Any use of your phone and the laws that govern it

[GenericMessage]

I wanted to start a thread here for I see people bringing up (myself included) various local, state, and federal laws governing when we can and cannot use our phones. And how its going in a direction to make all use of phones illegal in a vehicle. But are our android devices even able to be classified as a phone anymore?




I know many laws have the hands free requirement, that if you talk on your phone while driving without a hands free device that you'll get a ticket.

Michigan just passed (and will start in June) a law that prohibits the sending and receiving of any text or email while driving. Now how can they prove that I was? Really? Receiving one gets me in-trouble? Dang!


Please everyone share your thoughts, feelings, laws, experience, ideas, everything.

 

[doogald]

Effing fantastic idea. I'm so tired of seeing obviously distracted drivers going by. Even more tired of nearly being hit by one who wasn't paying attention and started going off the road.

The idea of the sent/received text being an issue in a citation I am sure will come up if you are involved in an accident (or observed by an officer driving distracted.) It should be fairly simple to get a warrant for your text messaging records. I would think that sending a message would be far worse in court than receiving one, though.

My guess is that there will be no issue with a passenger using a phone in a moving vehicle. If you need to make a call, pull over. If you need to receive one, my guess is you have voice mail on your phone. If you receive a text, read it at the next time you stop, pull over to read it, whichever.

It's your life, but I'd guess that if you are responsible for murdering or maiming somebody while you are driving and you are distracted by your phone, you may end up kissing everything that you own goodbye.

 

[Lancer033]

there should be something on the books concerning not paying attention to the road. doesn't really matter if it's talking on the phone or playing with the radio, reading a book, putting on makeup or changing clothes or anything else that you could be doing instead of paying attention to the road. That said, you can change the radio station safely and use a GPS safely and so a lot of things that don't really take your attention away from the road so i don't see why it's illegal. It's already been proven that the hands free device does nothing since it's the person's concentration on the phone call and not the 1 hand holding the phone that causes the problem. I guess the point of my rambling rant is that it can't be a one size fit's all law, but if i person isn't paying attention to the road they should be ticketed

and since it's come up. I read texts and e-mails at red-lights all the time. I figure that can't hurt anything since the car is stopped.

 

[VZWBB]

Not trying to start a pissing match here or anything, but how many laws do we really need? I'm not anti-law by any means, but whats next? Can't have a radio in a car because you can be distracted by changing a station or by laughing (or yelling for that matter) at a subject being discussed? God forbid you should reach into your center console for a map or written directions...maybe we should have laws that don't allow the consuming of a beverage while driving?

Oh, and you better not be wearing anything attractive while driving that convertible around, lest you be subject to being an "accessory of distracted driving" or whatever the heck they might call it.

Dumb. Some rules are smart. This one is dumb. I hope I never see a police cruiser in an accident....wouldn't want him "distracted" by the laptops, cellphones, and 2-way radios and scanners in his vehicle. I would hope he recieves the same ticket.

 

[GenericMessage]

Effing fantastic idea. I'm so tired of seeing obviously distracted drivers going by. Even more tired of nearly being hit by one who wasn't paying attention and started going off the road.

The idea of the sent/received text being an issue in a citation I am sure will come up if you are involved in an accident (or observed by an officer driving distracted.) It should be fairly simple to get a warrant for your text messaging records. I would think that sending a message would be far worse in court than receiving one, though.

My guess is that there will be no issue with a passenger using a phone in a moving vehicle. If you need to make a call, pull over. If you need to receive one, my guess is you have voice mail on your phone. If you receive a text, read it at the next time you stop, pull over to read it, whichever.

It's your life, but I'd guess that if you are responsible for murdering or maiming somebody while you are driving and you are distracted by your phone, you may end up kissing everything that you own goodbye.

Its actually really difficult to get a warrant for your text messages. Especially in a moving violation. Plus they wouldn't look for one. They'd issue you a ticket, you'd take it to court, they'd have no way of proving it, the end.

 

[Lancer033]

Not trying to start a pissing match here or anything, but how many laws do we really need? I'm not anti-law by any means, but whats next? Can't have a radio in a car because you can be distracted by changing a station or by laughing (or yelling for that matter) at a subject being discussed? God forbid you should reach into your center console for a map or written directions...maybe we should have laws that don't allow the consuming of a beverage while driving?

Oh, and you better not be wearing anything attractive while driving that convertible around, lest you be subject to being an "accessory of distracted driving" or whatever the heck they might call it.

Dumb. Some rules are smart. This one is dumb. I hope I never see a police cruiser in an accident....wouldn't want him "distracted" by the laptops, cellphones, and 2-way radios and scanners in his vehicle. I would hope he recieves the same ticket.

That's why i say make the law generic so you can be cited for not paying attention to the road (unsafe for everyone else that happens to be around you), but still allows you to do whatever you are capable of doing while keeping you attention on driving.

 

[GenericMessage]

The law also states that you cannot RECEIVE txt messages or emails while in a vehicle. Sheesh, I mean, I receive a work email every 5 min, I guess I am gonna get pulled over a lot!

 

[Lancer033]

that's a stupid law. You have no control over that. On the other hand, if you're reading your e-mail while driving down the road, you're probably a moron and shouldn't be driving.

 

[GenericMessage]

that's a stupid law. You have no control over that. On the other hand, if you're reading your e-mail while driving down the road, you're probably a moron and shouldn't be driving.

My only concern is, is my Droid even a phone anymore?

 

[anon(12496)]

My only concern is, is my Droid even a phone anymore?

Uh... yes? It's a phone that is also a tiny personal computer. But it's still a phone. It just has more ways you can tap at its shiny screen that can effectively distract you from driving.

As a fellow driver, I am quite pissed by people who can't keep their hands off of their phones while behind the wheel. If you want to make calls use a proper headset. And if you absolutely must text or read/write emails, just pull over for five minutes. If you are driving for a long enough time to absolutely have to message someone in the car then stop for a few minutes and stretch your legs while you do it. Everyone should remember, that it's not only their own health at risk if they crash they car because of phone tapping action. They're also responsible for their passengers and the other people on the road if they veer their car into someone else's.

 

[GenericMessage]

I've seen a few people stating that you just "pull over."


Do you pull over to look at your GPS system? Or adjust the radio? Do you pull over to take your hand off the wheel to push your headsets button to answer the call? Do you pull over to eat your food? Or hand a toy to your crying baby?

How is a phone more dangerous than ALL of this?

 

[Lancer033]

I've seen a few people stating that you just "pull over."


Do you pull over to look at your GPS system? Or adjust the radio? Do you pull over to take your hand off the wheel to push your headsets button to answer the call? Do you pull over to eat your food? Or hand a toy to your crying baby?

How is a phone more dangerous than ALL of this?

It's not....

I can change radio stations or mess with the A/C without even looking down...no big deal there, but i'm not going to start reprograming the GPS system (built into my car) while i'm driving down the road. I couldn't do both at the same time. I can easily look and see who is calling me and answer the phone hands free, so i do that, but i wouldn't start googling for something on my phone (not voice search). Hand the kid a toy....you barely have to look back, but if it's going to take more effort than that, you might want to consider pulling over. All i'm saying is that you should use your brain. I don't give a rip if you drive over a cliff playing with your phone, but if you so much as put a scratch on my car because you aren't paying attention, i'm going to get really pissed off.

 

[GenericMessage]

It's not....

I can change radio stations or mess with the A/C without even looking down...no big deal there, but i'm not going to start reprograming the GPS system (built into my car) while i'm driving down the road. I couldn't do both at the same time. I can easily look and see who is calling me and answer the phone hands free, so i do that, but i wouldn't start googling for something on my phone (not voice search). Hand the kid a toy....you barely have to look back, but if it's going to take more effort than that, you might want to consider pulling over. All i'm saying is that you should use your brain. I don't give a rip if you drive over a cliff playing with your phone, but if you so much as put a scratch on my car because you aren't paying attention, i'm going to get really pissed off.

As someone who just finished the academy for being a L.E.O, I can tell you that so much as even talking your hands off the wheel or eyes off the road for a second is considered "dangerous"


But what is more dangerous? Being on a busy street and trying to pull over on the shoulder risking accidents, or not?

 

[doogald]

I've seen a few people stating that you just "pull over."


Do you pull over to look at your GPS system? Or adjust the radio? Do you pull over to take your hand off the wheel to push your headsets button to answer the call? Do you pull over to eat your food? Or hand a toy to your crying baby?

How is a phone more dangerous than ALL of this?

I never do anything with the GPS while I am moving. I can adjust the radio from buttons on the steering wheel. I rarely use a headset or BT speakerphone in the car - all calls go to VM. I rarely eat while driving, and definitely nothing messy. I haven't had to worry about a crying baby for a long time, but I definitely pull over - well off the road - to see to the needs of a crying baby if I know there is no way to wait it out until we reach the destination (though, honestly, most of the time there was a crying baby in the car, either my wife or I was in the passenger seat and could take care of any of those issues.)

And, I am sure that we have all seen stories like Car and Driver: texting is more dangerous than driving impaired by alcohol.

 

[GenericMessage]

Basically the argument I am making is either you can do everything or nothing in your car. Because to say calling someone is more dangerous than looking at your GPS system, or having a car full of kids, is silly.

 

[KCphotog]

Good Subject that I hope many will take serious.

I have been in two head on collisions and lost two beautiful cars from morons more concerned about their phones then driving. Its a fact that these half wits behind the wheel are as dangerous or more so then drunk drivers. Plain and simple. Had a woman run right through a stop sign in front of me today due to her phone. Seem like a fad here. All stupid women with more concern over their phones. But its the men too. GPS is a copout and BS as well as the radio argument. There is a reason they are voice turn by turn and your radio controls are on the steering wheel on newer vehicles. Keep trying!

Anyone that tries to justify the free use and no harm attitude over using phones in their vehicles while driving will learn soon enough. I at least hope so. When you get struck by a driver going 45mph in your lane with the other driver not seeing you or knowing you were there will wake you up.
Or how about your child's safety. Do you want a distracted idiot talking on their phone flying through and intersection when your kid is trying to cross the street. Or how about your parents or wife. There is no justifying this.

Any call that is important enough to take is important enough to pull over for. Its sad that all these idiots driving around on their phones are doing so for useless conversation or for the sake of chit chat. We all did fine without the connivence years ago. You can do it now! A lot like those A$$HOLES that wont put the phone down when at a check out line or in public places when they are causing a distraction or nuisance.

 

[GenericMessage]

Simply put, I want a conversation, not a debate. There is no right or wrong answer despite who might believe what.


So lets all stop taking this topic so personally.

 

[tony bag o donuts]

PA doesn't have a statewide Handsfree law yet but certain cities like Philly, Allentown and soon to be Bethlehem do.
You can ride a motorcyle without a helmet but can't use a phone.

 

[Lancer033]

PA doesn't have a statewide Handsfree law yet but certain cities like Philly, Allentown and soon to be Bethlehem do.
You can ride a motorcyle without a helmet but can't use a phone.

the only person being put in more danger if you don't wear a helmet is YOU....i.e. it ain't my problem if your skull gets splattered across the pavement. When you are talking on the phone and reading your email, it puts everyone around you in more danger.

 

[tony bag o donuts]

I know it's just that they debated for years on the helmet law and talked about rights, etc. yet something so simple as this they are draggin on.