{sigh} Lobbyists enter into Distracted Driving

[Chuck]

Research shows that drivers talking on cellphones are 4x likelier to cause a wreck - 8x for texters.

Matt Richtel - BLOGS - July 6, 2010

Does this special interest group care about our interests? --Ed.

A major electronics industry trade group and a Washington lobbying firm have been pushing separate efforts to reframe the debate over the dangers of distracted driving, in response to moves by state legislators and regulators to restrict motorists’ use of cellphones and other devices.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he was “alarmed” by a lobbying effort to reframe the debate over the dangers of distracted driving. The efforts have angered public safety advocates, some legislators and the secretary of transportation, who say such restrictions would save lives.

A document that has been circulating over the last week from a Washington lobbying firm, the Seward Square Group, has fueled the tension. The document, a copy of which was posted by the Web site FairWarning, says the distracted driving issue has been “hijacked” by national transportation authorities and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, who has encouraged motorists to pledge to put down their devices.... [Read More]

[TheForce]

I fully support disabling cell phones while in motion except for 911 and the use of hands free devices. And for those who say what about passengers? I say tough $#!7. Its one of those things where the true offenders ruin it for the rest of us. Deal with it. No one is that important that they need to talk or text on the phone 24/7.

[WriConsult]

We need tougher laws coupled with enforcement and education. I would support a total ban on ALL non-emergency cellphone use (handheld and handsfree) while driving, though the telecom and electronics industries would freak. And I would make it a criminal misdemeanor (like drunk driving) to put some teeth in it.

I think a lot of people would avoid phoning and driving IF IT WERE EASIER AND SAFER TO PULL OVER. Long term, this will not go way. I would support creation of additional "safe zones" at periodic intervals along highways (a good model would be the chain-up areas here in the west -- 100 yard stretches of very wide shoulder) where people could pull over and do this stuff without endangering everyone else. In Oregon we have many state highways that have ZERO shoulder, and you can go miles without encountering intersecting roads to turn off onto.

I would NOT support disabling cellphones in moving vehicles. Maybe single folks who drive all the time and rarely carry passengers don't quite get this, but my wife and I frequently use the phone, exchange texts with others, or browse the web while the OTHER is driving - as do others who ride with us. How would you implement it anyway? I don't know how you're going to get a car-based jamming device to be selective enough to allow 911 calls to go through - an ABSOLUTE necessity. Alternatively, if you rely on the cellular network to detect movement and disable "moving" phones, how do you exempt mass transit users?

And you'd make an exception for handsfree, TheForce? That's not demonstrably safer than handheld. It's the mental distraction of talking to someone not in the vehicle that is the problem.

[TheForce]

As far as I know all phones have GPS built in now because of 911. You can use the GPS to tell if the phone is in motion and if so disable it.

As far as passengers and mass transit users I'll repeat what I said in my first post. Tough $#!7. The true offenders ruin it for the rest of us. We will just have to deal with it. I've thought about allowing a pass code to enable the phone for passengers but that would get abused. Like I said no one is that important that they need to talk or text on the phone 24/7. Especially while operating a large heavy fast moving death vehicle.

I agree about the hands free but its the same thing if the driver is talking to passengers. So I feel that hands free should be allowed. That or ban passengers.

[worthywads]

Originally Posted by TheForce

As far as I know all phones have GPS built in now because of 911. You can use the GPS to tell if the phone is in motion and if so disable it.

As far as passengers and mass transit users I'll repeat what I said in my first post. Tough $#!7. The true offenders ruin it for the rest of us. We will just have to deal with it. I've thought about allowing a pass code to enable the phone for passengers but that would get abused. Like I said no one is that important that they need to talk or text on the phone 24/7. Especially while operating a large heavy fast moving death vehicle.

I agree about the hands free but its the same thing if the driver is talking to passengers. So I feel that hands free should be allowed. That or ban passengers.

I'll take the bait on this trolling.............

So you really think mass transit commuters shouldn't be able to use the phone because people that drive their own vehicles while texting have caused accidents! Apparently you are blinded by some hate towards phones. Death vehicle = planes, trains, and buses that I ride but don't control?

Studies have found that talking on the phone is a lot different than talking to the passenger. There are now 2 sets of eyes on the road looking for danger.

What next, banning phones on the ski lift, or an elevator.............. "Yes because offenders have ruined it for us all, deal with it". GMAFNB!

[WriConsult]

What worthywads said. If you hate phones and want to keep living in the 20th century, fine. But don't drag me back there with you. If you're against car passengers using phones, then don't let your own passengers use phones. Leave the rest of us out of it.

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by WriConsult

What worthywads said. If you hate phones and want to keep living in the 20th century, fine. But don't drag me back there with you. If you're against car passengers using phones, then don't let your own passengers use phones. Leave the rest of us out of it.

Jay does have a point - 3,000+ are killed annually on US roads, thousands injured by distracted phone drivers - they were not left out of it.

Whatever we do about people that insist on colliding while driving with a phone, we can't get phones off the road like we tried to get rid of liquor during Prohibition, but I bristle that we have a telecom lobby trying to promote the current business as usual.

We would have a heck of a lot less laws and government action if a few amongst us would refrain from abusing things like driving with phones or worse texting. So how do we deal with them without making life too difficult for the rest of us?

I'd put legal and lawsuit pressure on phone providers to have real-time records on users, so when there is a collision, we know if they were on the phone. Then if they were on the phone, treat them like DUI. That may increase the phone bills but so be it.

[TheForce]

I'm just against drivers using phones but the only way to stop it is either to really enforce it or to disable phones while in motion. The only practical way to do it is to disable the phones.

What we really need here is better driver discipline.