Feds finally got one right

[Belgian_Draft 0]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35081605/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

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WASHINGTON - The Transportation Department said Tuesday it is prohibiting truck and bus drivers from sending text messages on hand-held devices while operating commercial vehicles.

The prohibition, which applies to drivers of interstate buses and trucks over 10,000 pounds, is effective immediately, the department said in a statement. Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750, the department said.

For as much grief as we give the Feds when they screw up, we should send kudos when they get one right. I, for one, am behind them on this 100%.

HAMMER:
Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a
kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the
object we are trying to hit.

[Andrewwhyte 1]

I think we will find that ban spreading to all drivers quite soon. I believe that is a state's issue in the US but it will come.

[marks2065 0]

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I think we will find that ban spreading to all drivers quite soon. I believe that is a state's issue in the US but it will come.

Illinois banned texting while driving

[Andrewwhyte 1]

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Illinois banned texting while driving

A couple of provinces have up here. It will spread across the board soon. The new concern is people fucking with their GPS instead of watching the road.

[Darius11 12]

Ban all cell phone use while driving period.

I hate distracted drivers. Drive now talk later

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[rehmwa 2]

Personally, I think texting while driving is irresponsible - among many actions I see.

But I wouldn't make it, specifically, illegal.

I would want to make illegal unsafe driving actions - so if a cop sees someone cross a line/drift, or nearly rear ends someone, etc, that is the reasong to pull them over - failure of control, or failure of attention, etc. The reason doesn't much matter. I could care less if it's a phone, texting, makeup, eating, whatever - but the driver has to demonstrate that he's hindered before being arrested.

Anything else seems unnecessarily invasive.

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[rehmwa 2]

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Ban all cell phone use while driving period.

I hate distracted drivers. Drive now talk later

This is normal for you D. "You" don't like it, therefore make it illegal for everyone. Various topics. Why do you think that is?

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[futuredivot 0]

I suspect a deeply held belief that someone else should be responsible for taking care of him.

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[ryoder 1,590]

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Ban all cell phone use while driving period.

I hate distracted drivers. Drive now talk later

+1
One evening last week, I stopped my bicycle at a 4-way stop in my hometown.
My bike has head & tailights, the intersection was well-lit by streetlights, and I was wearing a hi-vis yellow winderbreaker.
A few moments after I stopped, a car approached and stopped at one of the cross streets.
I started across the street.
Halfway across, the moron suddenly stomped the gas and shot across the intersection, missing me by 3 feet.
As the driver's window passed by me, I could see him:
Glassy-eyed, far-away stare, and a cell-phone jammed against his head.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[kelpdiver 2]

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Ban all cell phone use while driving period.

I hate distracted drivers. Drive now talk later

I hate stupid drivers. Can we get rid of them as well?

[Andy9o8 2]

I think banning all sending and receiving texts while driving, for all MV operators, should be banned. I admit to having done this a couple times myself, and I concede that I was distracted; hence my opinion.

Re: talking on the phone and driving, I've got mixed feelings. I think banning the use of hand-held cell phones, but allowing the use of hands-free devices, is a reasonable compromise.

Like most people, I've seen plenty of people driving badly where it's obvious to me that it was because they were holding their damn phone to their ear. I confess to being guilty in that regard too a couple of times. But my wife and I are also part of the population that, between work calls and communicating with the rest of the family, and the huge amount each of us spend driving, we simply could not get along these days without the ability to talk on the phone while we drive. We both drive with Blue Tooth thingies in our ears, and look like Borg - but we keep both hands on the wheel.

Re: GPS - yeah, that's an issue, too. Definitely a lot like texting if you're messing with it while the car's in motion.

[Coreece 190]

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I hate stupid drivers. Can we get rid of them as well?

well, apparently we can at least limit their stupidity.

Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...

[christelsabine 1]

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I suspect a deeply held belief that someone else should be responsible for taking care of him.

That reply is idiotic. Seems, you do not own a drivers license and do not know its requirements.

He's just demanding for full attention of other drivers, as he too, is required to be attentive in automobile traffic.

@ rehmwa: This is normal for you D. "You" don't like it, therefore make it illegal for everyone. Various topics. Why do you think that is?

Same sh*t like the post of futuredivot. You surprise me.

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[rehmwa 2]

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I think banning the use of hand-held cell phones, but allowing the use of hands-free devices, is a reasonable compromise.

why do you hate poor people that can't afford hands-free?

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[skyrider 0]

I'd also like them to Ban the use of such devices by Police, (while driving)Including the keyboard while they are driving, ever since they added those computers to the squad cars. cops have gotten twie as dangerous, they are constantly distracted!

California's ban on cell phones does not include police, or truckers!

[futuredivot 0]

Actually I'm traveling 40 plus weeks a year driving over 100K miles, have seen 20 different kinds of stupid on the road and committed 18 of them. Read S-L-O-W-L-Y and you might notice that I was not commenting on a single point but an apparent attitude trend (hint word "various"). Now that I've brought you up to speed with the rest of the class-feel free to continue at your own pace.

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[rehmwa 2]

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You surprise me.

nonsense -

type one - if they have a personal bias, they choose not to do it for themselves and let others fend for themselves. They'd like the choice of others to match theirs, but they won't use the law to force it, rather they set expectations and let others choose. They understand right and wrong are not hard fast answers and that different people need to be accepted for being different in their beliefs. They'll go after someone based on their actions, but not on a 'feeling' that someday they'll commit those actions anyway.

type two - personal bias, they'll cheat on it personally on occasion BTW, because they are 'special, even smarter than the others that they feel qualified to make decisions for others" but in public will rant and rave about the right vs wrong of the issue, they will be outraged when others do it too. They will force others to comply with them using legislation on little things that annoy them and overload the system with crap laws. They think people are too weak to handle subjective stuff on an individual basis - they assume people are guilty before they even demonstrate the guilty behavior.

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[rehmwa 2]

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Actually I'm traveling 40 plus weeks a year driving over 100K miles, have seen 20 different kinds of stupid on the road and committed 18 of them.

so - our choice, we can have 20 different laws - or we can have one law based on the actual behavior of drivers that cops can see from a distance.

Rather than looking in through our windows, how about the cops just pull people over for bad driving.

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[billvon 2,994]

>Rather than looking in through our windows, how about the cops just pull
>people over for bad driving.

Hmm. Would you support repeal of drunk-driving laws, then?

[christelsabine 1]

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I'd also like them to Ban the use of such devices by Police, (while driving)Including the keyboard while they are driving, ever since they added those computers to the squad cars. cops have gotten twie as dangerous, they are constantly distracted!

California's ban on cell phones does not include police, or truckers!

Cops? Plural?

Here, usually 2 cops are on-board. One is driving, the other one controlling traffic or giving advices which car has to be tracked. So, who's distracted??

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[Belgian_Draft 0]

Hands-free devices offer only a token difference. The distraction isn't the act of holding the phone, it is the mental distraction of talking to a person who is not physically present.
I have watched too many people walk into posts, poles, bushes, busy streets, other people, etc. while talking on a cell phone to ever feel people can drive safely while chatting on one. Of course, there are always those who say they can handle it (yeah, right ).

HAMMER:
Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a
kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the
object we are trying to hit.

[georgerussia 0]

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This is normal for you D. "You" don't like it, therefore make it illegal for everyone.

You mean, like sodomy laws, gay marriage or abortion? This was (and still is) normal for Republicans to make it illegal just because they do not like it.

Pretty same as with guns - we cannot ban stupid people, we only can ban stupid behavior. So the law is needed.

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[christelsabine 1]

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You surprise me.

nonsense -
....
....

A lot of blah blah as a reply for a single and a simple and a very reasonable statement Darius11 made.



edited for typo

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[rehmwa 2]

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>Rather than looking in through our windows, how about the cops just pull
>people over for bad driving.

Hmm. Would you support repeal of drunk-driving laws, then?

Don't they pull the car over for poor/suspicious driving - as the reason for the pullover. The drunk part is found out afterwards. Or do cops just "know" a driver is drunk even when he's driving 'normal' and gets to pull him over?

Public intox as a totally different law broken could then be something they would then assess after the pull over for the other reason.

I suspect we could retool the laws to cover that and still remain consistent with society's need to punish the drunk driver.

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[rehmwa 2]

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guns - we cannot ban stupid people, we only can ban stupid behavior. So the law is needed.

absolutely - ban "behavior" - not objects. glad you understand that criminals are to blame for breaking laws, not inanimate objects

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants