http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2011/feb/07/nc-senate-bill-would-ban-using-all-cell-phones-whi-ar-761707/

Quote :

"NORTH CAROLINA -- On Monday, a bill banning talking on the phone while driving will be introduced in the North Carolina Senate. The bill would ban using hands free devices while driving as well. Highway Patrol Trooper Beckley Vaughn said it boils down to being distracted while driving. Vaughn said at only 55 mph, a driver goes about 88 feet per second. He said the average reaction time is only .75 of a second. Some North Carolina drivers had a problem with the ban because it included hands free devices. "Answering the phone should not necessarily be a problem, if I'm having to hold the phone to dial out that is another issue," said driver Taura Simmons. The bill attaches a penalty of $100. The House is debating a similar measure. In North Carolina it is already illegal to talk on the cell phone and drive if you are under the age of 18, no one is allowed to text and drive."

wtf, whats next if this passes?

2/7/2011 11:02:30 AM

old

2/7/2011 11:03:47 AM

Next law: no talking to passengers while driving, all cars will be sold with sound proof boxes around the drivers seat.

2/7/2011 11:04:29 AM

THIS JUST IN:

You can no longer listen to radio stations you like while you drive.

2/7/2011 11:11:48 AM

I'm a huge fan of getting statistics on driver response time from Highway Patrol officers.

2/7/2011 11:11:55 AM

What with some cars having integrated screens that control GPS, radio, climate control, and other stuff all in one place, it wouldn't surprise me to see manufacturers starting to lock them while the car is in motion. No changing radio stations or adjusting your temperature, unless it's controlled by voice command. And maybe not even then.

I wouldn't *buy* a car like that, but someone will probably try to sell one. Then again I'm one of those paranoid types who also doesn't want a car with onstar because it has a little too much control/monitoring capability. I suspect within 20 years we will see roads with embedded transmitters that broadcast the speed limit, and cars with systems that can interface with the transmitters will be governed to be incapable of exceeding the speed limit as broadcast.

2/7/2011 11:31:27 AM

i would love to say that this would never pass, but NC has passed some pretty fucked up things in the past.

Ban texting while driving, fine. Texting while driving is very dangerous. Most drivers, however, can talk and drive at the same time with no problem. (Personally I would be more distracted by trying to figure out a hands free device than just using my phone)

2/7/2011 11:33:01 AM

Passed something similar here in MD, banning texting while driving.

It's a secondary offense though. Meaning that you can't get pulled for it. But if you get stopped for another reason, or get in an accident and you were texting, you can face a fine.

2/7/2011 11:33:06 AM

NC needs to worry more about idiots texting while driving.

2/7/2011 11:33:50 AM

how would they prove you were texting? (other than looking at your call log to see if you actually sent a text... i don't see myself sending a text that i was typing if i got into a wreck)

2/7/2011 11:34:34 AM

already a law for texting

2/7/2011 11:35:05 AM

I'm fine with it because 90% of the time I see someone doing something stupid while driving, they're on a cell phone

Slight inconvenience for me > Roadraging about other idiots on cellphones

2/7/2011 11:35:21 AM

Delaware banned texting while driving and you have to use a bluetooth if you want to talk on the phone.

2/7/2011 11:35:47 AM

Barring traffic cameras, thats a good question.

I could see that debate being played out in court.

2/7/2011 11:36:45 AM

if im on the phone now and i see a cop, i usually say "hold on" and bring the phone down until out of the vicinity of the cop, even though it's not illegal yet

2/7/2011 11:39:27 AM

Interesting...you never know; it might happen. Just because YOU don't view it as a distraction doesn't mean it ISN'T a distraction. You might be surprised at how it might cut down on your reaction time in a crisis.

I personally know that it does affect mine, though I likely wouldn't stop talking on the phone while driving unless it is banned.

And another interesting note: I grew up across the street from Beckley Vaughn. Funny seeing his name in the media.

2/7/2011 11:39:52 AM

Quote :

"What with some cars having integrated screens that control GPS, radio, climate control, and other stuff all in one place, it wouldn't surprise me to see manufacturers starting to lock them while the car is in motion."

If my car is in motion I can't input an address into my GPS...but I can go to a previously saved address...as long as its one of the 5 most recent addresses I've been to

2/7/2011 11:41:06 AM

Quote :

"wtf, whats next if this passes?"

Safer roads? Or worst case... people not driving slow as molasses in the left lane until they hang up and start driving normal.

2/7/2011 11:41:29 AM

i think i focus more on the road when im on the phone than when im not talking on it

im always thinking about consequences so a lot of times i have to have what was said on the phone repeated because im focusing on the surroundings even more so than usual

2/7/2011 11:41:31 AM

glad to see NC is working on creative ways to increase revenue.

2/7/2011 11:45:03 AM

small children are obviously a greater distraction than cell phones, i'd rather see them banned

2/7/2011 11:49:22 AM

In the best interest of public safety, North Carolina has introduced a bill into the Senate that would prohibit females from operating a motor vehicle.

2/7/2011 11:50:51 AM

2/7/2011 11:51:19 AM

Quote :

" incapable of exceeding the speed limit as broadcast."

MANUAL

FUCKING

OVERRIDE

2/7/2011 11:52:34 AM

Ohh i've made a comical chart giving driver handicaps.

Seriously though i don't talk on my cell and drive... maybe at a stoplight i'll call someone but no more than that.

2/7/2011 11:54:35 AM

So old people get a pass ? They are the worse offenders women just get more blame cuz there are more women than old people..

Ban people 65+ from driving.. At least without a test

2/7/2011 12:29:00 PM

Wait, banning hands-free devices like blue-tooth is dumb...

Quote :

"I'm fine with it because 90% of the time I see someone doing something stupid while driving, they're on a cell phone"

That's silly. It's a tap of a button and you don't even use a hand when on the phone with a blue-tooth device. It's literally no different than talking to a passenger or singing a song while driving.

[Edited on February 7, 2011 at 12:34 PM. Reason : they aren't imposing at all]

2/7/2011 12:32:11 PM

Quote :

"small children are obviously a greater distraction than cell phones, i'd rather see them banned"

this. I worry more about the soccer mom in the minivan screaming at her kids that are fighting in the backseat than someone on a cell phone. I wouldn't hate the idea of having to use hands-free devices, but there's no need to ban use entirely.

2/7/2011 12:34:30 PM

what about the people I see putting on makeup and reading the newspaper on the highway?

2/7/2011 12:38:10 PM

fucking nanny state.

2/7/2011 12:39:36 PM

Here's an idea: Introduce a bill that makes it more difficult to obtain and keep a driver's license. Any regard with half a brain can get a license now.

Or how about strict enforcement on the interstates of people blocking the left lane?

There's your increased revenue right there.

2/7/2011 1:18:19 PM

I'd like to see $20 fines for 'being a shitty driver' and I'd like to see cops hand them out like candy. Maybe then Joe Asshole will learn that the left lane is for passing, lights on the in the rain/dark, don't try to read a novel while you drive, etc etc etc etc etc

I want cops to work for their paycheck, and if they're going to sit on the side of the road to pull speeders they should be out patrolling the highways for you dumbfucks that should never have been given a license in the first place.

2/7/2011 1:21:46 PM

The whole left lane thing just opens up a can of worms. Half the time I have someone riding my ass while I'm going faster (ie ~5-9 over)/"passing" people who are in the right lane going roughly the speed limit or less at times. They're riding my ass because they want to go 15 over and I would place money that they are cursing me about how the left lane should be used for passing (which to them passing = 15+ over, regardless of what speed people are doing in the right lane).

Thing is, if I pull into the left lane to pass some people at ~5 over and see someone coming up in the left lane behind me that wants to go faster, I will almost always pass a few cars, get over to the right to let them by, and then get back into the left lane. However, if they are riding my bumper hard before I get a chance to get over, I generally tend to forget to move over. oops.

[Edited on February 7, 2011 at 1:30 PM. Reason : .]

2/7/2011 1:25:18 PM

one time i was driving through new mexico at night on I-40 and there were no other cars on the road... opened up my laptop on the passenger seat and watched star trek first contact.



in retrospect, i should have set my laptop on the dashboard so i didn't have to move my head so much when i looked at the road every few minutes.

[Edited on February 7, 2011 at 1:28 PM. Reason : ]

2/7/2011 1:28:03 PM

in retrospect, you should have watched a better movie

2/7/2011 1:28:51 PM

Quote :

"I worry more about the soccer mom in the minivan screaming at her kids that are fighting in the backseat than someone on a cell phone. I wouldn't hate the idea of having to use hands-free devices, but there's no need to ban use entirely."

Quote :

"what about the people I see putting on makeup and reading the newspaper on the highway?"

i saw a student reading notes on 55 the other morning. (i knew the person and knew he had a test that morning)

eating, changing the radio station, smoking, there are a million ways to be distracted. are we gonna ban them all?

also what about truckers who are on the road 15-17 hours a day. (mind you you better be 284392% more careful triving one of those, but still...its pertinent)
can they use their CB?


and what about police officers?
do they get a pass?
i imagine talking on the phone makes them just as much distracted as anyone else.
maybe they'll be "certified" or take a class or something....and if thats the case then i wanna take that class.

2/7/2011 1:31:54 PM

eh, it was the only one i had saved on my laptop and i didn't bring dvds with me. (i am also a star trek nerd sometimes.)

2/7/2011 1:31:54 PM

^^for real. ladies putting makeup on in their car in the morning and parent's taking their kids to school are probably the worst drivers I see on the roads in my morning commute each day.

[Edited on February 7, 2011 at 1:36 PM. Reason : .]

2/7/2011 1:35:50 PM

Quote :

"also what about truckers who are on the road 15-17 hours a day."

There is actually a law trying to cut the limit for 12 to 11 hrs a day, I think. Businesses are mad bc it will drive up shipping costs which will increase prices.

2/7/2011 1:37:11 PM

^is there?

not gonna lie...the number i put was something i assumed

i could be very wrong.

2/7/2011 1:40:40 PM

Quote :

"The whole left lane thing just opens up a can of worms. Half the time I have someone riding my ass while I'm going faster (ie ~5-9 over)/"passing" people who are in the right lane going roughly the speed limit or less at times. They're riding my ass because they want to go 15 over and I would place money that they are cursing me about how the left lane should be used for passing (which to them passing = 15+ over, regardless of what speed people are doing in the right lane). Thing is, if I pull into the left lane to pass some people at ~5 over and see someone coming up in the left lane behind me that wants to go faster, I will almost always pass a few cars, get over to the right to let them by, and then get back into the left lane. However, if they are riding my bumper hard before I get a chance to get over, I generally tend to forget to move over. oops."

It really isn't that complicated though. As long as you're in the action of passing someone (with a decent speed differential like 5mph or more) then you are using the left lane properly. If you can't handle exceeding the speed limit to pass someone in a timely manner then you should just stay in the slow lane.

And as for pricks that tailgate you, well cops should be more encouraged to give out tickets for tailgating. It's not like anything's stopping them from doing it now. I'll be honest though, I was tailgating the fuck out of some retard in a minivan on I-40 yesterday afternoon (through the Cary section). Going 60 mph has no place in the left lane.

2/7/2011 1:49:54 PM

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo please don't pass this

2/7/2011 1:51:10 PM

i often tailgate or even give a little love bump to encourage people to increase their speed or to move over.

seriously though, there have been times where talking on the phone has kept me MORE alert... like if i'm tired it forces me to stay awake to have someone to talk to.

2/7/2011 1:52:41 PM

I agree that they should make it harder to get a license in the first place. But then they would actually be making the roads safer instead of just raising more money for themselves.

2/7/2011 1:55:49 PM

NJ has a similar law - and it is NEVER freaking enforced. Pisses me off so much when I see some asshole about to run other people off the road, in front of a cop, on their damn phone, and nobody does a damn thing.

Worthless law. Worthless.

2/7/2011 3:28:24 PM

in ~10 years when self-driving cars hit the market, this will all be irrelevant (even **gasp** drunk driving).

Let this old farts have their victories while they can.

[Edited on February 7, 2011 at 3:30 PM. Reason : ]

2/7/2011 3:29:23 PM

won't pass. or rather if it does will get crushed quickly

2/7/2011 3:32:26 PM

People seem to think the distracted driving issue is because you are dialing the phone or using only one hand to hold the phone, and thus handsfree devices should be acceptable.

This misses one of the fundamental problems that the law seeks to address, which is that a driver who is carrying on a conversation with a person outside of the vehicle is distracted, and less likely to be focused on the immediacy of their surroundings. Although the incidents of harm are increased even further with texting and dialing, because your eyes are off the road as well, when your mind and focus is on the conversation you are having, you are much more likely to get into an accident.

They have done repeated studies on this, and I am pretty sure if you Google it you can find a Dateline episode or two or one of those other shows that has had a correspondent go through a driving course while talking on the phone, and they show the results.

I'm just as guilty of this as everyone else, but it's probably true that the amount of infringement on our rights would be very minimal compared to the effect of the lives it would save.

2/7/2011 3:36:19 PM

Quote :

"which is that a driver who is carrying on a conversation with a person outside of the vehicle is distracted, and less likely to be focused on the immediacy of their surroundings. "

why does it matter if the driver is talking with someone outside the vehicle, or inside the vehicle?

2/7/2011 3:40:28 PM

I might get distracted in July while I'm turning on my air conditioning

Maybe we should limit driving to Spring and Autumn, or just outlaw the use of HVAC systems

2/7/2011 3:44:56 PM