chexfan

The title says it all.

If you're driving you can't be talking on your phone anymore.

It's a $124 ticket starting today if you're not using a headset. This is a secondary offense, meaning you'll be pulled over only if you are also breaking another law at the same time.

thegeneral

Also a reminder that driving while using a mobile phone in any way makes you react worse than someone who is drunk. You could kill someone I love. Pull over and talk.

Hands free laws also in effect in California as of July 1.

YVR Cockroach

I wish they'd do it north of the border.

DLFan2

And where is the evidence for this?

DLFan2

You know it won't be long.

DLFan2

And it's still not specifically illegal to eat and drive, smoke and drive, apply makeup and drive, shave and drive, change radio stations or CDs and drive...

YVR Cockroach

Unfortunately the issue has been studied and the top pol has said no. Would oiss pff too many of their supporters.

YVR Cockroach

http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=062206-1
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp2436/rs200802/menu.htm

among others

BearX220

This is an idiotic law enacted by brain-damaged leaders.

It's not holding a phone against your ear that makes you a distracted, more dangerous driver; it's having the conversation with a remote person. Hands-free devices don't make you safer. Holding an object in one hand, whether it's a cell phone or a cookie, doesn't make you more dangerous.

So if the legislature had any guts they would outlaw all cell phone use in vehicles. But they don't. This is a pointless, gutless alternative that gives the appearance of more safety with no actual gains made.

venice4504

I agree that the whole thing is rather stupid. Just the other evening I had a "lovely" convo with a friend in CA. One hads free to another. Hell, we couldn't even really talk to eachother. It was more like a screaming "huH' match. Pointless...I spend more time trying to dial and make sure the darn thing is bluetoothing itself. I hate it.

dfotn

I beg to differ. I have noticed, with my own driving, that I am more distracted when holding the phone than with a headseat. With a headset it's the same as having a conversation with someone in the car. When holding the phone you have to concentrate on non-driving activities that are taking place with your hand rather than letting that hand do the driving tasks it is used to doing without much thought. I personally don't use the phone in the car even with a headset because even the act of dialing is distracting, even if just a little bit.

DLFan2

The studies quoted above and that I have looked into seem to suggest that use of a cell phone, even hands-free, is MORE dangerous than driving with a blood alcohol level of .08, and about as dangerous as many other activities in a car (such as the ones I mentioned in an earlier post). If hands-free use makes no difference, then what is the point of allowing hands-free phones but banning the others?

Therefore I think that singling out cellphone use while ignoring all the other dangerous in-vehicle activities, is stupid. I'd much rather see cellphone use considered as just one of many potential mitigating factors which could result in a greater penalty for those convicted of other violations. To just go around looking for cellphone users to pull over is a big waste of resources which would be better used for other things. Thank goodness it is only subject to secondary enforcement in Washington. I don't know if that is the case in CA, NY, etc.

BearX220

Exactly. They have heuristic / human dynamics studies that show the degree of mental distraction caused by a phone call is pretty close, whether it comes in on a phone, a Bluetooth thing or an earbud + mike.

4444

the problem is not the cellphones it's the drivers. we do not know how to drive in this country. we are poorly trained. love the jerk who passed me this morning, in a compact car, doing at least 90. real smart doing 90 on 13 inch tires. then he'll wonder why he's in a wheelchair when the tire blows. ask our friends in germany how hard is is to obtain a drivers license over there. we should take a lesson. here we have a few hours of high school classes and then a joke road test and bingo! license. properly trained drivers is the key. we are on a flyer forum. hell if you can fly a friggin plane and talk on a radio at the same time i'm sure using a cellphone in a car is not that hard.... p.s. that cellphone/drunk study is a joke. when i see more people die as a direct result of phone use as opposed to booze then i'll believe it.

YVR Cockroach

I recall some study where cellphone users having to do mental arithmetic remained distracted from driving even after hanging up.