OT: MA one of 21 states trying to ban texting while driving

[bluejeangirl76]

MA is one of 21 states considering legislation to ban texting while driving, and I can't believe only 12 states have already banned it.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/05/23/ban_on_driver_texting_backed/

And I really can't believe we need to be told not to do this in the first place.
These must be the kids of the people I see reading the god damn newspaper while they drive.


The Senate vote occurred less than two weeks after Aiden Quinn, a 24-year-old MBTA operator, told authorities he was sending his girlfriend a text message when he missed a red light and slammed into a stopped trolley near Government Center Station. The crash destroyed three trolleys and injured nearly 50 people.

Good lord.

[S2M]

MA is one of 21 states considering legislation to ban texting while driving, and I can't believe only 12 states have already banned it.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/05/23/ban_on_driver_texting_backed/

And I really can't believe we need to be told not to do this in the first place.
These must be the kids of the people I see reading the god damn newspaper while they drive.


The Senate vote occurred less than two weeks after Aiden Quinn, a 24-year-old MBTA operator, told authorities he was sending his girlfriend a text message when he missed a red light and slammed into a stopped trolley near Government Center Station. The crash destroyed three trolleys and injured nearly 50 people.

Good lord.

Well, as we all know....Mass has the best drivers in the country....

I can text, eat, change my ipod, sing, compose music, and burp all while driving.....

[KDOUBLEU]

I saw a young girl steering with her knee and texting with both hands while she was passing me on the highway. If I had been on duty she would have gotten a ticket for sure. Thats just nuts!!

[Ehwmatt]

There's already been a couple of deaths/serious injuries here in Cleveland from people texting+driving. I think recently an 18-year-old girl was texting while driving down a busy road and got in an accident, killing one and injuring herself very severely. She was disfigured or paralyzed or something very serious. Must have been worth sending that "LOL r u serious?" text.

You can't stop people from using cell phones, but it would at the very least be nice if parents of new drivers would at least try to restrict the phone+driving when they aren't experienced. Hell, even people who have been driving for years often drive terribly when on cell phones (here's looking at you, Mrs. Suburban Housewife piloting an SUV you can barely see over the steering wheel)

[bluejeangirl76]

Must have been worth sending that "LOL r u serious?" text.

That's what I was thinking about the guy crashing into the trolleys and hurting 50 people while texting his girlfriend.
I guess "I'm picturing u naked baby" couldn't have waited another 10 minutes.

[strangegrey]

what kills me is that NY was one of the first to ban phones while driving...which I disagree with.

I find the hands free crap to be far more distracting that actually flipping open the phone and holding it up to my ear. Hell, the phone rings, you reach for the in-ear bluetooth thing, you answer the phone, hit the bluetooth switch, then yell hello and hope the bluetooth picks up your voice.....in that amount of time, you could hit 5 old ladies, run over a 5 year old boy on his bike and crash the car into a gaurd rail.

The various amount of actions one is required to undertake when engaging the speakerphone on some of the phones out there is no different.


I find it far less distracting to simply answer the phone and hold it up to my ear and talk.....but I'll get a ticket for that.



Regardless, this isn't about talking on the phone....but no one will ever know me to not take an opportunity to sound off on a subject I feel strongly about...so I had to get that bit in.


But the texting issue....yeah. that's mind boggling...why it isn't completely illegal throughout the entire country is beyond me. Granted, I wanna know how the cops intend to enforce such a law...

[bluejeangirl76]

I find it far less distracting to simply answer the phone and hold it up to my ear and talk.....but I'll get a ticket for that.

That's why I hold the phone in my hand and use the speakerphone.

They allegedly ticket for cell phones here, but I see people on them constantly.
But if *I* did it, I'd be the one to get the damn ticket.

[yulog]

How about the other law that is hitting states now ,if you are caught smoking in a car with a child(under 18 or 17yrs old depending on the state) its illegal and you will be ticketed. The first offense is close to $100. it looks like its been adopted in 5 states already,California,Oregon, Maine etc..

[KDOUBLEU]

I hope they dont change the cell phone Law in Michigan i would have a hard time giving someone a ticket for something that i do all the time myself and dont see a problem with. Texting is a different story though.

[FishinMagician]

I can't see people getting ticketed for this. It's not like cops look in your car when they are driving anyways.They are too busy looking at their computers(pretty similar to texting). oh the irony...

[KDOUBLEU]

I can't see people getting ticketed for this. It's not like cops look in your car when they are driving anyways.They are too busy looking at their computers(pretty similar to texting). oh the irony...

Actually thats a fairly true statement. We are supposed to pull over to use our computers. Cant say that it happens that way though.

[Luvsaugeri]

How about the other law that is hitting states now ,if you are caught smoking in a car with a child(under 18 or 17yrs old depending on the state) its illegal and you will be ticketed. The first offense is close to $100. it looks like its been adopted in 5 states already,California,Oregon, Maine etc..

I actually like this. Nothing gets me more than seeing some dumb ass adult smoking in a car with a baby in the back seat!! If you want to pollute your own lungs......have at it. But to pollute a minor is just shameful!!

Now I know.....most of these kids will end up being smokers anyway coming from parents that smoke......but at least let them decide that for themselves when they are old enough. Smoking in a car with a child is the same as giving a child alcohol as far as I'm concerned!!

Of course this, and the texting, all comes down to legislating stupid. And that is very hard to do!!

[StevePerryHair]

I can't see people getting ticketed for this. It's not like cops look in your car when they are driving anyways.They are too busy looking at their computers(pretty similar to texting). oh the irony...

Actually thats a fairly true statement. We are supposed to pull over to use our computers. Cant say that it happens that way though.

I think it would impossible to do that everytime you have to look at your screen. And between that, and the police radio, and the cell phone calls, I have no idea HOW you do it! It's actually an amazing thing to watch, because I would never have the coordination!

[Don]

Having a bluetooth stereo is really the best way to go IF you must talk on the phone while driving.

[Melissa]

I can't see people getting ticketed for this. It's not like cops look in your car when they are driving anyways.They are too busy looking at their computers(pretty similar to texting). oh the irony...

Actually thats a fairly true statement. We are supposed to pull over to use our computers. Cant say that it happens that way though.

I think it would impossible to do that everytime you have to look at your screen. And between that, and the police radio, and the cell phone calls, I have no idea HOW you do it! It's actually an amazing thing to watch, because I would never have the coordination!

Yep, and with how busy the cities around here are with calls, and they're usually backed up all night due to that, if they were to pull over everytime they needed to look at the comp., talk on the radio, take calls on their cells from dispatch and other officers, then people would complain response time is down

I laughed about the monster-SUV chics, SO true! I know there are women out there perfectly capable of driving them just fine, maybe even better than some men but I can't say how many times I've laughed and shaken my head at the ones who have NO clue how to, and can't even park the damn things in a parking spot OR back out of one without making a 70-point turn.

[Ehwmatt]

I can't see people getting ticketed for this. It's not like cops look in your car when they are driving anyways.They are too busy looking at their computers(pretty similar to texting). oh the irony...

Actually thats a fairly true statement. We are supposed to pull over to use our computers. Cant say that it happens that way though.

I think it would impossible to do that everytime you have to look at your screen. And between that, and the police radio, and the cell phone calls, I have no idea HOW you do it! It's actually an amazing thing to watch, because I would never have the coordination!

Yep, and with how busy the cities around here are with calls, and they're usually backed up all night due to that, if they were to pull over everytime they needed to look at the comp., talk on the radio, take calls on their cells from dispatch and other officers, then people would complain response time is down

I laughed about the monster-SUV chics, SO true! I know there are women out there perfectly capable of driving them just fine, maybe even better than some men but I can't say how many times I've laughed and shaken my head at the ones who have NO clue how to, and can't even park the damn things in a parking spot OR back out of one without making a 70-point turn.

I mean seriously, do you know how relieved I am when I'm walking into a mall or whatever and realize I'm not parked next to the giant Sequoia or Suburban being double parked by a 5'2 new mother of three? I can only imagine the door banging and dings the car next to it is receiving as she gets the kids out of the car seat and loads them into the stroller. Giant SUVs piss me off in general, but especially in this situation.

[Melissa]

I can't see people getting ticketed for this. It's not like cops look in your car when they are driving anyways.They are too busy looking at their computers(pretty similar to texting). oh the irony...

Actually thats a fairly true statement. We are supposed to pull over to use our computers. Cant say that it happens that way though.

I think it would impossible to do that everytime you have to look at your screen. And between that, and the police radio, and the cell phone calls, I have no idea HOW you do it! It's actually an amazing thing to watch, because I would never have the coordination!

Yep, and with how busy the cities around here are with calls, and they're usually backed up all night due to that, if they were to pull over everytime they needed to look at the comp., talk on the radio, take calls on their cells from dispatch and other officers, then people would complain response time is down

I laughed about the monster-SUV chics, SO true! I know there are women out there perfectly capable of driving them just fine, maybe even better than some men but I can't say how many times I've laughed and shaken my head at the ones who have NO clue how to, and can't even park the damn things in a parking spot OR back out of one without making a 70-point turn.

I mean seriously, do you know how relieved I am when I'm walking into a mall or whatever and realize I'm not parked next to the giant Sequoia or Suburban being double parked by a 5'2 new mother of three? I can only imagine the door banging and dings the car next to it is receiving as she gets the kids out of the car seat and loads them into the stroller. Giant SUVs piss me off in general, but especially in this situation.

I'm only 5'2" and we have 2 kids, but we don't and never have owned one of those and never will. We don't have any reason to need a car that gigantic. Car seats and strollers fit in regular size cars just fine!

[walkslikealady]

I must be a Luddite...don't see the point of text messages. Also, I have yet to hear a really important conversation by someone in a store talking on a cellphone.

Now if I was hiking in a forest or on a long roadtrip I could see the need for an emergency phone 'cause everytime I needed/wanted a payphone it was broken.

[Ehwmatt]

I'm only 5'2" and we have 2 kids, but we don't and never have owned one of those and never will. We don't have any reason to need a car that gigantic. Car seats and strollers fit in regular size cars just fine!

Nothin against short people at all... I'm one of em at 5'8!

I mean, a reasonable SUV like a Highlander is one thing... those are nice cars and practical. But I just don't see what people get out of having a gigantic car like the big ones.

[Melissa]

I'm only 5'2" and we have 2 kids, but we don't and never have owned one of those and never will. We don't have any reason to need a car that gigantic. Car seats and strollers fit in regular size cars just fine!

Nothin against short people at all... I'm one of em at 5'8!

I mean, a reasonable SUV like a Highlander is one thing... those are nice cars and practical. But I just don't see what people get out of having a gigantic car like the big ones.

I agree, we had a Cherokee over 10 years, but we had a boat that got towed with it and needed the 4WD, that was mainly why, one of the REAL reasons to have an SUV, and one I thought they were made for I loved that thing though, despite being a gas hog . Drove it till it literally fell apart!

[strangegrey]

I laughed about the monster-SUV chics, SO true! I know there are women out there perfectly capable of driving them just fine, maybe even better than some men

Name one...lol...seriously, my town is one of these snooty, high brow towns filled with soccer moms that were a danger to themselves and everyone on the road back when they were only driving minivans (my damn mother-in-law was one of them)....now that they're driving suburbans and ford explosions, they are positively deadly. It's not just that they can't park their trucks...its that they can't drive to begin with. Then they start driving around these explosions and it's like an M-1 Tank getting driven around town by one of Jerry Lewis's kids.

WHile I will l probably catch hell thrown my way as I haul out the whole woman-driver stereotype, the fact remains that for every 10-20 monster-SUV momma's that are fixing their makeup, talking on their phones, yelling at their kids, generally being a death threat to every poor sap driving to work....there's maybe one, if that at all, male that is as much a danger behind the wheel of an suv.

Trying to prove the stereotype doesn't exist while pointing to exhibit A of an ironclad case proving there is, isn't helpful!

but I can't say how many times I've laughed and shaken my head at the ones who have NO clue how to, and can't even park the damn things in a parking spot OR back out of one without making a 70-point turn.

Yep, see above....proof usually comes in spades...

[Melissa]

I laughed about the monster-SUV chics, SO true! I know there are women out there perfectly capable of driving them just fine, maybe even better than some men

Name one...lol...seriously, my town is one of these snooty, high brow towns filled with soccer moms that were a danger to themselves and everyone on the road back when they were only driving minivans (my damn mother-in-law was one of them)....now that they're driving suburbans and ford explosions, they are positively deadly. It's not just that they can't park their trucks...its that they can't drive to begin with. Then they start driving around these explosions and it's like an M-1 Tank getting driven around town by one of Jerry Lewis's kids.

WHile I will l probably catch hell thrown my way as I haul out the whole woman-driver stereotype, the fact remains that for every 10-20 monster-SUV momma's that are fixing their makeup, talking on their phones, yelling at their kids, generally being a death threat to every poor sap driving to work....there's maybe one, if that at all, male that is as much a danger behind the wheel of an suv.

Trying to prove the stereotype doesn't exist while pointing to exhibit A of an ironclad case proving there is, isn't helpful!

but I can't say how many times I've laughed and shaken my head at the ones who have NO clue how to, and can't even park the damn things in a parking spot OR back out of one without making a 70-point turn.

Yep, see above....proof usually comes in spades...

Well our own CrazyDeb and SacredEyes here can drive them just fine, been riders with both of them . I don't know many others who own them at all. And I totally get your point and actually agree with you to a point too that there are more dangerous women drivers than men. Lots of the near accidents (you know, the kind we ALL encounter every now and then with some dipshit) I've almost been in are with women in these huge cars talking on their phones, playing with their fake nails, fixing their hair or make up in the mirror, etc. Hey I can't stand it any more than you can. But there are plenty of bad male drivers out there too. Hey you can think I'm a bad driver because I'm a woman (if that's what you're saying), that's fine, go right ahead . But, I've never gotten a speeding ticket, and the only accident I've been in, that almost killed me, was with a male driver who ran a red light and totalled my car, and banged me up good even with the seat belt. Guess why he ran the light? Talking on a cell phone.

[CatEyes]

And I really can't believe we need to be told not to do this in the first place.

Umfortunately, we cannot legislate common sense and courtesy - even when they are an issue of safety.

Cat