You people who are talking of curtailing liberties have no idea of the difference between a momentary distraction and a continuous one. TV viewing is prohibited because attention is drawn to the screen for more than a second. The same thing is happening with a cell phone. You're paying attention to the conversation, and that takes more than a second--a lot more.
Other distractions that are momentary have no place in a car, but as you say, we have to live with some risk. that's the honest truth--but we can try to limit that risk, which is all these laws are doing.
To 'Give Me Liberty'--you say:
".....In todays world, gov't should 'set years of driving experience' on when a NEW driver is able to talk and drive at the same time. I also do not beleive in a helmet law-though I wear and would continue to wear one on a motorcyle. Leave this allll up to the insurance companies. You crash, your fault (on the phone, etc), you pay. You crash, crack your head open; no helmet; no pay. Easy."
And you are partially right--but how about the person that that bozo runs into? It isn't their fault, yet they may well be disabled by that accident for life. Are YOU going to pay for them to live? Ah, yes--the insurance companies. Let them pay. Well, I have news--where do you think the money to pay them is going to come from? The insurance companies will increase the premium costs for everyone else--including you. Not only do you pay for your shortsightedness--you force everyone else to pay too.
Better we should give up those dangerous 'rights' for the benefit of all. And for those who refuse to obey--let the fines be the unappealable support payments to a person who has been injured as a result of the people who think their rights are worth more than somebody elses life.
Paula - 15 years ago
What I can not stand is drivers on a cell phone not paying attention to what they are doing, and cuting off school bus and tracktor trailors when they merge onto 195 at Gov. Center. We don't stop fast enough. That is an accident waiting to happen. Its nerve racking enough transporting students to and from school. We don't need to be cut off by someone talking on a cell phone. If I was to talk on my cell phone while driving my bus with your kids on board you would be the first one to call the bus co. to complain that I was not doing my job properly.
GiveMeLiberty2 - 15 years ago
I agree with you. The GPS are not outlawed for the driver but the TV is! Let's outlaw poodles on the driver! What I have a problem with is that people can't wait until they get in their car to talk-then trying to exit a parking space while puffing on their cigarette. Oh, let's outlaw the kids in a car too..they're a distraction! In todays world, gov't should 'set years of driving experience' on when a NEW driver is able to talk and drive at the same time. I also do not beleive in a helmet law-though I wear and would continue to wear one on a motorcyle. Leave this allll up to the insurance companies. You crash, your fault (on the phone, etc), you pay. You crash, crack your head open; no helmet; no pay. Easy.
Give me liberty... - 15 years ago
Yes, driving does require concentration, and minimizing distractions can't hurt that focus. My concern is that one particular distraction is being targeted to the exception of others. According to this poll, at the time of my writing, the overwhelming majority are inclined to surrender a privilege they currently enjoy. I infer that this same majority are concerned about curtailing other people's actions, otherwise they would voluntarily submit to hands-free or call free driving. Yet the end result will effect everyone!!!
So, if we're going to legislate this behavior, why not add some other risks to the banned list - drive throughs, car radios, portable DVD players, mapbooks, GPS systems, cup holders, mascara, billboards, bars, or alcohol altogether for that matter. Then, let's demand that all cars have governors limiting their maximum speed to 65, breatholizers mounted to the dash, biometric scanners on the stearing wheel to guarantee two hands properly positioned at 10 and 2 (requiring additional bans on standard transmissions and turn signals triggered by voice command)...
Where do we draw the line? At what point do we accept the risk for the sake of preserving this (or any) derived privilege of freedom? I mean, we can't even remove all of the fuzzy dice dangling obstructively from rearview mirrors...let's tackle that one first.
Smitty - 15 years ago
It isn't only teenyboppers--I almost got run off the road by a middle age mom who was yacking on the cell phone she held up to her ear while she was also talking to her kids. She was NO teenybopper.
Controlling a car is not something that should be taken lightly, no matter how easy it is to do these days. You want to make a call, pull over and do it. I for one am sick and tired of people who think they can do two or three things at once and still be safe. Driving takes ALL your attention--let that attention stray for ONE second, and you can end up in a crumpled mass of metal. No thanks--and if you do it and cause an accident involving me, I'll sue you for every penny you have now AND will have in the future.
FR Citizen - 15 years ago
Because of teenieboopers who can't talk & drive at the same time and get into accidents while trying to do both teh rest of us shouldn't be punished. I have the right and will continue to drive and use my cell phone even if a law is passed. It's a FREE country. Enough with trying to restrict what eveyone does in the privacy of there car or home.
You people who are talking of curtailing liberties have no idea of the difference between a momentary distraction and a continuous one. TV viewing is prohibited because attention is drawn to the screen for more than a second. The same thing is happening with a cell phone. You're paying attention to the conversation, and that takes more than a second--a lot more.
Other distractions that are momentary have no place in a car, but as you say, we have to live with some risk. that's the honest truth--but we can try to limit that risk, which is all these laws are doing.
To 'Give Me Liberty'--you say:
".....In todays world, gov't should 'set years of driving experience' on when a NEW driver is able to talk and drive at the same time. I also do not beleive in a helmet law-though I wear and would continue to wear one on a motorcyle. Leave this allll up to the insurance companies. You crash, your fault (on the phone, etc), you pay. You crash, crack your head open; no helmet; no pay. Easy."
And you are partially right--but how about the person that that bozo runs into? It isn't their fault, yet they may well be disabled by that accident for life. Are YOU going to pay for them to live? Ah, yes--the insurance companies. Let them pay. Well, I have news--where do you think the money to pay them is going to come from? The insurance companies will increase the premium costs for everyone else--including you. Not only do you pay for your shortsightedness--you force everyone else to pay too.
Better we should give up those dangerous 'rights' for the benefit of all. And for those who refuse to obey--let the fines be the unappealable support payments to a person who has been injured as a result of the people who think their rights are worth more than somebody elses life.
What I can not stand is drivers on a cell phone not paying attention to what they are doing, and cuting off school bus and tracktor trailors when they merge onto 195 at Gov. Center. We don't stop fast enough. That is an accident waiting to happen. Its nerve racking enough transporting students to and from school. We don't need to be cut off by someone talking on a cell phone. If I was to talk on my cell phone while driving my bus with your kids on board you would be the first one to call the bus co. to complain that I was not doing my job properly.
I agree with you. The GPS are not outlawed for the driver but the TV is! Let's outlaw poodles on the driver! What I have a problem with is that people can't wait until they get in their car to talk-then trying to exit a parking space while puffing on their cigarette. Oh, let's outlaw the kids in a car too..they're a distraction! In todays world, gov't should 'set years of driving experience' on when a NEW driver is able to talk and drive at the same time. I also do not beleive in a helmet law-though I wear and would continue to wear one on a motorcyle. Leave this allll up to the insurance companies. You crash, your fault (on the phone, etc), you pay. You crash, crack your head open; no helmet; no pay. Easy.
Yes, driving does require concentration, and minimizing distractions can't hurt that focus. My concern is that one particular distraction is being targeted to the exception of others. According to this poll, at the time of my writing, the overwhelming majority are inclined to surrender a privilege they currently enjoy. I infer that this same majority are concerned about curtailing other people's actions, otherwise they would voluntarily submit to hands-free or call free driving. Yet the end result will effect everyone!!!
So, if we're going to legislate this behavior, why not add some other risks to the banned list - drive throughs, car radios, portable DVD players, mapbooks, GPS systems, cup holders, mascara, billboards, bars, or alcohol altogether for that matter. Then, let's demand that all cars have governors limiting their maximum speed to 65, breatholizers mounted to the dash, biometric scanners on the stearing wheel to guarantee two hands properly positioned at 10 and 2 (requiring additional bans on standard transmissions and turn signals triggered by voice command)...
Where do we draw the line? At what point do we accept the risk for the sake of preserving this (or any) derived privilege of freedom? I mean, we can't even remove all of the fuzzy dice dangling obstructively from rearview mirrors...let's tackle that one first.
It isn't only teenyboppers--I almost got run off the road by a middle age mom who was yacking on the cell phone she held up to her ear while she was also talking to her kids. She was NO teenybopper.
Controlling a car is not something that should be taken lightly, no matter how easy it is to do these days. You want to make a call, pull over and do it. I for one am sick and tired of people who think they can do two or three things at once and still be safe. Driving takes ALL your attention--let that attention stray for ONE second, and you can end up in a crumpled mass of metal. No thanks--and if you do it and cause an accident involving me, I'll sue you for every penny you have now AND will have in the future.
Because of teenieboopers who can't talk & drive at the same time and get into accidents while trying to do both teh rest of us shouldn't be punished. I have the right and will continue to drive and use my cell phone even if a law is passed. It's a FREE country. Enough with trying to restrict what eveyone does in the privacy of there car or home.