Chris@BlueElephant Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 So the other day I was driving my car to pick up my girlfriend (and a six pack of beer). I came to a stop light and called my girlfriend to tell her I was coming to pick her up. Just then a cop pulls up next to me and looks over (I had a feeling he was going to be a dick about it), and sure enough I get pulled over. He tells me that hes writing me "a citation for driving in the city of Albuquerque while talking on your phone without a hands free device". So I ask him if speakerphone counts as a handsfree device (I wasnt on speakerphone but figured I'd try and get away with it) and he tells me no. So I am struggling to understand this law. The theory behind it is that talking on your cell phone distracts you as a driver, therefore creating a dangerous situation. If this is the case, then a bluetooth head set will only make you look like a douchebag while still distracting you by talking on a phone. The second argument is that a handsfree device allow you to, obviously, have both hands on the steeringwheel.... Well, then I guess they better pull over everyone with a standard automobile. My point is, I am a responsible driver, as are most of you, and I know when I can and cant be distracted by a cell phone conversation. A bluetooth headset will not change anything except line the pockets of the greedy phone companies that are making a killing off of this law with my money. Well.... guess I'll have to go back to texting while driving, because thats not illegal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny_D Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 QUOTE (Chris@BlueElephant @ Feb 12 2008, 07:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Well.... guess I'll have to go back to texting while driving, because thats not illegal. A women was recently jailed for 3 years in the uk for killing a cyclist whilst texting and driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicayotte Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 You have to think through the cops point of view..... you could have been a danger to other motorists and yourself, its not like its the first time anyone has done it either though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny_D Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 QUOTE (nicayotte @ Feb 12 2008, 07:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>You have to think through the cops point of view..... you could have been a danger to other motorists and yourself, its not like its the first time anyone has done it either thoughAgreed. And whilst it may be a moot point you were stationary blah blah blah It's still a traffic offence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScotsman Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Didn't mythbusters do a segment on cell phones? As I recall even with a speakerphone/hands free the person on the cell phone was more impaired then the legally intoxicated drivers.I have seen more acts of total stupidity pulled by tossers on cell phones than any other single cause I can think of. The most terrifying thing I can think of while on my bike is seeing a 19 year old with a cell phone in his/her hand. I would rather ride during bar rush with no headlight, and my helmet on backwards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris@BlueElephant Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) Right, but my point is NOT that cell phones do or do not impair someones driving ability. My point is that to say hands-free devices somehow are less distracting then speaker phone or talking on a phone regularly is absurd. Therefore, they are targeting people strictly so they have to buy more shit they dont need. And, there are tons of other distractions that they dont target that I feel are even worse (eating food, changing ipod music, texting, putting on makeup, etc). Therefore it is bogus to go after only ONE of these. And besides, just as I know when I can and cannot eat food while driving based on driving conditions, I am responsible enough to know when I can talk on the phone. Edited February 12, 2008 by Chris@BlueElephant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny_D Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 QUOTE (Chris@BlueElephant @ Feb 12 2008, 08:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I am responsible enough to know when I can talk on the phone.yet you still chose to use it in/at a location that was both illegal and ill advised? Interesting idea of knowing how responsible you are.You done something you should not have, got caught, then came here to bitch about it right?I think you will find a lack of sympathy.Recent studies are now showing that even handsfree devices are less than ideal and currently legislation within the UK is likely to be made that would make driving and call phone conversations technically illegal [How you enforce that is beyond me]Personally I hate getting calls on my cell whilst driving. Especially from clients or my Superiors. I would quite welcome legislation change to make calls whilst driving illegal. Might take some of the damn stress out of driving.As to your comment regarding drinking/eating/ipods ect You will probably find there is some piece of law that actually covers it allready. In the uk it's called "Driving without due care and attention" The problem with it is that it's a bit wooly and has no real teeth. Hence why additional, specific, laws are passed.JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris@BlueElephant Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 QUOTE (Johnny_D @ Feb 12 2008, 02:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (Chris@BlueElephant @ Feb 12 2008, 08:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I am responsible enough to know when I can talk on the phone.yet you still chose to use it in/at a location that was both illegal and ill advised? Interesting idea of knowing how responsible you are.You done something you should not have, got caught, then came here to bitch about it right?I think you will find a lack of sympathy.I'm not looking for sympathy, just explaining my reasoning for lack of understanding. And besides, there are some laws that must be challenged. Albuquerque has tons of those that are now being looked at as money schemes and they are taking them away. For instance, we have "red light cameras" that they are now taking away because when it takes the picture of your car, it doesnt tell the whole story of how you were in the intersection (I.e if the person in front of you slowed down so you got stuck, etc). So... I dont need sympathy, I just wanted to see other peoples opinions, whether with me or against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JtowninAtown Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) against...and welcome to the site... Edited February 12, 2008 by JtowninAtown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog_916 Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I'm with JD and Chris, in a sense. Any talking on the phone while driving is annoying to me. I do it as little as I possibly can. If someone has a call that's THAT important, they can call 911. With a handset is distracting to me, without is distracting, but less where I have my hands and more what the conversation is about. My friend does it all the time and I hear him getting road rage at other people. I want to tell him to stop talking on the phone, it's probably your fault. But he'd get pissed at me. He chewed ME out one time for telling him to chill out while he's driving. People just dont want to change until something really bad happens. And even if something does happen to someone else, they dont take it seriously. So what the fuck ever, if you wanna talk on the phone, go the fuck ahead. If your car so much as touches mine while you're on your cell, I'm suing your ass off. And the cops are going to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Goodypants Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Agreed. Far too much of a distraction while driving. If I get a call while driving I answer with a "fuck off I'm driving" before I hang up.Of course, sometimes I do that when I'm not driving to get people to leave me alone, but still...Also, why would they take away the cameras? Nothing tells a complete story. Eyewitness accounts don't tell a complete or even a necessarily truthful story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny_D Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 (edited) Well I understand Elephant's point in regard to the over proliferation of traffic style cameras.In fact I believe the UK is the top of the surveillance societies. Speed Cameras, Red Light cameras, Tail Gating Cameras. Average Speed Cameras, ANPR (Car Tax, Car Insurance & MOT Cameras) We got the lot.And It's a fair point that no evidence is prevailing that these things save lives.But don't talk on your cellphone JD Edited February 13, 2008 by Johnny_D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canon Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 im driving 4 hours to tampa this weekend, im going to talk on my cell phone while driving. (hands free though)the way i do it is talk for 10 minutes then drive for 30 then talk some more. it gets boring sitting alone for 4 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaia.plateau Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I talk on my cell phone constantly while driving... 85% of the time I use my hands-free. It's legal here though.Personally I don't find talking on or holding a cell phone to be distracting... it's the dialing that's a challenge. So I voice dial or wait until I'm stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdl Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 People need to conquer being inconsiderate before they should be able to use a cell phone (hands free or not) while driving. It's not the physical aspect of holding the object so much as it is the mental aspect of your mind not being 100% focused on your surroundings. Countless times I have been in the passing lane and some idiot was just cruising along engorged in his cell phone conversation. Also many times someone has started to come into my lane without any notification to me, no indicator, nothing, because they don't have a third hand to flip that little stalk on the side of their steering hub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1v3th3ad Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 (edited) I talk on the phone driving, if I need heavier concentration, I tell the person to hold on while I do x deed or just plain hold on a minute. I just got a bluetooth, so I don't have to worry so much. I just hate people that drive slow and don't take their turn, drive stupid, etc when driving. The people that don't know how to do it responsibly and screw up everyone elses' trip around them. I.E. the idiot at a red light that you can turn right on red, there is no traffic coming, but they sit there on the phone and wait to turn until its green.I will continue to drive as safe as possible while on the phone(no such thing as driving safe when having a conversation with someone, a driver needs 100% attention to the road) until there is a law prohibiting me wherever I drive.edit: just read post above me and agree Edited February 13, 2008 by r1v3th3ad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texico Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I usually drive with one hand on the steering wheel no matter what. It's not that hard to drive with one hand. Hell, I can even turn on the the turn signal, change lanes, and then turn off the turn signal with one hand all while maintaining control of my car. Most of the worst drivers I've seen are adults who look to be 30+ years old who think they know how to drive and just don't bother to use turn signals and such. I know this because my dad is one of these people. Adult drivers scare me much more than teenage drivers because adults tend to have less to lose in a wreck. My insurance skyrockets if an adult hits me, or if anyone hits me for that matter, but if a fellow teen/younger person hits me then their insurance skyrockets, too, so they tend to be more careful where I'm from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdl Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 QUOTE (Texico @ Feb 13 2008, 10:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I usually drive with one hand on the steering wheel no matter what. It's not that hard to drive with one hand. Hell, I can even turn on the the turn signal, change lanes, and then turn off the turn signal with one hand all while maintaining control of my car. Most of the worst drivers I've seen are adults who look to be 30+ years old who think they know how to drive and just don't bother to use turn signals and such. I know this because my dad is one of these people. Adult drivers scare me much more than teenage drivers because adults tend to have less to lose in a wreck. My insurance skyrockets if an adult hits me, or if anyone hits me for that matter, but if a fellow teen/younger person hits me then their insurance skyrockets, too, so they tend to be more careful where I'm from.One hand on the wheel isn't such a big deal if your other hand is free to help out if needed. It's when your other hand has something in it that issues arise.Also, adults tend to have A LOT to lose in a wreck from their family members to lost time at work which can add up. Younger drivers are generally the ones who believe nothing bad will happen to them and at times I am one of them.Driving is about an equilibrium of respect to one another. I will slow down if inconsiderate people will abide by the rules of the road. If I'm holding someone up because I'm on the phone then that person is going to get upset with me and just try speed around me causing a higher probbaility of danger to other drivers. If I put the phone down and pull out of the passing lane then the person behind me who is going faster than I am can get to where they need to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Goodypants Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I drive a stickshift, so I couldn't drive one handed if I wanted to.It is reallly a matter of concentration, and holding a conversation on a phone while you are driving means that you aren't fully concentrating on driving. Some people can get away with it. Some people can't.Personally, I think that it is a bad decision, but should be their decision.That may be because I was almost hit by a driver who was talking on their phone and forgot everything about merging into traffic on a highway. They were going 10mph below the speed limit, without a turn signal, without checking if there were any other cars behind them. I just happened to be right beside them when they started to turn, and almost lost control trying to avoid them. When they noticed me they almost swerved off the road. Did they hang up the phone and drive? No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OBY Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I know that in Oregon 17 and younger cannot talk or text while driving. I for one am an awesome driver... I hate talking on the phone but if I need to I can talk and drive no problem... if I am on the highway... I have a 5 speed ha.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Goodypants Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 QUOTE (OBY @ Feb 14 2008, 07:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I know that in Oregon 17 and younger cannot talk or text while driving. I for one am an awesome driver... I hate talking on the phone but if I need to I can talk and drive no problem... if I am on the highway... I have a 5 speed ha..Are you driving and using the internet???man, leave the internet out of your car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris@BlueElephant Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 QUOTE It is reallly a matter of concentration, and holding a conversation on a phone while you are driving means that you aren't fully concentrating on driving. Some people can get away with it. Some people can't.Usually I'm on the phone with some girl blabbering about her cat or whatever so... I'm not really paying attention to the converstation anyways. haha. But, happy to get your guy's opinions on the matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScotsman Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Are you saying the girl you are taking to is a bit like Charlie Brown's teacher? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Goodypants Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I get the same thing.Just hang up, then she won't talk about her cat anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctdrum Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 shit. i drive and talk all the time, but i let driving distract me from the phone...i get. "are you still there?" alot...so. whatever. hah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now