Bikers Rally For Toughter Texting Penalies!

[JEBar]

I will ask you the same question I ask everyone else...why is it necessary to talk on, or do anything for that matter, with a cell phone while you're driving? Doing anything with a cell phone while you're driving is an unnecessary distraction. There is nothing going on in anyone's life that can't be dealt with on a phone either before a person leaves in a vehicle, or after they arrive at their destination. If something is so pressing that it can't wait until they arrive, they can pull over into a parking lot and do whatever...point is, it doesn't NEED to be done while driving...

what is a need for one person, may or may not be a need for another .... for me there is no need for loud music playing on a vehicle's radio, for me there is no need for transporting a pet that is all over the passenger compartment, for me there is no need for hauling so much stiff inside the vehicle that it blocks vision out the rear window .... in short, I determine what are necessary distractions for me .... others have the same right .... I also believe that I should take responsibility for managing those distractions .... if I look down to adjust something on the dash and cause an accident, that's my fault ... as to possible needs for use of a cellphone (some rather serious, others not so serious), scheduling business, responding to family emergencies, exercising freedom of speech, responding to business emergencies, helping keep someone awake, being told to pickup something on the way home so as to not require an additional trip, calling 911 to report a drunk driver/accident/whatever, etc .... bottom line as stated above, its one thing if using a cellphone for conversation was truly dangerous, truly presented a clear and present danger, directly contributed to a significant number of accidents .... its quite a different matter if some folks are trying to force a pet peeve on others

 

[Rickb]

Driving Safety Studies compare driving while using a cell phone to be the same as DUI. Imagine driving under the influence while talking on a cell phone. Could the DUI offender even find their cell phone before swerving in front of some family on vacation.

When talking/texting on a phone you are less focused on surroundings and are concentrating on the conversation not my granddaughter who may happen to be running out into the street.

If you have an emergency pull over to the side of the road, calm down, and make the call. If it's an emergency situation it compounds the driving hazard.

This topic goes way beyond pet peeve.

 

[WilliamH]

Driving Safety Studies compare driving while using a cell phone to be the same as DUI. Imagine driving under the influence while talking on a cell phone. Could the DUI offender even find their cell phone before swerving in front of some family on vacation.

When talking/texting on a phone you are less focused on surroundings and are concentrating on the conversation not my granddaughter who may happen to be running out into the street.

If you have an emergency pull over to the side of the road, calm down, and make the call. If it's an emergency situation it compounds the driving hazard.

This topic goes way beyond pet peeve.

Whether using the cell phone is dangerous or not is a function of where and when you are.
If you are in the middle of the freeway interchanges in a major city during rush hour, it is probably not to smart.
If you are on the open road in the middle of "miles and miles" of more "miles and miles" with no cars in sight it is probably a non issue.
Like anything, it requires good judgement and common sense.

 

[Jim H]

Doing ANYTHING with a cell phone while driving (even hands-free devices) needs to be banned nationwide, AND IT NEEDS TO BE ENFORCED! We have a law here in IL against using a phones while driving (if they're not hands-free), but it's never enforced, so everybody violates it, even the cops. Like I said earlier, doing ANYTHING with a cell phone while driving is not necessary and therefore should be banned everywhere...

You are absolutely right. Our law here is unenforced. It was just another "feel good" law passed by our progressive City Council to soothe their social conscious without ever seriously intending to enforce it.

 

[Jim H]

Whether using the cell phone is dangerous or not is a function of where and when you are.
If you are in the middle of the freeway interchanges in a major city during rush hour, it is probably not to smart.
If you are on the open road in the middle of "miles and miles" of more "miles and miles" with no cars in sight it is probably a non issue.
Like anything, it requires good judgement and common sense.

Which most of our society demonstrates little of each

 

[grampi]

what is a need for one person, may or may not be a need for another .... for me there is no need for loud music playing on a vehicle's radio, for me there is no need for transporting a pet that is all over the passenger compartment, for me there is no need for hauling so much stiff inside the vehicle that it blocks vision out the rear window .... in short, I determine what are necessary distractions for me .... others have the same right .... I also believe that I should take responsibility for managing those distractions .... if I look down to adjust something on the dash and cause an accident, that's my fault ... as to possible needs for use of a cellphone (some rather serious, others not so serious), scheduling business, responding to family emergencies, exercising freedom of speech, responding to business emergencies, helping keep someone awake, being told to pickup something on the way home so as to not require an additional trip, calling 911 to report a drunk driver/accident/whatever, etc .... bottom line as stated above, its one thing if using a cellphone for conversation was truly dangerous, truly presented a clear and present danger, directly contributed to a significant number of accidents .... its quite a different matter if some folks are trying to force a pet peeve on others

You may not think talking on a cell phone is dangerous because as you said, you don't see wrecked vehicles all along the roads, but many studies have been done that show just the opposite...bottom line, one looses his or her freedoms when those freedoms are a danger to others...

 

[grampi]

Whether using the cell phone is dangerous or not is a function of where and when you are.
If you are in the middle of the freeway interchanges in a major city during rush hour, it is probably not to smart.
If you are on the open road in the middle of "miles and miles" of more "miles and miles" with no cars in sight it is probably a non issue.
Like anything, it requires good judgement and common sense.

I agree, problem is most people don't have the common sense of a house plant...more people than not use cell phones while they drive regardless of the situation...