Banning cellphone use in cars

What are your thought on this law that will be passed soon?

Personally, I don't think it's much more different to changing a CD or yelling at the kids in the back seat.
I am worried that now that this one is being passed what else will we not be allowed to do in our cars?

I talk all the time on my phone while driving and don't see it to be that much different.

So, do you oppose it? Or agree with it?

do you want to be killed by someone distracted by their cell phone?

police already say they won't target people using their phones in jams

Definitely agree. Should have been banned a while back.

If they are going to do that what other clauses are there going to be? Are they going to enforce the law or be all wishy washy about it?

This is another of those things where so many (forward-thinking) countries have done it that it is almost as if we haven't just to be the typical different NZ... as if somehow the laws of physics are different in NZ and all the research done overseas wont apply in NZ.

Driving a car requires concentration. Anything which distracts some of that concentration should be looked at closely. Phones are a sitting duck and blatantly obvious problem for drivers yet it takes until the very last hurdle in election year for the team in the red corner to get anything done about it. About time too.

R

On this note.. In Victoria in Aussie you can't use hand-held phones while driving and they have severe penalties. A girl who works for a family-related business was on the phone in Nov when driving back from Torquay to the city (like going to Manukau city) and was in a head on... She almost died and they thought she wouldn't wake up. She did and could walk again after 5 months (two broken legs and pelvis..)

Police checked the phone records - shows she was on the phone around the time of the crash - Insurance company rejects claim for car and medical treatment.

R

How'd they prove she wasn't on hands free?

She doesn't have one. They could probably see this I imagine by looking at the car/wreckage.. or just asking the person.

R

"around the time of the crash huh"

funny that we have such high standards of proof for some things but not others.

I think it is stupid and wont solve the problem BUT trying to argue against it is fairly pointless.

It is the conversation that is the problem - handsfree kits and passengers also cause crashes. Texting is retarded, i see so many fucking retards sitting in the fast lane doing 80 on my way home from work who when i pass them (on the inside no less) are staring at their phone on their lap. I have been meaning to buy airhorns to give them a bit of a shock but i once almost caused a crash when the person i tooted at swerved violently and got their inside rear wheel off the road.

Anyway back to the topic - The law is going to be difficult to police. My phone has voice dialing and speaker phone but i have to press a button on the phone to enable the voice dial... is that worse than switching the station on the radio? No. Will it be banned? It has to be. Are they going to ban dictaphones? make up? putting on sun classes or changing a cd?

Im also sick of laws that will be 'selectively enforced' we dont even enforce existing laws so it is unlikely this will end up anything other than a way out for insurance companies. Using a phone in any situation other than stopped traffic will be considered dangerous - if the traffic moves forward 1 car length do you hangup?

Anyway, in the range of things that cause crashes it is an easy one to pick on. This law wont have the desired affect, it will simply affect people who arent retarded while the people who ignore common sense will continue to do so and ignore the law.

Maybe i will get tinted windows.

Yeah.. not sure how they established it exactly. Maybe the call dropped when the crash happened.. or someone saw her. Or they could tell the exact time of the crash and call. In any case, it was the least of her worries.. she didn't wake up for ten days.

As for standards of proof.. insurance companies are not courts.. maybe it's different.

I agree about the arguments for it. I've heard people say "oh but we should ban car-stereos too then" type stuff. WTF?

R

That is the case with all laws tho.

R

No it isnt.

This one ranks up with forcing dog owners to chip their dogs to help prevent unregistered dog issues... If people arent registering their dogs do you think theyre going to chip them? No, all it does is impact the people who are responsible.

The reason this law is similar is that a) its not a priority to police so wont be evenly enforced b) the penalties are more for people who are more likely to be responsible eg someone who has a crap car that isnt registered isnt going to have the same penalty in a crash as someone who is driving a nice car with insurance (that might refuse to pay out).

What happens if you drive a car that doesnt have a compatible hands free kit? The law is unworkable other than banning touching your phone which means handsfree handsets wont be allowed under the law even though they are no different to a car based system.

meh feelgood laws ftl

the hands-free defence = I love it




On the topic, I do think that cell phone use should be banned. Incidentally I don't see any harm in people talking on their cell phones when they are sitting in traffic and moving at snail's pace, but the law would struggle to make distinctions between cell phone use in slow traffic and at a 100km/h on the motorway, so it seems a total ban is the only way to make it work.

WARNING: LOUNGE/CA CROSSOVER IN EFFECT:
Could also claim the bee in the car stole it after the crash...


To me it's simply: there are multiple distractions in cars that we wish we could ban, a cellphone to the ear is one that is easily identified by police. Not perfect law, but might as well minimise that one distraction.

I would be interested to know if the crashes were caused by texting or talking on the phone.

I do have another question... how does having your phone at your ear (as oppossed to handsfree) cause motorway accidents - assuming you dont need side visibility as often on the motorway?

well my first thought is that it is because it's fully occupying the use of one hand

what I would like to see is more people being pulled up for listening to their iPod while they are driving

it's almost ridiculous how often I see this! ssly, no wonder NZers have such a bad rep when it comes to driving

For sure.. I can see people dopping their phone and picking up their electric razor...

*no officer, I was shaving... is there a law against that?*

R

I drive one handed a lot of the time... especially when im in a manual car or changing the station.

I cant get past the fact that in many situations it is the conversation that is the problem not the act of holding a phone (this is apart from taking your eyes off the road to find a number or whatever). In which case conversations should be banned.

Note i am not talking about texting which is blatently stupid in most situations.

By that i guess you mean with ear phones in? Its not much different to having a big stereo turned up loud though (i think it is already illegal to have ear phones in while driving).

What i think the issue is young people. There. I said it.

*shakes fist*

Its true though, drink driving and speed has been taken by distraction and inattention.

Why? How is that different to having a stereo on at the same volume?

they are both the same if they block out external sounds to the point that it prevents you from hearing emergency sirens...

but what bob said, it is actually illegal

at least, I was taught that it was illegal when I was learning to drive and I did driving lessons through the AA

How can insurance refuse to pay out because you were on the phone? Do pay out if you were speeding, following too close, not paying attention, didn’t give way, didn’t look, didn’t stop!? Well generally - YES

I mean isn’t that the whole point in car insurance – they pay the bills when you screw up and are at fault during an accident?? Otherwise what’s the point in having insurance. lol

just yesterday woman at intersection on our left pulls out on us whilst looking the other way phone to right ear all the while

brrm brrm

trapper insurance can refuse if it is against the law of that country just like any contributory negligence such as drunk driving

Well that’s exactly my point – almost every road accident involves a breach of the law. I mean it is pretty difficult to smash your car into another car without actually breaking any road laws… lol

Why would or should insurance companies single out cell phone users when they are still paying out for speeders, random U-turners, non give-wayers and stop signs ignorers??

If car insurance refused payout to anyone who broke the law they would hardly ever be paying out for any car accidents.

Btw; I think you will find ‘driving while intoxicated’ listed as a specific exclusion on any car insurance policy.

Very unlikely you will find any blanket ‘break any law and you’re not covered’ exclusion though… lol

but if you are charged with dangerous driving or careless use that the law governing cellphone use might come under conceivably in this or that country this would be exclude you from cover

In britain if you have too many speeding points on your licence you simply wont be given insurance so it is a bit similar. They go over the top though - for instance if your knee touches the ground while youre on a bike it is an automatic loss of licence even if you werent speeding. Their definition of handsfree means you arent even allowed to touch the phone to answer it (even if you have a plug in handsfree kit); i think it has to be one foot from the driver at all times.

All this and they still get crashes with people having conversations with passengers or on the phone so they didnt get anywhere but up their own arses.

I would classify myself as someone who is perfectly capable of compsing a text and driving at the same time.
However, not everyone is like that. My flatmate, for example, has had an accident where he rear ended someone while texting.
This is the problem.
While a majority of us may be fine, there are people who aren't. And its much easier for them to ban it altogether than put together some scheme where you have to have some sort of texting license added on your licnese, as you've been able to prove you're ability to text and drive.

I think thats the main problem. I'm not sure if there is the same problem with people talking on the phone and driving at the same time.

I think its the whole 'texting' thing that is causing the problems. Sure alot of us can talk on the phone if it rings to you - but dialing numbers or texting....that is a recipie for death

Exactly, how mad would your family and friends be knowing that a little text caused a big factor in your death! I'd be rolling in my grave... (unless I could haunt them)

Surely a text can't be so important you can't reply till you get to destination b. And if it was, wouldn't the person call you... that's where hands free comes in.

Soon enough people will invent cars that read your texts to you

They do already (on the dash) and there is a service where people will convert texts to voice mail.

should of done my research. Thats awesome! I want.

You will be in for an interesting argument if a cop pulls you up after spotting you playing with your iTouch - and thinks it’s an iPhone lol