People are sick and tired of laws that seem to serve no purpose other than to infringe on their choices.
If talking/texting on a cell phone whilst driving were legalised across the board, do you think it would free up the court systems?
Also, odo youw wert hey watch where ewrf
Sorry, gotta take this...
Legalisation?
legalised??
odo youw wert hey watch where ewrf???
😎
"I Am the FBI."
One of my favorite rant topics -- the criminalization of our very existence. Everything is illegal nowadays. When there are laws beyond count (not hyperbole, no one actually knows how many there are), that's a big clue that we've gone too far as a society in regulating each other's behavior.
shareIt's like there's a law for everything, isn't it? People drive and have for years. People text and have for years.
This is 2017.
These people were decorating a roadside memorial giving a passing motorist the finger. He was in the shoulder because his turn was up ahead. What's with people these days?
What's next? Are they going to make the Internet illegal?
Let's all move to Antarctica!
j/k
marijuana will be legalized in Canada next year
shareSurely... a change recognised by all but Canada's customs officials.
We could aks Trump to build a wall between Canada and the U.S. Who's going to pay for it?
Dennis Kneier. Seriously, google Dennis Kneier.
"Text me as you cross the border."
-Taco Bell of Middletown
Cute jokes.👏
shareWe already have too many accidents already,don't you think?
shareGood point. People seem to be in such a rush. Late to work, appointments, speeding... if they were able to call or text to say, "running late, just got on the main highway- be there in 30 minutes for my Canadian homegrown" maybe they wouldn't have to drive so fast. They could relax, knowing that the other party is in the loop.
shareNot only for Canada,jamesboland...the same thing hapenes here,too...sorry for my english...it's a bit rusty.
shareMaybe people wouldn't be speeding off to business meetings, taking risks for fear of losing their jobs, if they could participate in a global meet or video conference in real time. They could make use of the time they sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic instead of beeping and trying to get through it. They wouldn't be rushing off to the meeting because they're already in it. Food for thought.
shareNot many people have acces to video conferences,mate...
shareThere's also Skype and Google hangouts for the executive to be able to have face time with the CFO while fighting rush hour traffic on the way to the meeting. It takes the pressure off of the motorist who is simply trying to get to work and doesn't want to be late to the meeting every morning.
share@jamesboland
Oh, good grief! Grow up! So now according to jamesboland it's OK to use a cell phone AND/OR a laptop? The simple answer is the safest....leave earlier to allow time for "fighting rush hour traffic".
Please do all of us a favor....stay off the roads. Stay home and use your phone and laptop to your heart's content!
No need to be alarmed, and no need to worry aboot me being unsafe. Just posing the question. And exploring alternatives to people racing with no means of communicating to the outside world that we can agree is safe.
share@jamesboland
A good and safe answer would be to exit off the road to a safe place, put the vehicle in park and talk to one’s heart content. I’ve done so many times. My goodness, how did we exist before mobile phones? I know...we exited off the road and used a phone booth.
Without pay phones, there's no designated calling area. People used to pull in a parking lot, park and walk up to the storefront where the pay phone was. With those missing, people just continue on into the store and make their telephone calls while shopping. But then other customers, whether jealous of their phone or whatever, get irritated. Which brings it back to them being too embarrassed and leaving the phones alone until they're back on the road.
share@jamesboland
“But then other customers, whether jealous of their phone or whatever, get irritated. Which brings it back to them being too embarrassed and leaving the phones alone until they're back on the road.”
Why do they have to be “back on the road”? Why not make the call from the vehicle BEFORE getting “back on the road”?
All of your rationalizations and justifications to use a cell phone while driving does not negate the fact it is a dangerous action. Using one should be as unlawful as driving impaired.
But, I feel as if all of us on this board who are attempting to get you to use common sense may as well be talking to the wall! After all a person with one megohm from ear to ear cannot be reasoned with to use common sense!
I'll admit, I didn't get the sci-fi reference.
But I think we need to recognise that all these people are doing is trying to fit communication into their already full schedules. I don't know that they mean to offend.
People have cell phones suction-cupped to their dashboards for GPS, multiple Blu Ray players, as well as handheld mp3 players, shavers, make-up kits... and are we supposed to tell them the only technology they can use with their hands is the steering column, window control, climate control and gear shift?
Are they allowed to smile anymore while driving?
It doesn't matter. Cell-phones are still a distraction and diversion from the job at hand; driving. Driving is something that needs one's undivided attention, and one tiny lapse of judgement and/or attention to what's happening on the road can be fatal!
shareI don't dispute the points you're making, but have you ever stopped to think that some people might be driving erratically because they don't know what's going on elsewhere, with family and loved ones, and that they may be calmer if they did?
shareIf people are that upset, they either shouldn't be driving when they're in that kind of a snit, or they should pull over somewhere and stop driving until they've calmed down.
shareThat could work for those who aren't already running late. People who are panicked over being late because they were held up at the store might be even more panicked if they had to pull over. Would they pull over safely in that state of panic? Will they be calm enough to pull back out into traffic safely?
shareThey already can make phone calls while driving, using a hands-free method.
You just can't be fiddling with your phone and taking your eyes off the road.
Even with a hands-free cell phone arrangement, talking/texting on a cellphone still diverts one's attention from the job of driving, and that's a huge, huge problem.
shareThere'd be many, many more accidents, maimings and/or deaths if many more people took your stupid-assed, crude and nasty give-a-s**t attitudes, jamesboland.
shareSo far, the only violent consequences I remember mentioning here are the tough lessons you indicated get dealt to cell phone users at the checkout line in Boston's rough-and-tumble neighborhoods.
shareNope. Some of those same neighborhoods in Boston have a real propensity of dealing out some true-blue street "justice" if somebody takes their wintertime space-saver out of a given parking space. People have actually come to blows in certain Boston neighborhoods over parking spaces during the winter months, when there's lots of snow and ice on the ground, with people even going to the hospital on an emergency bases. , and some have resulted in the weaker combatant being rushed over to MGH, BI/Deaconness, and other Boston hospitals.
sharePerhaps if their hands were busy texting or communicating with loved ones over the situation at hand, there wouldn't be any fists flying and the ER wouldn't be as crowded.
shareI'm pointing out that these particular Boston neighborhoods have a long history of being quite insular, as well as being rather rough-and-tough. People can't be texting/talking on their cellphones every minute. Do you really think that texting/talking on their cellphones would really keep people from punching out, or even shooting (yes, shootings have occurred in some Boston neighborhoods over parking spaces during the wintertime, as well.) a person who inadvertently took their parking spaces that they'd reserved for themselves after a snowstorm? I seriously doubt it.
Also, if people were constantly texting/talking on their cellphones, we'd have one helluva a zombified society. Is that what you'd want? I doubt it.
It would help kill of at least 80% of millennials so I'm all for it.
sharehahahaha.... i think any use of texting or internet on the phone should be penalized by a shooting squad!
sharewe have to share the roads with milennials tho.
If texting while driving, or drunk driving, or any of those things only killed the driver, then it would be FINE with me.
Suicide should be legal. Sometimes, it should be encouraged.
Unfortunately, they kill other people too.
Damn. You are correct sir or madam. Like the way morons that drink and drive often survive but kill the straight edge mom and kids in the car they hit.
shareTalking and/or texting on a cellphone while driving is just as dangerous as DUI (Driving under the influence, inotherwords, driving while intoxicated.). People have been seriously injured for life, and even killed, because either they themselves were texting/talking on their cellphone(s) and therefore not paying attention to the road, or they or their vehicles were hit by a vehicle that was being driven by a texting/talking cellphone using driver. It's disgusting, and there should be strict legislation against it. If a person needs to make a call or text somebody, s/he should pull the hell off the road to stop and do so, instead of endangering him/herself, other drivers, or pedestrians.
shareSometimes people make calls from their cars to say they're going to be late coming home. If they also pulled over, they'd be even later.
While it has been proven dangerous, even deadly, some people still seem to weigh out the pros and cons. Some like to have conversations with family during their commute. Some are in the early stages of a relationship and want to talk to each other constantly.
People should be reasonable, of course. I don't necessarily advocate someone conducting business as a cold call telemarketer while simultaneously driving an uber car in a business capacity as well. That might be a little much.
At the same time, if someone is passing a roadside memorial of a friend and is moved to reach out to that person's family, in the moment, one might argue there should be an exception for that sort of compassion.
I don't think any of us want to see anyone else's civil rights infringed upon.
I disagree with you here, jamesboland. People have absolutely no right to endanger other people by talking on their cellphone while driving...in any instance. If someone really feels the need to call to tell them that they'll be late in coming home for whatever reason, or are in the early stages of a relationship, or conducting business transactions while driving, whether they're in Uber, etc., or not, or they pass a roadside memorial for a friend, and wish to reach out to the family right away, there's absolutely NO excuse for people not pulling over to make such phone calls, or, if they're on a highway, to pull over into a rest area, or a service area, to make those calls.
People who wish to make cell phone calls on the road should not have the right to endanger people while driving. Driving is something that needs one's undivided attention, and when they're distracted by talking or texting on their cell phones, their attentions are diverted from driving.
It's not infringing on people's civil rights to tell them not to text or talk on the cell phone while driving.
You make a lot of great points. Perhaps it's a philosophical question of whether safety is more important than compassion.
shareTry to realize that when people talk or text on their cellphone while driving, it's endangering other people on the road, and putting their lives/general safety at risk, not to mention their own lives and general safety. Even if the offenders don't get into a crash, they still put themselves and other people on the road at risk.
It seems like you don't have a lot of compassion, since you don't appear to care if people who are talking/texting on their cell phones while driving get into a crash and end up seriously injuring or killing another human being as a result.
I still have no respect or compassion for people who talk on their cellphones while in line at the check-out counter and keep other people waiting unnecessarily, either. It's inconsiderate and rude, and unnecessary, and I have no compassion for arrogance and nastiness.
I'll also add this, jamesboland: Driving is NOT a right! It's a privilege that can be taken away if it's abused. What's there not to get?
Without a doubt, people should drive with care. People may be convinced not to use a hand held device while driving. The flip side to that is the social void created during the times they are not in touch. People who have these "anytime minutes" really don't get to use them "any" time.
That, I'm afraid, is where compassion seems to go by the wayside. Whether because of laws, judgmental parents or backlash from other motorists, there are people who feel powerless on the road without their cell phone in hand. What if there's a detour and they don't know where to go? What if they are lost? What if their friends were following them and got caught at a traffic light? What if one decides she needs to stop somewhere along the way?
How can they communicate when the powers that be have banned all communications for them?
As for the busy moms and gran-moms who take a phone call at the checkout or the convenience store clerk who's just checking in with his spouse, is it really that monumental of a problem to just wait until they are finished? Sometimes waiting for them also means being exposed to other people, other cultures and other ideas.
Sorry, jamesboland, but I still don't think that people should be taking phone calls at the check out counter of the grocery store or convenience store, even the cashier. it's extremely rude, and inconsiderate to keep other people waiting in line just to check in with a friend, a spouse, or whoever. If they need to take a call, they should tell the person who called them "I can't talk right now...talk to you later.", or something like that.
Better still, why don't they wait until they've gotten into their cars, and then call them before they start their car and set off for home, or wherever. That, imho, would be a much better way to go. People are just thoughtless in that respect, and listening to the conversations that go on don't give me any kind of learning experience about other people, ideas, cultures, etc. There are other ways to learn about people and cultures, as well as ideas. Did it ever occur to the people at the checkout line, including the cashier, who are inconsiderate enough to hold up the line by taking phone calls from friends, spouses, etc., that they're inconveniencing other people, and possibly causing them to be late to wherever there going, such as appointments, etc.? Obviously not.
It has occurred to me, actually, that the folks waiting behind the busy mom on her phone could also be made late to their next destination. But if they left a little earlier, getting stuck behind the busy mom might not be so bad. Plus, they could use that opportunity to make calls of their own, to alert their own loved ones about the delay as well.
shareSorry, jamesboland, but I still disagree with you. People don't always have the option of leaving a little earlier, for whatever reasons, and the busy mom or whoever, on his/her cellphone that keeps people behind him/her in line at the check-out counter is extremely inconsiderate and rude, s/he makes it very, very difficult not only for other customers, but for the cashier(s) to do their job.
It's funny that you're not only willing to put up with this crap, but that you expect others to do likewise. No, jamesboland, I won't put up with crap like that, and I never will. That busy-as-a-bee, inconsiderate mom or whoever that insists on talking on their cellphone while in line, keeping others waiting unnecessarily, and not giving a s**t about anybody but him/herself is a spoiled, nasty, rude, and disgusting brat. Anybody who pulls this kind of stunt where s/he keeps people waiting just to talk to their boss, their loved ones, or whoever doesn't deserve any sympathy if they get a nice boot in the ass for their spoiled brat behavior.
social void?
This may surprise you, but before 1980, for centuries, people have survived just fine without having a damn phone in their hand every minute. People were able to go to the bathroom alone and not talk on the phone. People were able to be at home or be on the road and you couldn't reach them for a short time. People made plans to mete up at a particular time and place and then they just showed up there and met, without having to call eachother every 5 minutes while they were en route.
They actually survived this 'social void' just fine. Being alone for a short time without talking on the phone or using social media is not going to kill you.
These days people can't even take a crap without checking their damn twitter.
Way to go, Popcorn Kernal! Well said! You couldn't have said it any better, and neither could I.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Being cut off from people for short periods is so important to recharge your mental batteries.
I actually LOVE my private time when I cannot be reached. Most phone calls are unwanted interruptions anyway, not 'emergencies'. If you are not a surgeon on call, you are probably not getting true emergency calls on the road.
Regarding twitter, in the here and now, this is largely true. Essentially, what calms people down on the throne and allows them to proceed also does same in public society.
shareeat more fiber.
If you have time to read anything on the toilet, even a tweet, you need to eat more fiber.
Fiber's good, but it won't replace a good old fashioned cell phone.
shareTell me about it...i still have a nokia n73😉
shareOne thing you could do is bring it with you to a diner and set it down where the wait staff can see it. Not to actually actually talk on it (especially if you're in the Boston area). It's actually better not to do anything successfully with it during your meal. You could even go so far as to swipe a frustrated finger across the display as though it were a touch screen.
People seeing this might feel so much compassion that you won't have to pay for your meal.
Cell phones do not solve constipation. A good diet does solve it.
Also, talking to someone on the phone while you are shitting is disgusting and disrespectful to the pother person.
Wait til you drop your phone in the toilet. That will solve this disgusting habit.
Actually, there are constipation apps for usage in Dumpsville for logging entries with support groups and recipes right at your fingertips.
If two coworkers on the same schedule call each other before/after their shift and both happen to be indisposed, Who's Zoomin' Who?
As for dropping it in the netherworld, there are lanyard harnesses available so your best friend never gets dropped.
if your phone is your best friend, you need a dog.
It's an inanimate fucking object!
(name the movie reference)
There are plenty of dog apps too.
"Okay. So, you've insulted my home town. You were doing really well, Raymond. Why don't you tell me some Belgium jokes while you're at it?"
I know there are poop apps and sex apps and dog apps and food apps but I am telling you that REAL LIFE dogs and friends and sex and food are BETTER.
Get off your phone and live life for a little while.
[deleted]
Apps keep things compartmentalised. Someone who multitasks those things in real life could end up with bugs in the bed and a veterinarian who doesn't believe a single word.
share@jamesboland
I don't care if it is "2017" Maybe I and others would like to see 2018!"
What civil right? You don't have a civil right to talk on a blasted mobile phone while driving! The laws against the use of mobile phones while driving should be strictly enforced.
"People drive and have for years. People text and have for years" Yeah, and a lot of them are no longer walking among the living.
"Sometimes people make calls from their cars to say they're going to be late coming home. If they also pulled over, they'd be even later." Inane excuse! Better late than never!
"While it has been proven dangerous, even deadly, some people still seem to weigh out the pros and cons. Some like to have conversations with family during their commute. Some are in the early stages of a relationship and want to talk to each other constantly." You answered your own question: IT HAS BEEN PROVEN DANGEROUS!
"LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The train driver blamed for the worst U.S. train crash in 15 years was sending and receiving text messages seconds before his crowded commuter train skipped a red light and collided head-on with a freight train, federal investigators said on Wednesday.
The Metrolink commuter train plowed into a Union Pacific freight locomotive on September 12 in Chatsworth, California, killing 25 people and injuring 135 in the worst train accident since 1993."
Ask the survivors and the victims' families in the above crash if the use of the cell phone was OK due to maybe the engineer was in a "new relationship, talking with family" or any of the other juvenile reasons you cite.
Please grow up and stay off the roads if you intend to continue to use a mobile phone. If you are caught I hope a hefty fine is given. Your life and possibly some other life/lives may be saved!
Also read the following: You may gain some common sense re:texting while driving
http://www.icebike.org/texting-and-driving/
The higher, the better when it comes to fines.
And allow me, please, to clarify something. I don't text and drive trains. I think texting, talking, snapchatting, instagramming, foursquaring, googling and facebooking while driving a train is a huge, huge no-no.
I also think it's a big no-no to drink excessive amounts of alcohol while on duty as the captain of an oil tanker.
To keep it real, I'd support requiring a commercial airline pilot to surrender his cell phone to the stewardess until he's allowed to take his seat belt off.
It's not 1917, it's 2017. People drink. People text.
Maybe one day we'll read a story in the news about someone who used a SmartPhone to win a radio contest while driving and donated the prize to charity. Do we really want prohibition all over again, but this time with cell phones?
@jamesboland
"People drink. People text."
Which one of the two actions above would you prefer a driver be doing while you are a passenger in the same vehicle? Or be on the road next to you or meeting you?
If you didn't learn anything from the previous link, please read the following and educate yourself to the fact....a driver who is texting is as dangerous or more so than an impaired one. People with common sense would not want either one on the road. Those who text and drive or drink and drive are more dangerous than a nutcase waving a loaded weapon!
You speak of "rights". Your rights end if you put me and mine in danger through your stupidity.
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/texting-while-driving-how-dangerous-is-it-the-results-page-2
I still don't see a big problem with drinking and texting. Obviously, drinking and texting while driving a full bus is a bad idea. But I wasn't encouraging it, naturally.
shareTalking/texting on one's cellphone, or DUI while driving solo isn't any safer than either using one's cellphone or DUI when driving a full bus or trainload of people. What's there not to get?
shareWe agree, obviously, about the engineer going off the rails. But I think one has to admit, drunk text messages can be pretty funny.
shareWell said, kspkap! Excellent post. Thanks.
shareA year or two ago, there was a pretty similar train accident on our MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority) system, on the Green Line. A female driver was texting on her cellphone while operating an MBTA train and crashed into another MBTA train in front of her. A number of people were injured and sent to the hospitals, but I don't remember if anybody got killed in that accident, or what happened to the driver, although she was held responsible.
If people are going to be that irresponsible, they don't belong operating any type of motor vehicle.
In your example, the female driver could be considered irresponsible but that's not always the case.
sharebeing late is not fatal
shareDriving is not a civil right
shareThat's spot-on, Popcorn Kernal! Driving isn't a right....period! It's a privilege that can be taken away from people if the abuse it.
shareDriving is not a right...period! It's a privilege, which can be taken away if it's abused.
shareThe same could be said about public parking. If people shovel snow in public parking spaces to get their cars out, unless it's a state of emergency, they have that right. If someone else comes along and parks in the empty space, until they are legally required to move, they have that privilege.
shareParking on public streets, and then saving "one's" parking space for the whole winter, imho, is really not a right. I can understand them reserving their shoveled-out parking space for the first 48 hours after a heavy snowstorm, but after that, it's going too far.
shareCorrect, people do not have the right to reserve a public parking space for themselves for the winter simply because they shoveled snow out of it. Nor for the the week, the day or the hour. Empty spaces are scarce during blizzards so they need to be kept available for better flow of traffic and safety.
The modern solution: an app that incorporates GPS and allows users to announce when they are leaving a space, and be notified when one becomes available.
Nope. The best way is for the city or cities to do a better job of snow removal after a heavy snowfall. Then people won't feel the need to do stupid stuff like reserve the space(s) they shoveled out. The sort of "You shovel it, you own it" territorial mentality that goes on in a number of Boston neighborhoods is disgusting.
shareThe snow plows are used for removing snow from the streets. Cars that are left parked in the street during the snowstorm get plowed in during snow removal. That's just how it goes.
One ideal feature for such apps is one that reminds motorists to wash the car's undercarriage to remove the corrosive salt deposits after each road salting they're exposed to.
Perhaps people using the app might be too preoccupied to fight over a parking space.
Thought this was going to be about drugs.
I am in favor of victimless crimes being legalized. Drugs, any type of consensual adult sex, that should all be legalized. Some of it already is, in some parts of the country.
Drug addiction should be a health care issue and not a legal issue.
I'm not in favor of legalizing drunk driving or driving while texting or driving while high, because that harms or kills other people, not just the driver.
Driving while texting was legal when texting first came out and after a shit ton pf accidents, that is when they passed laws against it. So we already know what happens when it's legal.
It goes to show that driving while texting/talking on cellphones shouldn't have been made legal, in the first place. It's unfortunate that it took a ton of accidents for various lawmakers to enact laws against texting/talking on cell phones while driving.
shareIt never was made legal, so no worries there; it was only prohibited in certain places. Elsewhere, it's no more legal or illegal than smiling. I don't know if lawmakers were any slower to act on those laws than any others.
shareWell, Texting/talking on one's cellphone should've been and should be made illegal. If it's illegal to have too much alcohol and get behind the wheel of a car or any other motor vehicle, then talking/texting on one's cellphone while driving should also be illegal.
shareThings happen in cycles. Alcohol was illegal during prohibition, but before that not much was illegal. One might say these are dismal times we're living in, with the restriction of cell phones, but history has a tendency to repeat itself.
share