Cops really need to crack down more on cell phone users

[bfdd]

lol i see cops on the phone all the time while driving here in the West LA and South Bay areas. It's quite funny. I just use speaker phone

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Unenforceable? How hard is it to see the person yakking away on a cell phone or constantly looking down at their lap while they're speeding along at 80mph? Its very easy to tell when people are using their phone or texting.

At minimum cops should flash their lights and sirens. If the driver doesn't respond then they should be pulled over.

First offense texters should be pulled over, cited, and then have their phones confiscated and have to drive to the police station to pick them up.

ratio of violators to violators caught is essentially zero. that is an unenforced law.

obviously it's easy to catch a single individual, my point is it is impossible to fully or even come close to partially enforcing the law for the entire population. that makes it unenforceable to me.

 

[Zedtom]

I'm seeing more GPS screens situated in plain sight right in the middle of people's dashboards. It's really silly watching people lean over to look at maps just as much as cell phone users have their necks bent so they can talk with the phone held up with their shoulder.

I have a personal peeve with cell phone distraction because a driver ran a red light and tore off my front bumper. If I hadn't seen him out of the corner of my eye and slammed on my brakes, I would have been t-boned right in the driver's side door.

 

[rudeguy]

i thought they could only ticket someone for talking on their phone if they're pulling them over for another offense.

depends on your state. Here in MI they can pull you over for texting. Although the last I heard, no one had actually been ticketed for that yet.

I don't think enforcing something like this is a cop's job. If people can't handle this, then the phone should be disabled in their car. It wouldn't be that hard at all to do.

 

[shortylickens]

It would actually be much more effective to lift most of the so-called "safety" laws and let all the dumb, arrogant people die off. In the end you will have fewer problems.
My argument? No one has ever tried it that way before (relaxing the laws) and the current trend sure as shit doesnt seem to fix any problems at all.

 

[CPA]

i thought they could only ticket someone for talking on their phone if they're pulling them over for another offense.

state laws - they're different.

 

[DrPizza]

In my physics lab, I used to do an experiment where you drop a ruler between someone's fingers and calculate their reaction time by the distance that the ruler falls.

This year, I added a new twist to that lab. I had all the kids go to their lockers and get their cell phones. They had no clue what was up. I had them text the alphabet with one hand. (Some whined about this, because they were used to 2 hands.) Their times for texting the alphabet ranged from 9 to 14 seconds.

I then did the experiment to measure reaction time (typical physics experiment.) But after that, I gave the kids up to 25 seconds to complete the alphabet. At some point during those 25 seconds, I would drop the ruler between their fingers. I corrected for any problems like "I dropped the ruler only when they were looking at the phone" - I dropped it at completely random times without watching the student.

NOT a single student was able to catch the ruler between their fingers under those circumstances. Not one. I had to switch to meter sticks.

So, to sum this experiment up: even when they KNEW I was going to drop the ruler (within 25 seconds, anyhow), and they were anticipating that the ruler was going to be dropped, they couldn't catch it while texting on a cell phone with the other hand.

 

[Numenorean]

I'll talk on the phone in my car while I'm driving as much as I fucking well please. It isn't illegal.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

I rarely operate my phone while on the move, and basically 99% of the time I actually do use the phone in a vehicle, I only do something while at a red-light or stop sign... if I am talking on the phone, I'm barely attentive at all to the conversation, and if I am doing it, the road is deserted and the phone call brief.

This.
Headsets should be mandatory included with cell phone purchases as well.

 

[JulesMaximus]

They should also ban radio's, drinking, eating, and talking in a car because they are so distracting.

Bullshit. Do you see people looking down for seconds at a time, taking both hands off the wheel, repeatedly, for miles at a time just to change the radio station? Or to take a sip of coffee?

I was driving home last night and watched this young woman in a subcompact look down for 1-2 seconds, then look back up at the road for a second, then back down for 1-2 seconds, then glance back at the road in front of her. This went on for at least 2-3 miles and she was no farther than 2 car lengths away from the vehicle in front of her while traveling along at 60-65mph.

And I see this ALL THE TIME!!!

People just aren't this distracted by radios or drinks.

 

[Numenorean]

Bullshit. Do you see people looking down for seconds at a time, taking both hands off the wheel, repeatedly, for miles at a time just to change the radio station? Or to take a sip of coffee?

I was driving home last night and watched this young woman in a subcompact look down for 1-2 seconds, then look back up at the road for a second, then back down for 1-2 seconds, then glance back at the road in front of her. This went on for at least 2-3 miles and she was no farther than 2 car lengths away from the vehicle in front of her while traveling along at 60-65mph.

And I see this ALL THE TIME!!!

People just aren't this distracted by radios or drinks.

What does that have to do with the phone (or anything you're looking at in that pattern)? That's all on the driver there.

 

[JulesMaximus]

speeding already carries similar or worse penalties, yet that is violated consistently and constantly by the MAJORITY of drivers. unless you plan to staff a team of officers at every intersection and roaming segments of the highway (police state, for cell phone use?!) people are going to continue to use their phones because the police will continue to NOT BE ABLE TO ENFORCE the law.

the ratio of punishment to risk of getting caught is virtually nil, since the risk of getting caught is basically zero (if you look at the set of all drivers that use their phones). the only way to make that equation work is to go crazy with enforcement (police state - intolerable for even californians i hope), or make the punishments sufficiently ridiculously high (permanent license suspension/jail time/$$$) which also will never happen because they don't fit the crime.

on top of all that, if a driver is operating a vehicle erratically or irresponsibly, there ALREADY are laws in place that punish that, regardless of cause. stacking more impossible to enforce regulations doesn't add anything.

educate the population on safe driving (already in place), and strictly punish drivers that don't abide. quit wasting legislative time and taxpayer money trying to enumerate each way people can be stupid - you will always be trying to play catchup.

hell, how dumb are cell phone laws going to look in 20 years when they probably wont even exist anymore (at least in any similar form)??? why are people so short sighted?!

Because I risk my life sharing the road with these clueless morons every day?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Bullshit. Do you see people looking down for seconds at a time, taking both hands off the wheel, repeatedly, for miles at a time just to change the radio station? Or to take a sip of coffee?

I was driving home last night and watched this young woman in a subcompact look down for 1-2 seconds, then look back up at the road for a second, then back down for 1-2 seconds, then glance back at the road in front of her. This went on for at least 2-3 miles and she was no farther than 2 car lengths away from the vehicle in front of her while traveling along at 60-65mph.

And I see this ALL THE TIME!!!

People just aren't this distracted by radios or drinks.

what about gps devices/car computers/ez bake ovens/fax machines?

 

[moshquerade]

Despite the fact that it has been law here for a while I still see a large number of people chatting away with a damned cell phone pressed into the side of their fat greasy head or looking down every couple seconds while they update their facefuck page at 70mph on the freeway.

\rant

i've never even heard of anyone getting a ticket for dwop - driving while on phone, but i've seen it being done plenty of times too.

 

[JulesMaximus]

What does that have to do with the phone (or anything you're looking at in that pattern)? That's all on the driver there.

If the phone wasn't there or if it didn't work she wouldn't be trying to text or update her facebook or send an e-mail or whatever the fuck inane thing she was doing when she should have been paying attention to the road. You just don't see people this distracted by anything else in a car...except maybe screaming kids but good luck outlawing them.

 

[dank69]

if its on the highway it would be too difficult for a stationary patrol car holding a radar gun to look at every driver and check if they are using a phone especially at those speeds.

the best we can do is be careful ourselves. wreckless drivers, whether it be texting/phoning, drunk, high on drugs, or just plain assholes will always show in their driving. if you see a little swerve just steer clear to be on the safe side.

Fuck that I put them into the wall.

 

[JulesMaximus]

what about gps devices/car computers/ez bake ovens/fax machines?

GPS devices are not supposed to be operated while the car is in motion. Some even lock out fiddling while the car is in gear.

I'd bet it is extremely rare you'd find any of those other devices you mentioned in most cars.

 

[jtvang125]

I once saw a chick going 10 below the speed limit on the freeway. As I pass her by I looked over and she had her phone in both hands on top of the steering wheel. She wasn't even attempting to hide it.

I wouldn't mind banning complete cell phone use while driving. I was almost killed in a car accident when a bitch blew through a red light because she was busy yapping on her cell phone. If I entered the intersection just 1 second sooner she would have T-boned me.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

GPS devices are not supposed to be operated while the car is in motion. Some even lock out fiddling while the car is in gear.

I'd bet it is extremely rare you'd find any of those other devices you mentioned in most cars.

you're not supposed to but most still allow you to operate as normal even while driving. scenario would be heading toward an area while doing a search for a particular restaraunt for example.

not to mention sometimes people are so focused on their gps they aren't really even looking at the cars around them. not saying talking on the phone shouldn't be illegal but what do we do about other distracting things in the car?

also I think texting/talking on the phone is illegal but you're still allowed to surf the web while driving.

what about situations where the phone is being used as a gps?

 

[shortylickens]

I once saw a chick going 10 below the speed limit on the freeway. As I pass her by I looked over and she had her phone in both hands on top of the steering wheel. She wasn't even attempting to hide it.

I wouldn't mind banning complete cell phone use while driving. I was almost killed in a car accident when a bitch blew through a red light because she was busy yapping on her cell phone. If I entered the intersection just 1 second sooner she would have T-boned me.

Worst thing I've seen recently was a dumb blonde bitch is a Humvee (the real one, not the pussymobiles most people drive these days) texting on her phone while doing 75 down the highway in a 55 zone. She almost pushed me off the road and flattened a Yaris.
WAY too many rich bitches in Northern Virginia. I have no doubt her hubby is 30 years older and a lawyer, politician or businessman.

 

[holden j caufield]

most modern phones have gps. It will take one family of a loved one to sue or maybe some kind of class action if you're moving faster than a walking person the gps in the phone should deactivate the phone for talking and outgoing texts.

 

[JulesMaximus]

most modern phones have gps. It will take one family of a loved one to sue or maybe some kind of class action if you're moving faster than a walking person the gps in the phone should deactivate the phone for talking and outgoing texts.

Fantastic idea! I fully support this! :thumbsup:

 

[OutHouse]

I see cops talking on their cell phones while driving nearly every single day. sure its probably work related (i hope) but i sure cant use that excuse if i get pulled over for it.

 

[rh71]

surprised the letters SUV weren't in your OP. Even more surprised the words "soccer mom" didn't appear either.

And no, they shouldn't.

 

[OutHouse]

most modern phones have gps. It will take one family of a loved one to sue or maybe some kind of class action if you're moving faster than a walking person the gps in the phone should deactivate the phone for talking and outgoing texts.

but what happens for people like me who gets MoM alerts by txt? still doesn't solve the problem of pulling my blackberry out and seeing what system is paging me.

i guess my point is, cell phone usage while driving will never stop.