11-28-2005, 12:00 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Have You Ever Emailed/Text Messaged While Driving?
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/26/D8E4AGFG3.html
The story linked to above is a horrible tragedy, and both the driver and victim's family will be forever changed. In the US of A, drivers eat, drink, read the newspapers and all sorts of things while driving. I suppose in the age of Blackberries and the growth of SMS messages, this is just the next thing to do besides paying attention to the road. :?
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11-28-2005, 12:19 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 450
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Where is the "I don't have a car" option? 
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11-28-2005, 12:24 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 24
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In the UK it is illegal to use a hand held mobile phone while driving a vehicle. In order to make a call or send an SMS or email you have to pull over and stop the engine. The law is defined as follows:
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"The use of a hand-held phone or similar hand-held device while driving will be prohibited. A hand-held device is something that is or must be held at some point during the course of making or receiving a call, or performing any other interactive communication function. Provided that a phone can be operated without holding it, then hands-free equipment is not prohibited by the new regulation."
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The penalty is a fine and can be extended to points on your driving licence (points mean prizes whereby if you collect 12 points you get your licence taken away).
You can use a hands free kit and a phone mount to get around the law, however a policeman could stop you for dangerous driving if they thought you were driving dangerously.
You can also get stopped for dangerous driving if you are doing anything that might take your attention away from the road such as eating, reading a paper, playing a video game, sleeping, etc...
It is a shame that quite a few people still ignore this law, especially on the motorway. You often see people driving along swerving in and out of traffic while having an animated conversation on their phone or busy texting away.
A few links about the law:
http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/ca...bilephones.htm
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/group...ty_025216.hcsp
Dan
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11-28-2005, 12:56 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 171
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Originally Posted by dunos
[snipped]
The penalty is a fine and can be extended to points on your driving licence (points mean prizes whereby if you collect 12 points you get your licence taken away).
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Hopefully you'll forgive me going a bit right-wing on this one but I'm in favour of the death penalty being in place for a short time for offences of this kind. The number of times I've nearly been hit on a pedestrian crossing by some muppet talking on his mobile while driving beggars beliefe.
And even worse, I once phoned a car recovery company because one of their drivers was reading a map while talking on his mobile and jumped a red light at a major crossing. Drives me mad! :evil:
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11-28-2005, 12:58 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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To my mind the UK law doesn't go far enough. People using mobiles, PDAs, reading, watching TV, eating etc. are clearly not competent to drive. The only penalty that makes sense would be an immediate cancellation of licence - forcing drivers to retake their test.
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11-28-2005, 01:03 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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Originally Posted by unxmully
Hopefully you'll forgive me going a bit right-wing on this one but I'm in favour of the death penalty being in place for a short time for offences of this kind.
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Perhaps a little excessive (!) - but certainly the death caused by the 17 year old in the linked article should be treated as manslaughter (complete with prison sentence).
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11-28-2005, 01:37 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,124
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Since the guy he hit died, it's highly likely that charges of some kind will be filed
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11-28-2005, 02:18 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 450
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Under Colorado law, the teen could face up to a year in prison.
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Wow. He kills someone, and he get a whole YEAR in prison. That's BS. These types of actions, using cells, playing games, reading, watching moves, etc., should be treated MUCH more harshly. They should at least be treated the same as DUIs, which I still don't think are treated with harshly enough. People need to be held more accountable for thier actions, especially when others lives are at danger.
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11-28-2005, 02:31 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 539
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Shirley Price wasn't angry with the teen. "I feel sorry for the teenager," she said. "It was a stupid mistake," she told the Rocky Mountain News.
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this amazes me. having lost your spouse, you feel sorry for the person who took him away from you?
back when i got my driver's license, i almost wrapped myself around a tree while trying to change cassettes in my parent's car's radio.
but honestly, i think alcohol is a much greater hazard when combined with motorized vehicles than cellphones.
it saddens me every time i hear of a drunk driver killing other motorists who have done nothing wrong. and most of the time those people survive.
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11-28-2005, 02:54 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 450
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[quote="dMores"]
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but honestly, i think alcohol is a much greater hazard when combined with motorized vehicles than cellphones.
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There have been numerous studies showing that drivers using cell phones are just as impared as those driving legally drunk. (In most cases, cell phone users are much more impared (30% slower reaction time, missing more road signs and signals), than those that are a little above the legal alcohol levels.
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