Get Off The Phone And Drive!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

This makes me sick. Sick, Sick, SICK. The driver that’s too busy talking or texting on a cell phone that he/she cannot has lost their attention driving. You see these drivers every day. They weave in and out of lines, run lights, ride your tail, HAVE ACCIDENTS.

That’s right, they’re so busy yacking they hit something. Cell phones have become an essential feature of modern life. In June 2004, about 170 million Americans had a cell phone, an increase of more than 20 million from 2003. About two out of every three drivers now have a cell phone. Cell phone talking/texting is the number 1 driver distraction. Drivers who don’t pay attention or are distracted are three times as likely to be involved in a crash as drivers who pay attention to the road and talk/text on a phone.

Almost 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near misses occur within three seconds of some form of driver distraction. The number of crashes and near-crashes attributable to dialing is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening, dialing is more dangerous but occurs less often than talking or listening. The effect of phone use upon the perceptual responses of drivers is likely to constitute a greater threat to safety than its interference with vehicle control. Perceptual processes play a far greater role in automobile accidents than does vehicle control. "Improper lookout" and "inattention" are the two leading contributors to automobile accidents.

Those who talk on a cell phone while driving are four times as likely to get in a car accident as those who do not talk on the phone while driving. Some states or local jurisdictions expressly prohibit novice drivers from talking on a cell phone while driving. Novice drivers are those with learner’s permits and restricted driving privileges. In states like Alaska, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Minnesota, and New Jersey texting while driving is against the law. The District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, prohibit handheld cell phone use while driving. Several States prohibit all cell phone use by drivers under the age of 18 or 21, drivers with a GDL, and school bus dr
ivers.

A jurisdiction-wide ban on driving while talking on a hand-held cellphone is in place in 7 states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) and the District of Columbia. Utah has named the offense careless driving. Under the Utah law, no one commits an offense when speaking on a cellphone unless they are also committing some other moving violation other than speeding. The law in 5 states Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania specifically authorizes a locality to ban cellphone use. Localities that have enacted restrictions on cellphone use include: Chicago, IL; Brookline, MA; Detroit, MI; Santa Fe, NM; Brooklyn, North Olmstead, and Walton Hills, OH; Conshohocken, Lebanon, and West Conshohocken, PA; Waupaca County, WI; and Oahu, HI. Localities are prohibited from banning cellphone use in 8 states (Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah). Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 18 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, novice drivers are banned from texting in 9 states (Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, and West Virginia) and school bus drivers are banned from text messaging in 1 state (Texas).


Laws restricting cellphone use and texting

State

Hand-held ban

Young drivers all cellphone ban

Bus drivers all cellphone ban

Texting ban

Enforcement

Alabama

no

no

no

no

not applicable

Alaska

no

no

no

all drivers

primary

Arizona

no

no

school bus drivers

no

primary

Arkansas

drivers ages 18 through 20 (effective 10/01/09)

drivers younger than 18 (effective 10/01/09)

school bus drivers

all drivers (effective 10/01/09)

primary: texting by all drivers and cellphone use by school bus drivers; secondary: cellphone use by young drivers (effective 10/01/09)

California

all drivers

drivers younger than 18

school and transit bus drivers

all drivers

primary1

Colorado

no

drivers younger than 18 (effective 12/01/09)

no

all drivers (effective 12/01/09)

primary (effective 12/01/09)

Connecticut

all drivers

drivers younger than 18

school bus drivers

all drivers

primary

Delaware

no

learner's permit and intermediate license holders

school bus drivers

learner's permit and intermediate license holders

primary

District of Columbia

all drivers

learner's permit holders

school bus drivers

all drivers

primary

Florida

no

no

no

no

not applicable

Georgia

no

no

school bus drivers

no

primary

Hawaii

no

no

no

no

not applicable

Idaho

no

no

no

no

not applicable

Illinois

drivers in construction and school speed zones (effective 01/01/10)

drivers younger than 19 and learner's permit holders younger than 19

school bus drivers

all drivers (effective 01/01/10)

primary

Indiana

no

drivers younger than 18

no

drivers younger than 18

primary

Iowa

no

no

no

no

not applicable

Kansas

no

learner's permit and intermediate license holders (effective 01/01/10)

no

learner's permit and intermediate license holders (effective 01/01/10)

primary (effective 01/01/10)

Kentucky

no

no

school bus drivers

no

primary

Louisiana

with respect to novice drivers, see footnote2

with respect to novice drivers, see footnote2

school bus drivers

all drivers

secondary; primary for school bus drivers

Maine

no

learner's permit and intermediate license holders

no

learner's permit and intermediate license holders

primary

Maryland

no

learner's permit and intermediate license holders

no

all drivers (effective 10/01/09)

secondary; primary for texting

Massachusetts

local option

no

school bus drivers

no

primary

Michigan

local option

no

no

no

not applicable

Minnesota

no

learner's permit holders and provisional license holders during the first 12 months after licensing

school bus drivers

all drivers

primary

Mississippi

no

no

no

learner's permit and intermediate license holders

primary

Missouri

no

no

no

drivers 21 and younger

primary

Montana

no

no

no

no

not applicable

Nebraska

no

learner's permit and intermediate license holders younger than 18

no

learner's permit and intermediate license holders younger than 18

secondary

Nevada

no

no

no

no

not applicable

New Hampshire

no

no

no

all drivers (effective 01/01/10)

primary (effective 01/01/10)

New Jersey

all drivers

learner's permit and intermediate license holders

school bus drivers

all drivers

primary

New Mexico

local option

no

no

no

not applicable

New York

all drivers

no

no

all drivers (effective 11/01/09)

secondary (effective 11/01/09)

North Carolina

no

drivers younger than 18

school bus drivers

all drivers (effective 12/01/09)

primary

North Dakota

no

no

no

no

not applicable

Ohio

local option

no

no

no

not applicable

Oklahoma

no

no

no

no

not applicable

Oregon

all drivers (effective 01/01/10)

drivers younger than 18 (effective 01/01/10)

no

all drivers (effective 01/01/10)

primary (effective 01/01/10)

Pennsylvania

local option

no

no

no

not applicable

Rhode Island

no

drivers younger than 18

school bus drivers

no

primary

South Carolina

no

no

no

no

not applicable

South Dakota

no

no

no

no

not applicable

Tennessee

no

learner's permit and intermediate license holders

school bus drivers

all drivers

primary

Texas

drivers in school crossing zones

intermediate license holders for the first twelve months

bus drivers when a passenger 17 and younger is present

bus drivers when a passenger 17 and younger is present; intermediate license holders for first twelve months; drivers in school crossing zones

primary

Utah

all drivers

no

no

all drivers

primary for texting; secondary for talking on a hand-held cellphone3

Vermont

no

no

no

no

not applicable

Virginia

no

drivers younger than 18

school bus drivers

all drivers

secondary; primary for school bus drivers

Washington

all drivers

no

no

all drivers

secondary

West Virginia

no

drivers younger than 18 who hold either a learner's permit or an intermediate license

no

drivers younger than 18 who hold either a learner's permit or an intermediate license

primary

Wisconsin

no

no

no

no

not applicable

Wyoming

no

no

no

no

not applicable



Bottom Line, stay off the phone and pay attention or,

IT’S GONNA BE BEDLAM!

2 deacons spoke:

SagaciousHillbilly said...

Quit doing anything except drive and DRIVE! These dumb fucks don't realize that their cars/trucks/whatever are driving them instead of them driving their car. They're too damn stupid to realize how fast things happen at 50, 60, 70 or 90 MPH.
If you f'up at those speeds, you don't have time to refocus nd correct the situation, you've only got time to scream "BEDLAM!"

Bedlam said...

uh-uh, I'm one of these drivers. I have to yack about something. I'm trying to get better. I haven't had any accidents. Most of the time some guy pulls up and gesture my phone number.

Where have you been ANYWAY!

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