2
Tests like this are BS. When I look at normal people when they are not being looked, sometimes distraction doesn't make any difference, and sometimes it does ... it depends on the situation and the person and the urgency of whatever else they are doing. I don't think you can really run tests on that.
shareI'm a proponent of a harm-based approach. If distracted driving only posed a risk to the person doing it, there wouldn't be a good justification for a law against it. Because that is far from the truth, it finds itself in the grey area where we have to attempt to balance risk with practicality.
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