Comments on: Assembly Transpo Chair LOLZ @ Txting-While-Driving Ban

By: Long Island Auto Accident Lawyer

Long Island Auto Accident Lawyer — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:06:45 +0000

It is just too unsafe to allow for texting while driving. Concentration should be on the road not on your phone!

By: Cap'n Transit

Cap'n Transit — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:51:57 +0000

The problem’s not the cell phone, it’s the douche behind the wheel. Start prosecuting people for their reckless behavior (which is already illegal), instead of piling on more laws.

Sounds nice, and it would be the ideal situation if we had the time and resources and could be reasonably confident about achieving those changes before too many more lives are lost. But let’s not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

By: Kaja

Kaja — Thu, 28 May 2009 06:52:39 +0000

> Your view seems to imply that it is okay to text and drive as long as it doesn’t cause reckless driving that a policeman would see and ticket you for.

What’s a crime, Fritz?

Crime is harm caused to others. Just laws reflect this. (Hence ‘restorative justice’; which granted is often impossible as crimes particularly committed with cars often can’t be fixed.)

Policework shouldn’t be preventive. That’s pre-crime, it’s another can of worms.

Anyway if you go the strictly restorative route, and lock up anyone who commits a wrong they can’t or won’t right, we’d have a far safer society both on the roads and at large, because…

…it’s a problem of people, not of technology. Incentives matter, and if we punished the right crimes, people would react accordingly.

By: bob

bob — Thu, 28 May 2009 06:12:27 +0000

Well said, Fritz.

By: Fritz

Fritz — Thu, 28 May 2009 05:39:50 +0000

Kaja, the problem is you cannot exactly see much reckless behavior involving driving until it is too late. Your view seems to imply that it is okay to text and drive as long as it doesn’t cause reckless driving that a policeman would see and ticket you for. And, yes, it is quite possible, but allowing texting and then only ticketing when you can clearly see the results would be like allowing drinking and driving and then only ticketing drivers when you see the results. But, anyone who is pulled over and tests positive for alcohol gets a DUI and anyone pulled over for texting even if they are seemingly driving properly should get a ticket too. I’m sure I could reasonably safely shoot off a gun at a lead target in my car… but eventually something is going to go wrong. The point is to make clearly risky public behavior with large machines against the law in the first place.

By: Kaja

Kaja — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:30:02 +0000

> When my light to go left turned green he started to go straight and only after a 5 second honk on my part did he stop and not get hit by cars from the other direction

Do guns kill people, too?

The problem’s not the cell phone, it’s the douche behind the wheel. Start prosecuting people for their reckless behavior (which is already illegal), instead of piling on more laws.

By: Andy Trafford

Andy Trafford — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:45:23 +0000

…a traffic infraction called “inattentive driving,” defined loosely as any non-driving activity that “unreasonably interferes with the free and proper use of the public highway” or “unreasonably endangers other people who are using the public highways”…

Good grief. What’s wrong with “It’s illegal to play with a cellphone while behind the wheel” ?

When I’m in charge, things will change. I’ll just make it illegal to be a dumb*ss.

By: vnm

vnm — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:29:56 +0000

“unreasonably interferes with the free and proper use of the public highway” or “unreasonably endangers other people who are using the public highways.”

This mealy-mouthed definition of what is prohibited is a recipe for errant motorists contesting traffic tickets and winning.

By: Fritz

Fritz — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:50:59 +0000

I think it’s important that people know it’s not just texting while moving that’s the problem. It’s texting while driving. I had never texted really until this year since I had no mobile overseas so it hadn’t occurred to me. But, yesterday I was in the left turn lane and a guy to my right going straight was texting. When my light to go left turned green he started to go straight and only after a 5 second honk on my part did he stop and not get hit by cars from the other direction. I texted once while stopped at a light and realized just how discombobulated it had made me and realized I should never do it again and I was lucky I didn’t do anything dangerous like the above guy did. It’s important to understand that texting messes with your reactions even for a while after you’ve stopped texting. This is incredibly important and I can’t believe it’s not illegal everywhere.