Get off the phone and drive.

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Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 4:19 am

Driving home today and stopped at a crosswalk to let some kids on bicycles cross the street. Just as the kids are right in front of me BAM I get rearended by some dumbass who is too busy on his phone to pay attention to driving.

I saw him coming up so I was prepared. He was going about 40 mph (62 kmh) and NEVER stepped on the brakes.

I was stopped about 30 feet from the crosswalk and it pushed my truck forward about 15 feet. Scared the hell out of the kids on the bicycles but none of them was hurt.

He later admitted he was dialing his phone. WTF. Why don't these people get the same treatment as drunk drivers?

Always,
B. A. Ware

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 4:24 am

It's illegal in Oz to drive using a hand-held cellphone, but that doesn't stop the yummy mummies in their SUVs, tradies in white vans/utes, truckies and reps/wankers in BMWs driving with the phone glued to their ear. The cops say they are cracking down on it. Yeah right Rolling Eyes

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 4:29 am

Time for my favourite highway sign pic. Too bad its fake:

Hope you came through it ok, BA!

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 5:42 am

Is it not illegal to talk on your handheld in the US?

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 5:48 am

yes supposedly the police are cracking down in Australia but I dont see it, very annoying when people are talking on the mobile and its just turned green.1..2...3...4...5...6..seconds.. hurry up...

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 6:19 am

red wrote:

Is it not illegal to talk on your handheld in the US?

Not yet (nationwide), but its coming.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 6:27 am

Hand held cell phone use while driving will be illegal in California starting on July 1, 2008.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:07 am

In the village where I live in the UK, I can count at least half a dozen of these irresponsible muppets using mobiles whilst driving within the mile it takes me to walk to my local supermarket. I usually give them the old 5 finger 'w*nker shuffle' to express my approval of their actions.

Stats. show that you are 4 times more likely to be involved in an accident when using a mobile whilst driving, and that includes hands-free kits as well.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:15 am

I personally think the measures are quite strict in Oz.

You lose 3 demerit points for talking on a mobile phone, plus a fairly expensive fine. This is exactly the same punishment for the following offences:

Quote:

# Exceed speed limit by 10km/h or more but less than 25km/h*
# Disobey traffic lights, signs or police directing traffic
# Fail to give way or stop
# Drive without wearing a helmet (motorcycle), seat belt, or a properly adjusted and fastened seat belt, or with an unrestrained passenger under 16
# Drive on wrong side of double lines, or divided highway
# Risk colliding with alighting, boarding or waiting tram passengers
# Driving contrary to a major defect notice
# Careless driving
# Driving with an obscured or improperly displayed number plate
# Failure to display P plates
# Driving under the influence of illicit drugs

If you ask me... that's taking it pretty seriously.

Oh, and from July 1st, Learners and Probationary drivers (18-21 years old) cannot use a hands-free kit either or they could stand to lose their license.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:43 am

red wrote:

Is it not illegal to talk on your handheld in the US?

It's illegal in New York and it was recently made illegal in Connecticut. Because of the US legal system it is decided by the State rather than Federal authorities.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:25 am

In the UK it's 3 penalty points and a �60 fine (12 points gets you banned for at least 6 months).
Also, use of a mobile phone is considerd an aggravating factor in the case of careless/dangerous driving and can mean a higher penalty.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:40 am

Perfectly legal in NZ. Worst drivers in the world - and I've driven taxis in Nairobi and Calcutta! And a Fiat Bambina in Rome Exclamation

My favourite? A guy going the wrong way down a one-way street, smiling and waving, as it was a shorter route than going round the block to the supermarket Shocked

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:42 am

I don't think the law is strict enough about this. ANY cellphone use (hands on or off) is a serious distraction and warrants losing your licence. People say it doesn't affect their driving but we all know it does. Remember the days when you had to wait until you got to a landline to collect messages or answer/make 'urgent' calls?? Are modern cellphones not supplied with an OFF button and voicemail facility?? A cyclist was killed here a couple of years ago when a woman knocked him off his bike on a country road while she was busy texting her lunch date to say she was running late. She got a figurative slapped wrist from the court.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:45 pm

Quote:

Oh, and from July 1st, Learners and Probationary drivers (18-21 years old) cannot use a hands-free kit either or they could stand to lose their license.

And Learners have to do double the hours or something

And on the rest of your post, yes the penalties are high for driving with a mobile but the chances of getting caught are pretty low...well at least were I live.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

red wrote:

Is it not illegal to talk on your handheld in the US?

[rant directed at passing a new law outlawing cell phone use when driving]
We already have a law that covers this on the books: Reckless Driving.

This would also cover things such as:

Applying makeup while driving and getting into a wreck.
Reading a map while driving and getting into a wreck.
Looking over your shoulder and yelling at passengers in your backseat and getting into a wreck.
Engaging in oral sex or heavy petting while driving and getting into a wreck.
Changing the radio station and getting into a wreck.
Driving through vacant parking spaces in a supermarket parking lot and getting into a wreck.

Outlawing cell phones while driving isn't going to stop people from being stupid, is a waste of money, a reinvention of a wheel that already exists, and is a huge knee-jerk reaction.

It is dumb and pisses me off.
[/rant]

@B.A.- I'm glad that you are ok and that the children weren't hurt.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:34 pm

TS you forgot changing clothes while driving.
changing cds

and several others that are mentioned in All-state commercials.

I believe the Insurance Companies are giong to start policing this before the police do.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 4:07 pm

I'm pretty sore this morning. Must have banged my elbow and knee on something. I got thrown aroung pretty good so I expected a little pain. Doesn't help that I'm no kid anymore. Wink

As for everyones comments about the legalities of driving while on the phone. Yes it is ellegal in Washington but it is so common that it seems like nothing is being done about it. I mean the Nigerian penal code has laws against advanced fee fraud, does that mean it doesn't happen?

Beaten and bruised but not broken,
B. A. Ware

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 5:06 pm

Shouldn't that driver be charged with rekless endangerment of a minor?

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 6:14 am

@ reaper - i disagree, i know several people who have been caught talking on their phone and have been fined/lost demerit points.

As for time on learners, its gone to 12 months, from 6 months, before you can get your P's.

Not really that big a deal, because you can still get your learners at 16, gives you a whole 2 years to satisfy the requirement. Just means those who don't get their arse into gear (no pun intended) will have to wait longer than the rest.

But now i think you need to keep a log book that shows 120 hours of driving experience... that wont be hard to fake! Laughing

B.A Ware wrote:

As for everyones comments about the legalities of driving while on the phone. Yes it is ellegal in Washington but it is so common that it seems like nothing is being done about it. I mean the Nigerian penal code has laws against advanced fee fraud, does that mean it doesn't happen?

That IS significant because it means the offender broke the law, not just had an accident.

There is no relevance between whether something is illegal and whether or not people do it.

If people didn't do something, there would be not legal issue to contend with.

Saying that nigerian law prohibits 419 yet it still happens is like rationalising that the laws relating to murder are redundant because people commit murder anyway.

that is a law enforcement issue, not a legislative one.

Ok... OT... sorry... shutting up as of...... now.

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 6:50 am

I spoke with a bloke once who after sitting in his truck through 3 sets of light changes pushed the offending BMW driver of course glued to his phone into the traffic flow. ( he had got the finger and other abuse from the from the guy after blowing horn)

It caused an accident and the truck driver had to attend some course as punishment, but I liked his style Smile

The fine here is higher than the cost of a hands free kit, go figure.
I'm a bit pissed of with the whole mobile phone thing in general, but thats another topic.

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 6:54 am

@Red As I said it could just be where I live so I think it is and it's actually quite hard to fake a log they do ink tests on the logs to see the intervals between supposed hours. A month and a bit till I can drive..

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:17 am

@ Reaper - Ah ok mate, well you'd certainly know better than me! No such thing as logs when I was a learner!

Ink tests? lmao... are you serious? as if they actually do that.

Besides, still doesn't stop you faking it.

For example:

1/1/07 - Today I drove 3kms to the shops to pick up a chiko roll.

2/1/07 - Today I drove 3kms to the shops to return that dodgey chiko roll.

3/1/07 - Today I drove 10kms to the hospital to recover from the chiko roll.

Doesn't mean you actually had to do it... and these so called "ink tests" (seriously?!) can't do jack about it.

harrya wrote:

It caused an accident and the truck driver had to attend some course as punishment, but I liked his style

Yes... attempted murder is great style... Shocked

While we're making generalisations about BMW drivers how about all those truckies spaced out on methamphetamines? Worse than mobile phone users? Probably!

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:22 am

There is a law against it in most countries, the problem is lack of enforcement.

The fine where I am for using a cellphone while driving, and thus endangering the lives of others, is less than that for not wearing a seat belt which only puts youre own miserable life at risk. Go figure!

Yesterday some pipi-joller wanker in a pathetic little souped up Renault Clito tin can overtook me in a very dangerous manner, whilst using his phone, and immediately got stuck in traffic, having gained one car length ...... I flipped and got out of the car and even as I walked up to him giving him abuse he was still on his phone, which I grabbed and flung into the bush at the side of the road.

There is a roundabout near where I stay. I sometimes stand and watch. 30% of the drivers on this busy roundabout are on their phones. Mostly BMWs, 4WDs and kids in pratmobiles.

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:29 pm

Here in the US there is no nation wide ban on cell phones in cars. Damn well should be so far as I'm concerned! I have a 45 minute commute and at the various intersections (traffic lights) I will count how many people are on their damn phones. 75 to 80%.
I would love to have the same ban as was instituted in the UK. Only a hands free, and if you don't have hands free then you have to pull over to the side of the road.
I love to come up behind someone engaged in a cell phone conversation and honk my horn and make a motion of hanging up the phone. If they don't then I put on my brights and tailgate them until they get pissed off. My safety is worth more than that phone call ever could be.
Driving is a priviledge and you need all your wits about you and was so long before the advent of cellphones. Don't get me wrong, I do have a cellphone, but it's turned off when I'm in the car. My daughter and grandaughter were almost killed in an accident by some idiot on a cellphone so it hits close to home. He ended up breaking his arm, the airbag hit his wife in the chest (and the poor woman had just had breast augmentation surgery) and his two small children were sitting in the back. They were all carted off to hospital in an ambulance.
Now my daughter turns her cell off when she's in her car...

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 12:34 am

About 4 years ago while I was in the UK, I'd just bought a nice, shiny new car (about an hour before) and was sitting in a stationary line of traffic on a straight road.
I heard a screech of tyres and thought "Ooh, that's gonna hurt someone..." Next thing, BANG into the back of my shiny new car.
It was a Landrover with bullbars. (Never did understand why one would need bullbars in a town.)
Goodbye shiny new car, hello neck ache.
The driver had been on his phone and checking out a car that had a 'For sale' sign on it at the side of the road.
As far as I know, aside from the insurance claim made by me, (and me getting out of the car, running round to him while screaming "What the f**k were you thinking you w****r???") he didn't recieve any other penalties.
Evil or Very Mad

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