[M_Six]

We were coming home from shopping in Indy today and were driving south on I-465. In the right lane was a kid on a Japanese crotch rocket doing about 70 right on the tail of a car. No one in the lane to his left. No helmet, no glasses and he had his hand up near his head. As we passed him two lanes to the left we saw has was yacking on his cell phone. And here I thought I'd seen everything.

Further south we were going through a construction area in a single lane by-pass road with concrete barriers on either side. I had another biker right behind me. This guy was wearing leather and a helmet, at least. The traffic stopped and I noticed the biker trying to inch up past me on the right, even though there was no room. It was right then I heard the screeching tires and saw this fat broad coming up behind in a full panic-mode skid. Her car was swerving left and right and bouncing off the barriers. That explained the kid trying to get the hell out of the way. When the idiot in the car came to a stop, she immediately brought her effin' cell phone back up in front of her to continue texting like nothing every happened. I was so mad I wanted to go back and bust out her window so I could take her cell phone away.

If a total ban on cell phone use while driving ever makes it to a ballot, I'll vote for it in a heartbeat. My Dad had two cars totaled out from under him by asshats on cell phones. And I've seen way too many idiots texting and/or talking and not paying attention. It's only going to get worse with videocalls and TV on phones.

[c0nstant]

i feel your pain. it's ok, were here for you. woosah

[immiketoo]

+1,000,000

[BTM]

Banning phones won't solve a thing. They're banned in Chicago, and as recently as last night I drove right past a cop on the phone (getting directions as parking was a bitch) - he didn't blink, he was on his own phone. FWIW I do keep my conversations while drive succinct.

The problem is the idea that it's ok to distract oneself to such an extent while driving - the phone is just the most common "distracter" if you will.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by immiketoo

+1,000,000

I was in Chicago last week, Mike, and I noticed the ban on cell phones use while driving is a joke there. Most drivers I saw were talking away on them. Illinois just banned them in construction zones and now the speed camera vans will grab a pic of you if they see you using a cell phone even if you're not speeding. Same for school zones.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by BTM

Banning phones won't solve a thing. They're banned in Chicago, and as recently as last night I drove right past a cop on the phone (getting directions as parking was a bitch) - he didn't blink, he was on his own phone. FWIW I do keep my conversations while drive succinct.

The problem is the idea that it's ok to distract oneself to such an extent while driving - the phone is just the most common "distracter" if you will.

I know. Banning them and enforcing such a ban are two different things, as you've noticed and I stated just above. The only way they can make a ban stick would be to crank up the punishment if you get caught, like they've done with drunk driving. That still happens way too often even with the penalties, though.

[immiketoo]

It's a fucking Greek tragedy. I can't tell you how many accidents I've seen, an dhow many cellular records I've subpoena'd to verify fault. If you can't go 3 minutes w/o updating your face book, stay home! It's not surprising how big an issue this is, especially considering how poor the majority of people drive. We have to manage a radio, a computer and a department cell phone, all while dodging texters.

I'm not saying no one can text and drive, and I may have done it from time to time, but the risk is too high, and people are fricking addicted to their phones. I feel your pain man. Chicago is a world of their own. Thank God I don't work in the city!

[JayKay335i]

They enforce it in NY. They'll stop you if they see you. Used to be a $260 ticket. I hear they raised it.

[immiketoo]

It should be an automatic suspension. For six months.

[BTM]

Originally Posted by immiketoo

It should be an automatic suspension. For six months.

For driving while talking on your phone? Hardly. People like to make a lot of noise about this shit but I don't see much objective evidence supporting that cellphones are leading to the downfall of driving so many like to claim

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2...toric-low.html

I'm not arguing that it's safe or that in certain situations it isn't the deciding factor between accident and no accident. However, I do believe overall people are smart enough to decide for themselves the risk/reward of using their phone, and numbers support this. Legislation won't solve a thing from a safety standpoint.

[radix]

Originally Posted by M_Six

We were coming home from shopping in Indy today and were driving south on I-465. In the right lane was a kid on a Japanese crotch rocket doing about 70 right on the tail of a car. No one in the lane to his left. No helmet, no glasses and he had his hand up near his head. As we passed him two lanes to the left we saw has was yacking on his cell phone. And here I thought I'd seen everything.

Further south we were going through a construction area in a single lane by-pass road with concrete barriers on either side. I had another biker right behind me. This guy was wearing leather and a helmet, at least. The traffic stopped and I noticed the biker trying to inch up past me on the right, even though there was no room. It was right then I heard the screeching tires and saw this fat broad coming up behind in a full panic-mode skid. Her car was swerving left and right and bouncing off the barriers. That explained the kid trying to get the hell out of the way. When the idiot in the car came to a stop, she immediately brought her effin' cell phone back up in front of her to continue texting like nothing every happened. I was so mad I wanted to go back and bust out her window so I could take her cell phone away.

If a total ban on cell phone use while driving ever makes it to a ballot, I'll vote for it in a heartbeat. My Dad had two cars totaled out from under him by asshats on cell phones. And I've seen way too many idiots texting and/or talking and not paying attention. It's only going to get worse with videocalls and TV on phones.

Illinois already has a complete ban on cell phone usage in construction zones. It looks like it didn't do much good.

[immiketoo]

Originally Posted by BTM

For driving while talking on your phone? Hardly. People like to make a lot of noise about this shit but I don't see much objective evidence supporting that cellphones are leading to the downfall of driving so many like to claim

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2...toric-low.html

I'm not arguing that it's safe or that in certain situations it isn't the deciding factor between accident and no accident. However, I do believe overall people are smart enough to decide for themselves the risk/reward of using their phone, and numbers support this. Legislation won't solve a thing from a safety standpoint.

Dude, I'm talking about texting. Talking is fine, as long as hands free is used. There is TONS of evidence to support the laws that prohibit texting, or other uses of smart phones. Ever see that douchebag reading the paper while driving? It's no different than that.

I can't tell you how many distracted people I have seen that are too involved in their conversations to focus on driving, and the horde of illiterate tools trying to type and drive while deciding to, two or too that fuck it up for everyone else on the road.

Be glad I am not in charge, or the majority of people would not be allowed to drive until they completed a 400 hour course o that covered all aspects of motor vehicle operation. Then there's procreation...

As for the downfall of driving, I attribute that to the dumbing down of society where everyone gets a trophy just for participating.

[immiketoo]

Originally Posted by radix

Illinois already has a complete ban on cell phone usage in construction zones. It looks like it didn't do much good.

That's because the penalties are not severe enough.

[BTM]

Originally Posted by immiketoo

Dude, I'm talking about texting. Talking is fine, as long as hands free is used. There is TONS of evidence to support the laws that prohibit texting, or other uses of smart phones. Ever see that douchebag reading the paper while driving? It's no different than that.

I can't tell you how many distracted people I have seen that are too involved in their conversations to focus on driving, and the horde of illiterate tools trying to type and drive while deciding to, two or too that fuck it up for everyone else on the road.

Be glad I am not in charge, or the majority of people would not be allowed to drive until they completed a 400 hour course o that covered all aspects of motor vehicle operation. Then there's procreation...

OK - I obviously gleaned the wrong impression. I agree that texting is a very dangerous situation, but remember that as of the Jan 1st of this year it was banned statewide. I read the law - it's full of holes, and I still see people texting all day. Or perhaps they're utilizing a hole, such as that it is legal to use your phone's maps function while driving, including typing in destinations - in essence the same thing as "texting" the application.

Either way, the accident injuries and fatalities are down, and I don't see this as a function of increased legislation. I would like to see numbers of cellphone usage tickets issued, but even then, for those who are truly that prone to using their phones in dangerous situations, a ticket is unlikely to change anything. Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Do you still speed?

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by radix

Illinois already has a complete ban on cell phone usage in construction zones. It looks like it didn't do much good.

This was Indy. But I drive through IL constructions every day and you're right, no one is paying attention to the law except the cops. I've seen people get flashed who were behind me (and hence doing the speed limit) but were on their cell phones.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by BTM

OK - I obviously gleaned the wrong impression. I agree that texting is a very dangerous situation, but remember that as of the Jan 1st of this year it was banned statewide. I read the law - it's full of holes, and I still see people texting all day. Or perhaps they're utilizing a hole, such as that it is legal to use your phone's maps function while driving, including typing in destinations - in essence the same thing as "texting" the application.

Either way, the accident injuries and fatalities are down, and I don't see this as a function of increased legislation. I would like to see numbers of cellphone usage tickets issued, but even then, for those who are truly that prone to using their phones in dangerous situations, a ticket is unlikely to change anything. Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Do you still speed?

I saw the study about deaths being down. New seat belt law enforcement and better safety standards in cars has a lot to do with that. I'd like to see a study where the actual causes of accidents were published. And not just "speed" as the cause, but a real investigation into what each driver was doing immediately before the crash. "Speed" is too easy and too convenient to be used to blame for all crashes.

Cell phone use is one thing. I'm not convinced it's as dangerous as they claim. But texting is another. There is no way you can be texting and be paying attention to your driving. Same goes for watching TV on your nav screen or vids on your iPhone.

[BTM]

Agreed. I just like to attempt to bring some levity to these discussions that while things are not and will likely never be perfect, they are moving in the desired direction.