Chef Jim Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 A new law requiring hands free cell phones while driving went into effect here in CA this Tuesday and what a load of crap. I can drive better than most with one finger on the steering wheel. How many hands you have on the wheel has little to do with how well you drive, unless of course you're driving a Forumula One car. What's important is concentration and paying attention to the road. Perfect example. I was on the phone with my wife yesterday, probably had both hands on the wheel. But because I was paying more attention to the conversation with my wife than on the road I damn near missed my exit. Thank god the government is here to protect us from ouselves. Oh, BTW. It's still legal in CA to drive while texting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erynthered Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 A new law requiring hands free cell phones while driving went into effect here in CA this Tuesday and what a load of crap. I can drive better than most with one finger on the steering wheel. How many hands you have on the wheel has little to do with how well you drive, unless of course you're driving a Forumula One car. What's important is concentration and paying attention to the road. Perfect example. I was on the phone with my wife yesterday, probably had both hands on the wheel. But because I was paying more attention to the conversation with my wife than on the road I damn near missed my exit. Thank god the government is here to protect us from ouselves. Oh, BTW. It's still legal in CA to drive while texting. I thought they changed the text one too? Driver talking on cell phone leads police on chase } BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—A man who was pulled over for violating California's new hands-free cell phone law led police on a high-speed chase Wednesday in which he smashed into several parked cars and drove the wrong way onto the freeway. An officer initially stopped Richard Travers, 46, in Beverly Hills because he was seen using a hand-held cell phone while driving a van, then he ran a check on the license plate and discovered the vehicle had been reported stolen, Lt. Tony Lee said. When the officer approached the van, the suspect took off "driving recklessly at a very high speed," Lee said. During the pursuit, the van struck two cars but did not cause any serious injuries, he said. Travers then drove south for about half a mile on the northbound Interstate 405 before pulling over to an embankment. Lee said he tried to carjack another motorist before fleeing on foot to surface streets in West Los Angeles. Travers was captured a block from the freeway, Lee said. He was taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries, Sgt. Richard Knudsen said. Lee said he could face several charges, including attempted carjacking, grand theft auto, felony possession of narcotics, hit-and-run and evading police. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFerguson Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I hate these laws, but most people are in favor of them. Selecting the ban on cell phone use is arbitrary. Why not ban eating while driving? Smoking? Operating the radio? Talking? Putting on makeup? People do all these things while driving, yet the government wants to single out one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazed and Amuzed Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I wish they'd put that law into effect here in FL. People on cell phones suck at driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PastaJoe Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 A new law requiring hands free cell phones while driving went into effect here in CA this Tuesday and what a load of crap. I can drive better than most with one finger on the steering wheel. How many hands you have on the wheel has little to do with how well you drive, unless of course you're driving a Forumula One car. What's important is concentration and paying attention to the road. Perfect example. I was on the phone with my wife yesterday, probably had both hands on the wheel. But because I was paying more attention to the conversation with my wife than on the road I damn near missed my exit. Thank god the government is here to protect us from ouselves. Oh, BTW. It's still legal in CA to drive while texting. So would you support a bill banning any cell phone or other communication use by the driver while the vehicle is in motion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 So would you support a bill banning any cell phone or other communication use by the driver while the vehicle is in motion? Hand signals still an OK form of communication? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricojes Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Hand signals still an OK form of communication? Not in all states. I know they tried to pass a road rage law here in NY prohibiting giving the single finger salute, don't know if it was ever passed though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted July 3, 2008 Author Share Posted July 3, 2008 So would you support a bill banning any cell phone or other communication use by the driver while the vehicle is in motion? !@#$ YEA!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Hand signals still an OK form of communication? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 !@#$ YEA!!! Would you still feel that way if you were an illegal alien driving an unregistered uninsured unsmogged vehicle while talking on a phone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agilen Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Thats been a law here for years now.... Don't worry, the cops will forget about it soon enough. People talk on cell phones in NYS all the time....i think you'd only get a ticket for it if you were pulled over for something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Thank you California! Cells phone don't in any way help one's driving. Yes, some phone drivers are better than others but most that I have encountered are careless, inconsiderate and dangerous. This is especially true in regards to signaling and shifting. The texting law will come next. Then the fines will get steeper. And yes again, the CHP has been writing tickets. It is long overdue. The alternative to the cell phone law is increased road rage. If you have that much to say, stay at home or pull over but do not get near me. Thank you California! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 I wish they'd put that law into effect here in FL. People on cell phones suck at driving. I'm so glad they did this here. People are retarded using the cell while driving. This includes me. Worse than drinking and driving imho. Way to go Cali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Thank you California! Cells phone don't in any way help one's driving. Yes, some phone drivers are better than others but most that I have encountered are careless, inconsiderate and dangerous. This is especially true in regards to signaling and shifting. Or maybe you only look into the cars of people who are driving poorly and notice they're on cell phones? Do you look into every car/truck you pass to see if they're on a cell phone? If not, your "study" is flawed -- you could pass 1,000 cars a day. If they're all on a cell phone, but you only look at the 10 that are driving crazy, you'd still say, "All cell phone drivers are bad drivers," which isn't accurate. I wish they'd put that law into effect here in FL. People on cell phones suck at driving. They already have a law on the books -- it's called "inattentive driving." All states (I believe) have it. Why do you need a specific law covering a specific item? It's ridiculous, inefficient, and downright stupid. As others mentioned, why am I allowed to eat a chili cheese burito from Taco Bell while driving, but not talk on a cell phone? In both cases, if I'm driving poorly because of it, there's laws already on the books to take care of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Or maybe you only look into the cars of people who are driving poorly and notice they're on cell phones? Do you look into every car/truck you pass to see if they're on a cell phone? If not, your "study" is flawed -- you could pass 1,000 cars a day. If they're all on a cell phone, but you only look at the 10 that are driving crazy, you'd still say, "All cell phone drivers are bad drivers," which isn't accurate. They already have a law on the books -- it's called "inattentive driving." All states (I believe) have it. Why do you need a specific law covering a specific item? It's ridiculous, inefficient, and downright stupid. As others mentioned, why am I allowed to eat a chili cheese burito from Taco Bell while driving, but not talk on a cell phone? In both cases, if I'm driving poorly because of it, there's laws already on the books to take care of it. No need to study the cars directly in front of me. No need to look to the side to see if the car that is veering my way is using a mechanical or even a hand turn signal which can happen to be inside the car. Did you study up on how to drive without any hands? I didn't study them either because I used uncommon sense. I heard the earth is flat but then again I didn't do my study. Beyond our sarcasm the law is helping in my neighborhood! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFerguson Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 No need to study the cars directly in front of me. No need to look to the side to see if the car that is veering my way is using a mechanical or even a hand turn signal which can happen to be inside the car. Did you study up on how to drive without any hands? I didn't study them either because I used uncommon sense. I heard the earth is flat but then again I didn't do my study. Beyond our sarcasm the law is helping in my neighborhood! Fez is saying that there is no quantitative evidence that correlates cell phone use to bad driving. Most people just provide anecdotal evidence when trying to make a "cell phone driving ban" argument. If somebody is swerving and you notice they are on a cell phone, you automatically blame the cell phone. Why wouldn't you just blame the driver? I guarantee that person is a sh------- driver with or without a cell phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 No need to study the cars directly in front of me. No need to look to the side to see if the car that is veering my way is using a mechanical or even a hand turn signal which can happen to be inside the car. Did you study up on how to drive without any hands? I didn't study them either because I used uncommon sense. I heard the earth is flat but then again I didn't do my study. Beyond our sarcasm the law is helping in my neighborhood! Who uses two hands to use a cell phone? What I'm saying, and I'm hoping you're ignoring it on purpose, is that you don't look inside of the cars that are driving fine and say, "He's on a cell phone and driving perfectly!" But I guarantee that you're passing dozens of them a day. And why isn't there a law against driving while eating a Mcdonalds hamburger? Or a Taco Bell chilli cheese burito? Like I said, there IS -- it's called "inattentive driving." Why don't we enforce the laws we already have instead of making new ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Interesting stats on auto accidents: "In the United States, fatalities have increased slightly from 40,716 in 1994 to 42,884 in 2003. However, in terms of fatalities per 100 million miles driven, the fatality rate has dropped 16% between 1995 and 2005. Injuries dropped 37% over the same period. (National Traffic Safety Administration, 2006)." As the late George Carlin siad: "Isn't it funny how everyone driving slower than you is an idiot and everyone driving faster than you is insane?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Interesting stats on auto accidents: "In the United States, fatalities have increased slightly from 40,716 in 1994 to 42,884 in 2003. However, in terms of fatalities per 100 million miles driven, the fatality rate has dropped 16% between 1995 and 2005. Injuries dropped 37% over the same period. (National Traffic Safety Administration, 2006)." ...Significant changes in auto construction, anti-lock brakes, (the costs of which is certainly passed on to the buyer), seat belt laws and enforcement of same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 ...Significant changes in auto construction, anti-lock brakes, (the costs of which is certainly passed on to the buyer), seat belt laws and enforcement of same. Definitely true -- but even just looking at accidents from 2000-2005, there isn't much of a change and that contradicts people saying that cell phones are a huge problem -- since cell phones started becoming prevelant in the 2003-2005 timeframe. Some people drive like crap while talking on the phone. Some people drive like crap while eating McDonalds. Some people drive like crap while talking to someone in the passanger seat. Some people just drive like crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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