Cell phone ban for drivers!

[Access_guy49]

Hey Everyone,
In Ontario the government is tossing around a bill right now that will look to ban the use of not only cell phones but also some electronic devices in vehicles for the driver. The proposed law will ban the use of cell phones with the exception of hands free devices. GPS's will also be up for ban, unless they are in-dash.

I do agree with the cell phone ban, ppl are getting really bad over here with it. Just this morning on the radio a guy was talking about how he watched a bus driver texting while driving the city bus!!!

however i personally believe that GPS devices can help people drive as they are not as worried about where to turn or looking for street signs. Not to mention it's a hell of alot better than trying to get the driver to read a map!

The law does not cover Putting on make-up, eating/drinking, or folding laundry (yes i have personally witnessed this!)

any thoughts?

 

[Rabbie]

There have been several incidents here in the UK of drivers attempting to reprogram their route on their Sta-Nav(GPS) so I am not convinced they are entirely beneficial. Especially when they direct vehicles down unsuitable narrow roads as happens from time to time. Recently I saw a lane with a sign on sayng there was a Sat Nav error and the ferry at the end was pedestrian only.

Personally I would prefer no ban but harsher penalties for inappropriate use of equipment and stupid behaviour of the type you refer to.

 

[statsman]

I have never used an electronic device in a car with the exception of saying "Hello" and "Hang on a second while I pull over".

GPS, OnStar and other SatNav devices are fine, but pull over while you program them. After that, you shouldn't need to touch them.

We have a program on one of our Canadian Satellite stations called "Canada's Worst Driver". At the start of each season they have 8 driver who have been nominated by friends/family. Most years, the ones deemed the worst are young females who even after many lessons and much training still do their morning makeup in the car while driving to work. They can't seem to grasp the concept that this is not the reason there is a mirror on the windshield.

 

[pbaldy]

I can't tell you how many times I've been cut off by some clown yapping away on his/her cell phone. That said, I'm not a fan of government dictating things, so like Rabbie I lean towards harsh penalties if you cause an accident or something while on the phone.

 

[Alc]

The law does not cover Putting on make-up, eating/drinking, or folding laundry (yes i have personally witnessed this!)

Ban Tim Horton's alone from moving vehicles and you'd surely cut down on a lot of the GTA accidents? I'd also introduce a series of public information films along the lines of 'Hey, Toronto, that white stuff is snow. You get it every year so you should know by now that it's slippery'.

Personally I would prefer no ban but harsher penalties for inappropriate use of equipment and stupid behaviour of the type you refer to.

The problem there is that everyone's definition of "inappropriate use of equipment and stupid behaviour" differs. Having had my car written off by a driver who wasn't paying attention, I'm in favour of the ban.

I'm not a fan of government dictating things, so like Rabbie I lean towards harsh penalties if you cause an accident or something while on the phone.

One of the problems in Ontario is the ridiculous 'no blame' policy they have for traffic accidents. It's designed to make insurance claims get processed faster but seemingly results in people knowing that they don't need to worry about causing accidents.

 

[Fifty2One]

The provincial government of Ontario has no choice but to ban handheld cell phone use due to the fact that the head liar in the legislature Dalton McGuinty Promised there would be No Ban on Cell Phone Use for Drivers in 2007. There is also the shame of being over 5 years behine Newfoundland, which had huge problems convincing the population that the April 1 2003 law was not a joke... and also Quebec followed suit by banning cell phones on 1 April 2008, but Quebec has a huge grace period which I think is 25 years or so based on the lax enforcement of drunk driving laws.

Hey Everyone,
In Ontario the government is tossing around a bill right now that will look to ban the use of not only cell phones but also some electronic devices in vehicles for the driver. The proposed law will ban the use of cell phones with the exception of hands free devices. GPS's will also be up for ban, unless they are in-dash.

I do agree with the cell phone ban, ppl are getting really bad over here with it. Just this morning on the radio a guy was talking about how he watched a bus driver texting while driving the city bus!!!

however i personally believe that GPS devices can help people drive as they are not as worried about where to turn or looking for street signs. Not to mention it's a hell of alot better than trying to get the driver to read a map!

The law does not cover Putting on make-up, eating/drinking, or folding laundry (yes i have personally witnessed this!)

any thoughts?

 

[Brianwarnock]

I can't tell you how many times I've been cut off by some clown yapping away on his/her cell phone. That said, I'm not a fan of government dictating things, so like Rabbie I lean towards harsh penalties if you cause an accident or something while on the phone.

Yeah that's right, let's kill somebody then punish the driver for being stupid, it's by far the best way.

Brian

 

[pbaldy]

I would have expected a more cordial response from you Brian. That's more like a certain other poster's style. You're usually not snide like that.

I said I leaned that way, not that I absolutely advocated it. My boss was involved in a fatal accident where the other driver was talking to his passenger and didn't see her next to him. He merged into her lane, forcing her off the road, and at the last minute noticed and swerved back but lost control, flipped his car, and died. Thus, talking to passengers can cause fatal accidents. Should we legislate against that as well?

Do we legislate against anything that could conceivably cause harm, or do we rely on self-responsibility and deal with the exceptions when they happen? Do we try to find a line where the behavior is more likely to cause harm (like drunk driving), and legislate those things, but not those that are below the line? I suppose I fall into that camp. Is driving with a cell phone above or below the line? I don't pretend to know, but given the number of people that do it relative to the number of accidents caused by it, I would guess it's on the "less likely" side. I don't actually know how many accidents are caused by it, so I could be wrong.

 

[KenHigg]

How about they simply put signal blockers in all new cars cars?

 

[Brianwarnock]

Ok , I'll admit that it wasn't the best of responses and apologise for that, I also don't know how many accidents are caused by using the cell while driving , or fiddling with other equipment, or even talking!, but we have so much stupid driving that I'm not sure that we can leave too much to peoples' self discipline.

BTW did you see my post on another thread where I told about my daughter being fined for using her mobile whilst driving, she had been stuck in a traffic jam for 40 minutes and was going nowhere, but her engine was running, so she was booked, so yes the law and its enforcers can be an ass.

Brian

 

[pbaldy]

I did not see that. My strong believe is that "spirit of the law" should take precedence over "letter of the law". Giving that ticket to someone stopped in traffic is just stupid. Did she fight it?

 

[Fifty2One]

If she was going no where then how did the cops catch up to her to see her talking on a handheld phone?
...that is not a shot - me just confused...

BTW did you see my post on another thread where I told about my daughter being fined for using her mobile whilst driving, she had been stuck in a traffic jam for 40 minutes and was going nowhere, but her engine was running, so she was booked, so yes the law and its enforcers can be an ass.

Brian

 

[statsman]

Ban Tim Horton's alone from moving vehicles and you'd surely cut down on a lot of the GTA accidents? I'd also introduce a series of public information films along the lines of 'Hey, Toronto, that white stuff is snow. You get it every year so you should know by now that it's slippery'.

My father, who taught me to drive, made a very interesting point during his instructions. Driving in snow and ice is a skill all Canadian must learn. However, this skill does not carry over between winters. Every year, the first time it snows everyone has to learn how to do it all over again.
Strange but true.

 

[Fifty2One]

DUH - its a different winter

My father, who taught me to drive, made a very interesting point during his instructions. Driving in snow and ice is a skill all Canadian must learn. However, this skill does not carry over between winters. Every year, the first time it snows everyone has to learn how to do it all over again.
Strange but true.

 

[Alc]

My father, who taught me to drive, made a very interesting point during his instructions. Driving in snow and ice is a skill all Canadian must learn. However, this skill does not carry over between winters. Every year, the first time it snows everyone has to learn how to do it all over again.
Strange but true.

I'd agree that you need to refresh the skills, but learning from scratch every year? I saw much less snow and ice before coming to Canada, but I did know enough to slow down when the stuff was present.

The accident my wife and I were involved in was solely down to the idiot coming the other way having no idea how to slow down when the road was slippery, and so losing control of her vehicle and hitting us head on. I'm not saying she should have been fully back up to speed the very first time she drove in snow that year, but shouldn't common sense play a part?

 

[Brianwarnock]

I did not see that. My strong believe is that "spirit of the law" should take precedence over "letter of the law". Giving that ticket to someone stopped in traffic is just stupid. Did she fight it?

No, the law actually states that if the engine is running you are driving, I think it is to stop people using their 'phones whilst stopped at junctions or traffic signals. I have no doubt that a good but expensive lawyer would have maybe got her off as the ticket said phone whereas she was using her blackberry, but if he failed the costs rocket so she took the hit.

Brian

 

[Brianwarnock]

If she was going no where then how did the cops catch up to her to see her talking on a handheld phone?
...that is not a shot - me just confused...

He was on the other carriageway, he nearly got run over running across, pity really , just proves there is no god.

Brian

 

[statsman]

DUH - its a different winter

But it's the same skill DUH

 

[georgedwilkinson]

The law does not cover Putting on make-up, eating/drinking, or folding laundry (yes i have personally witnessed this!)

And I've been in the vehicle when the driver:
Did a crossword in the newspaper & read the comics.
Played a game of chess on a regular wooden board.

 

[RCheesley]

Personally I can see both sides of the equation. Sometimes it is very distracting when your sat nav is misbehaving or you need to reprogramme a route while driving. I have a HTC TYTNii with TomTom sat nav, and find it a godsend. I have it hands free on a sucker mount on the windscreen, however, and do not touch it when I am driving - the only time I would consider this is if I was stuck in a line of traffic ... this is still illegal technically, however they would have a job proving you are driving dangerously if the car is stationary.

HOWEVER, sensible drivers (myself included) would realise the risk of faffing with any kind of electrical device while driving, and pull the car over where safe before doing so. I've had to do this several times, for example if I receive a call and the hands free doesn't pick up properly.

My job often involves driving from one place to another ad infinitum during the day, hence being able to plan a route using my SatNav is not only incredibly useful in terms of knowing where I am going, but also saves quite a few trees where I would be printing out directions (which in my experience is much more dangerous than glancing at a screen which is already at eye level when trying to figure out where the heck that tiny little road you're looking for is, or what street you've ended up in having missed the turning!)

Plus doing a long drive (which I'm about to do this afternoon) often means regular stops to update my mind on where I am going and which roads I am looking for, whereas I don't have to worry about this with a SatNav. I do, however, browse the route before setting off so I don't get caught on the whole going down non existant roads problems!

Banning SatNav which isn't integrated into the dash would mean anyone with a car that is older than, say, 5 years, could not use SatNav unless they spent a very significant amount modifying their car......personally I think that would be daft.

My biggest bugbear to be honest is people who smoke at the wheel - this isn't banned, but the number of people I've seen driving with one hand on the wheel and a cigarette hanging out the window, faffing about with cigarette lighters, etc ... it's scary!