[cnyiradi]

yeah they forgot to add these conditions in the hands free law for California, I feel texting and such is far more dangerous then using the phone while driving.

[kjjb0204]

Am I going to get blasted for admitting I'm one of the worst offenders of typing while driving? I realize I shouldn't be doing it, but in some sense I feel like I'm actually more aware of my driving while typing than I am while doing other things in the car. Sometimes I'll look up from the radio or gps and think to myself that I don't remember looking at the road in a long time. When I'm typing on the bb in the car, I'm conciously looking at the road just about every two letters. It might take me 15 minutes to type out a message similar to this post in length.

Ok, blast away.....

[daphne]

kjjb0204, I hope I'm not driving on the same freeway as you.

Actually I thought this law went into effect right away after the governator signed it a couple weeks ago. I have mixed feelings about laws that are meant to protect people from their own stupidity. But I can imagine if someone I loved was hit and injured or killed by a driver texting or emailing on their phone, or talking on their phone, I'd be 100% behind these call phone laws.

bc7 wrote:

Can a person be pulled over for this? Or is it something that they get hit for once they are already pulled over?

I believe they can be pulled over for this.

[BallHawk3]

woohoo!

Thank god!

[takeshi]

Originally Posted by breakerfall

Sorry, but what makes this specifically anti- BlackBerry?

Well, only BB's can text, y'know?

Originally Posted by ndub33

I applaud the spirit of this law, but I think the disclaimers will make it hard to enforce. How would a cop be able to make a distiction ona case by case basis as to whether the driver was doimg legal vs. illegal activity with their PDA?

It is another one of those bricks in the road to hell. Well-intentioned but poorly thought out. Assuming that it was quoted properly this means that you can compose a novel on your smartphone or do whatever as long as you're not texting? Unsafe driving should be unsafe driving regardless of the specific behavior.

[breakerfall]

Originally Posted by kjjb0204

Ok, blast away.....

okay.

Originally Posted by kjjb0204

Am I going to get blasted for admitting I'm one of the worst offenders of typing while driving?

I hope so

Originally Posted by kjjb0204

Sometimes I'll look up from the radio or gps and think to myself that I don't remember looking at the road in a long time.

OMG...
what state are you driving in? are there traffic lights? pedestrians? other cars?!

can you let me know before you come to NY?

[wolfkeeper80]

Make it $2000. I was waiting to turn left yesterday and the light changed to red, and some woman in a minvan went through the intersection, her head down the entire time looking at her phone.

[ricpac]

^^ scary!

[Blakely]

I agree with wolfkeeper80. Too many times I've almost rear-ended a driver who's texting, not paying attention to their driving & turning w/o signals. Unfortunately, I'm not sure they'll be able to enforce this effectively.

[Blkbear]

I say good luck on enforcement. Unless the cop is riding next to you, their not really going to know what you are doing 98% of the time.

Other than taking all phones/pdas and like devices at the scene of an accident, to check it's logs to see if it was in use at the time of the accident, no real way to prove it was being used.

I watch Highway Patrol pass people every day, that are shaving, putting on makeup/styling their hair while looking in the mirror, reading books/newspapers/maps, changing clothes, eating and dropping food and looking for it, reaching for things on the floor, which are all much more noticeable than someone that might be texting. And judging by them (HwyPatrol) not speeding off and being next to or right behind the offender, their not in a rush to get to something else. Heck I even see a few of them fiddling and driving at highways speeds.

[scott_perry]

Laws like this are just another way to ensure a fine. All states already have reckless / careless / unattentive driving statutes on the books. Texting/Emailing while driving would fall under existing law.

Minnesota also just implemented this additional statute as well. I agree that everyone should give their full attention to driving, but current law already prohibits those activities, so there is no reason to specify texting/emailing.

I don't remember where it was, but some city/state/country was trying to ban texting/emailing while walking due to people crossing streets without looking for cars.

[TBOLTRAM]

When police officers are banned from using their laptops while driving I will buy into this. I came close to being sideswiped by a Harris County Sheriff car on Highway 6 just north of West Little York while traveling south in September. The uniformed person driving was observed by both me and my wife to be using his laptop.

My mistake was not taking down his license number and turning it in to my insurance company.

[kjjb0204]

Wirelessly posted

Originally Posted by Blakely

I agree with wolfkeeper80. Too many times I've almost rear-ended a driver who's texting, not paying attention to their driving & turning w/o signals. Unfortunately, I'm not sure they'll be able to enforce this effectively.

Uh, rear ending someone would be your fault, not theirs.

[kjjb0204]

Wirelessly posted

Originally Posted by breakerfall

okay.

I hope so

OMG...
what state are you driving in? are there traffic lights? pedestrians? other cars?!

can you let me know before you come to NY?

Puh-lease-ny drivers are the worst in the country.

[UncleMike]

Originally Posted by takeshi

It is another one of those bricks in the road to hell. Well-intentioned but poorly thought out. Assuming that it was quoted properly this means that you can compose a novel on your smartphone or do whatever as long as you're not texting? Unsafe driving should be unsafe driving regardless of the specific behavior.

Paragraph A seems pretty clear. As long as what you're typing is not a communication, the it's okay.

Then paragraph B comes along and further restricts the law to apply only to cases where the communication is with any person. So if I send you a SMS that says "weather", I'm busted, but if I send the exact same SMS to Google, it's okay.