The use of cell phones in cars NEEDS to be banned.
There have already been independent tests proving cell phone users have a slower reaction time than impaired drivers (don't confused impaired with blood alcohol levels over the legal limit...normally .08).
However you'll not get many states or organizations such as MADD (who did the most for alcohol law changes and social and legal views on the matter) to listen to the cell phone argument since they all spent millions on alcohol law changes, education, etc. in terms of releasing pressure on alcohol/driving issues.
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"It confuses me how some people can vigorously go against the 2nd. Amendment and still call themselves patriotic"-me
I'd like to see the danged things banned in cars here in The Sunshine State. I see every third car it seems, driver has the gadget clapped to his/her noggin. No clue to what is going on around them.
I believe that ban says that you have to have a hands-free setup while driving. Should be interesting to enforce that law.
I agree that people on their cell phones can be oblivious, but it seems like we are bordering on a nanny state. What's next, radios while driving? Talking?
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My first priority will be to reinstate the assault weapons ban as soon as I take office.
Like the article said:Banned the use of HANDHELD cell phones IN CARS.
I personally think it is a good idea,but inforcement may be difficult,maybe why it doesn't go into effect until 2008.
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USAF 62-66 E-4
Resident Curmudgeon
We have been and still are being sold out.
I agree with those who want hand held cell phones banned in vehicles. I've known people who were rear ended because of drivers using cell phones who weren't giving 100% of their attention to their driving skills.
And...I'm tired of sitting behind drivers at stop lights who get so engrossed in their cell phone conversations that they don't pay attention to when the light turns green.
Yes, I believe 100% of a driver's attention should be focused on driving safely.
People are clever, they won`t get caught with a phone against the side of their fool head, so they send and read text messages.. Next time you`re at a traffic light, check your rear view for a 20 something and you can tell by the eyes glancing down that that person is texting. This is a deadly practice, and a big contributing factor in crashes.
I agree w\Lefty, it needs to be a nationwide ban. People have too many distractions these days and with the amount of traffic increasing, it's a deadly mix. I run over a hundred thousand miles a year and it is literally an epidemic. While they are at it, how 'bout cracking down on laptops in the front seat, reading books\magazines, applying makeup, and watching videos while driving as well?
The problem is not the cell phone, people, its the drivers being distracted. Weather it is changing the station on the radio, adjusting the defrost setting, or even sipping your morning coffee, these are distractions we should all avoid. Heck even chatting with other occupants in the car or having a conversation going on in the car is a distraction. How many of us are guilty of the these things? I know I am. As cars get safer, we seem to be getting braver behind the wheel. I had a Volvo 240 that was reputed to never have had a fatal crash in that series. The next owner got rearended by a punk pledging a gang to get. She was fine, but the car still ran so she tried to chase the guy down. I kinda wish it had at least stalled on her. She could have been in big trouble if the punk hadn't gotten away. Does anyone here have kids that think they are indestructable? Any reasonable ideas as to what to do with this problem besides banning an inanimate object?
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"Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." Benjamin Franklin
I am the one who is going to stand way off to the side on this issue. I 100% disagree with this idea.
Allow me to share a story, readers digest style. I was coming home from work, an hour long drive. I am relaxed, settled in, waiting to get home and sleep. About 5 miles from my home, I got blown past. I was traveling at 10 over the limit, 75 MPH and this little red sporty car just dusted me. Less than thirty seconds he is outta sight.
I pick up my mobile, and put in a call to the local PD, they get an officer out there, make the stop, and find four illegal weapons, and a BUNCH (7 Duffel Bags packed tight) of weed in the trunk. Also, at the time of the stop, the police clocked the guy at 124 MPH. Proof that the "unsafe use" of cellphones can save lives!
With me, my cell stays on my hip while I am driving, unless I feel like it is my duty to call something in. I don't take personal calls on the road. If I have to call someone, I pull off to the side, make my call, then hang it up and carry on. The exception is a situation like the one above.)
The thing I hear most often when somebody gets cut off on the highway is "Must be them dang cellular phone!!!" It isn't the phones fault that the driver is not responsible!
Back in the 70's, Citizen Band radios were all the craze, and I still don't understand why they weren't criticised as strongly as cellular phones. Both distract the driver, both can potentially block the drivers view, and unlike cell phones, with most CBs, you have to turn the knobs to tune them in just right! (My Uniden Bearcat was the only example I have had, but with it, I was constantly goofing with the knobs).
It is IMO, just EXACTLY like the gun situation in the US. Those who do decide to abuse the privelage to have them screw it up and make it tougher on us all.
Don't condemn cell phones, condemn negligent users who aren't mature enough to realize that they are a distraction!!!
__________________ Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself – Twain.
Last edited by Rookie_Rover; 09-17-2006 at 05:33 AM.
The lawmakers who are banning cell phone use in vehicles, because some people are idiots with them, are the same crowd who are saying, "some people are misusing firearms? No problem; we'll just ban firearms."
The lawmakers who are banning cell phone use in vehicles, because some people are idiots with them, are the same crowd who are saying, "some people are misusing firearms? No problem; we'll just ban firearms."
BINGO!
I work in construction and you wouldn't believe the number of people who I see coming by are on cell phones. Usually every 3rd car. They are the ones who are going slower and aren't paying attention to their surroundings. Banning cell phone use hurts those of us who spend a great deal of the day on the road who use them for work and not to call susie to see what she's doing after work. The problem is that its a certain segment of the population who uses them as status symbols and recreation tools that's sticking it to the rest of us.
__________________ Commen Sense and Critical Thinking are an absolute joke in today's society. Yes I am talking to you!
I work for the Department of Transportation as a Highway Maintainer. I work on a highway that has an average of 100,000 cars a day past any given point! We are out fixing holes, fence, you name it and we see the distracted drivers talking on their phones. Needless to say the job is very dangerous, if we have to close a lane for repair it is a very exacting process. Our safety is paramount but daily if not hourly or more frequently at times, we see distracted drivers screwing up the flow. If we need to close a lane we start with a truck that shows the lane closures ahead, the next truck has an illuminated arrow with the direction the drivers have to merge with the current lane closure, the 3rd truck has the road ROAD WORK AHEAD FINES DOUBLED sign, he too has an illuminated arrow showing the direction the traffic has to move he also straddles 1/2 the lane he is closing. The next truck has the illuminated arrow and he take a full lane. The trucks are spaced out anywhere from 200yds to 1/8 mile depending on site lines and traffic. You'd be surprised how many people come right up to that last truck taking the full lane and wait for it to move.....all of this on a road with heavy traffic and lousy drivers. Why did they not see the 4 trucks directing them to move over? Inevitably it is inattentiveness to their job (driving) be it cell phones, I-pods, email, the radio.....people have to take their job of driving a car seriously. I've seen where the cell phone and gun control have been correlated...Guns are Constitutionally viable, driving is a priveledge that requires competency, after all it is a license. On that note don't forget that more people die in auto accidents than firearms related incidents... I live in a state that has a ban on hand held phones in cars, I agree it is not the holding the phone to the ear it is the taking your eyes off the road to dial the phone or look through the directory. People scoff at the "law"
All good points above. It all boils down to the person using the cell phone in an unsafe way. Definitely, cell phones provide a valuable service in many ways.
And...they provide a method of reducing boredom when on long expressway drives, and at other times and for other uses as well...but I'm still a firm believer that laws should be passed and enforced against persons using cell phones which result in an accident.
Hand held cell phones banned in cars. 
