People are so insistent on driving while using their cell phones that only death in a car accident will stop them from doing so. Spurred by the prevalence of fatal accidents caused by distracted drivers -- 5,500 last year -- the government is mulling over the concept of using technology to force drivers to put down their phones.
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12 comments:
Not 10 minutes ago I was driving and the car behind me kept riding my tail then backing way off over and over again. As I was approaching my exit I got over and as she came past I glanced to see what the issue was...texting. Gold toyota first 3 ACL MD tag mid 20 yr old female driver. Hey lady if you should happen to read this, it isn't worth it! People survived for decades without having to be glued to a phone 24/7 it can wait and waiting might mean life instead of death!
but what about passengers?
oh and i had a cop pass me while he was texting last week on route
the sad thing is the laws are on the books but a secondary offenses, they should be primary offenses, the the police would have more work than they could handle and state revenues would increase overnight.
I said this needed to happen a LONG time ago, right here on your blog!
I, however said it should be activated as soon as the vehicle is put into gear and if it should be disabled, then the car itself won't work, period.
This should be mandatory for ALL vehicles.
Want to raise some revenue? Put this into place.
Then, make cell phone use a primary offense and not a seondary!
Great ! just what we need BIG brother controlling us even more!
The simple solution would be to have all your vehicle windows heavily tinted so no one can see what the driver or passengers or doing. You can text, talk on phone, eat, read a book, put on makeup, point a gun at the car next to you, shoot the gun if you don't like the looks of the people in the car next to you. Supposedly tinted windows are against the law, but evidently not, because they are everywhere. I think you only dark tint your windows if you have something to hide. That so many people are getting away with it is disgusting!
I like the idea of this at least being an option on phones... such as the ones that my kids will in-evitibly (sp) have when they turn 16 and begin driving. I don't know that making it a requirement is the right way to go though. Allow the phone user the option and I bet it would be something that parents would do to their kids phones.
I always talked and drove before and despised the idea of a handsfree device. I ended up buying a bluetooth speakerphone for the car around October 1st and don't know how I ever lived without it. voice dialing, not having to hold the phone, it just makes it much easier.
In reference to the above poster about the cop, I am not certain about the text message law but the handsfree law does not apply to law enforcement or emergency responders "in the course of their official duites"
11:01. How do you know he was texting? Were you receiving the text or staring over his shoulder?
-The 35% Window Tint Law in Maryland means that the TOTAL amount of light being transmitted
through the glass of a motor vehicle cannot be less than 35%. Tinting ALL your windows isnt illegal.
I admit that I have a real "pet peeve" against cell phones. I think people are totally stupid about them. Most people act like they simply could not survive without the thing affixed to the side of their head. Get real people--you are not that important that you need to be reached "instantly" at all times. Maryland passed a law that you can't talk on the phone/text while driving. No one pays any attention to the law. If we are that stupid, which we apparently are--then I guess we do need "big brother" to cut off the phones for us. I'm all for it. I refuse to get a cell phone myself. There is a land line at my house, there is a land line at my job. No one needs to reach me at the grocery store or at the gas pump (where the sign says don't use a cell phone or you may start a fire. Everyone ignores that also).
if i want to use my cellphone while driving, i should be able to. this is less distracting to me than it was when i had a little child in the carseat crying, coughing, choking, etc. or sometimes the radio. or the cars beside me with people driving like a maniac. or a police car that nearly runs me off the road. or a trucker who nearly side-swipes me. or a car tailgating. And so on. Accidents are accidents. there are MANY distractions, not just cellphones. i use my bluetooth and text at stop signs. i dont want the government to invade my privacy any more!
5:39 I dont care what the tint percentage is, if you can't see the driver thru his side window it's wrong. So to get around the cell phone law, just tint your windows and no one can see you talking or texting! or if the driver of the car that just shot a gun at your house is male, female,white, black, or greeen.!!!!
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