Broaden the Ban

As of Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Texting while driving has been against North Carolina law since December 2009, but police have been able to ticket relatively few texting drivers.

No wonder: An officer has to be able to watch the suspect long enough to tell whether he or she is composing a text message, which is illegal, or merely dialing a phone number, which isn’t.

That’s crazy. North Carolina should join the increasing number of states that have banned the use of hand-held cell phones by drivers for any purpose.

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Ross 2 years, 3 months ago

I agree. If you need to talk on the phone - pull over and make the call.

Darkwing 2 years, 3 months ago

Where do you draw the line? I can answer my phone without taking my eyes off the road, and with bluetooth, the only hand motion is reaching over to hit 'accept'. I can dial at a stoplight, and talk for the rest of the drive. Should that be illegal? I don't think so.

Ross 2 years, 3 months ago

I DO..........

"Talking on a cell phone behind the wheel is more dangerous than driving drunk, researchers from the University of Utah conclude in a new study.

And it makes no difference whether the telephone is hand-held or, as permitted by New York State law, used hands-free, researchers say in a paper presented yesterday by academics at an auto safety conference in Park City, Utah."

There are MANY more reports that come to the same conclusion.

Darkwing 2 years, 3 months ago

Studies find what the authors want to find. I also recall a former surgeon general of the US claiming that cigarettes were more addictive than cocaine or heroin. I didn't buy that drivel either.

Ross 2 years, 3 months ago

studies are studies......... and if done right they can shed light on a problem such as this. I can't tell you how many times I have been in back of a car driven erratically and find the driver almost always using a cell phone.

Again - pull off the ### road and make that all important call!

pinewoodnc 2 years, 3 months ago

As a past smoker, the surgeon general was spot on. It has been unequivocally proven that nicotine is highly addictive.

Darkwing 2 years, 3 months ago

I can tell you that classing it with heroin and coke was extremely disengenuous.

JER 2 years, 3 months ago

The fact you don't buy into it does not make it incorrect.

Darkwing 2 years, 3 months ago

Nice hypothesis, not exactly elementary. If he's that easily rattled and rendered too emotional to control his driving, what's he doing behind the wheel?

FightFireWithFire 2 years, 3 months ago

I see numerous people texting on their cell phones every day. Most of them are driving like drunks. I don't know how many times (including today in Cary) that I have been behind someone who doesn't go at the change of a light because they are looking at their phone (texting, reading, dialing, whatever). It's just like the seatbelt law, the stop sign laws, the speeding laws, and people running red lights. If the police are not going to go out there and actively look for and enforce the transgressions, then they will continue. I sit at the Ice Cream Parlor in downtown SoPines weekly for lunch and watch people roll right through that stop sign, nearly causing accidents and almost hitting pedestrians in the cross walk. There were more than a few of those drivers on their cell phones and several of those people were also not wearing a seat belt. Where are the police? Go look in the parking lot next to the Armory or down Firetower road.

JAP 2 years, 3 months ago

It is not against the law to wait a moment or two after the light turns green before you proceed forward. It is actually a safe move in order to be sure that another driver did not run the red light from the side street.

pinewoodnc 2 years, 3 months ago

I cannot say how many times I have been almost smashed into by someone talking or texting on their phone while they are attempting to make a turn. Most times it seemed they were driving huge SUVs or trucks. In making turns (especially tight ones), you need both hands on the wheel and not one stuck at your ear. I have also literally seen some people who are holding the phone to their ear with one hand and gesturing with the other with NO hands on the wheel. Some people cannot talk without gesturing. I guess they were steering with their knees??

coffecreme 2 years, 3 months ago

What is the difference in talking on a Bluetooth and talking to others in the car? I can understand banning texting and handhelds but talking on speakers or Bluetooth is no different than carrying on a conversation with someone in the passenger or backseats of the car.

Ross 2 years, 3 months ago

hmmmmmm...........excellent question!

coffecreme 2 years, 3 months ago

Seems no one else wants to address this question. Should talking to other passengers in the car be banned too?

pinehurstmom 2 years, 3 months ago

I was rear ended by an idiot in in Raleigh driving a Suburban. She slammed into me without ever hitting the brakes. Why you ask? She was on the phone! I three kids with me. Fortunately they weren't hurt, but I had a fractured vertebrae and my car was totalled.

Darkwing 2 years, 3 months ago

Instead of passing ANOTHER difficult to enforce law, or adding cameras to ligghts and signs, let's just add those rising security barriers that they use to enforce one-way traffic in parking lots, the ones that shred your tires if you go the wrong way. Drivers will learn to stop on yellow or risk 2 flat tires.

teufelhunden 2 years, 3 months ago

Love it when they have the phone tucked between their chin & shoulder, and then comes the feigned "look" before they pull out in front of you...eventually you are beside them and they are grinning and chatting and completely oblivious they almost caused an accident...

brflechs 2 years, 3 months ago

How about they focus on the people that keep robbing everyone in So Pines

Darkwing 2 years, 3 months ago

It's not a risk if you really can multi-task well enough. I know when I'm up to that and when I'm not. I don't need a lawyer to tell me that.

OTOH, I do think we ought to teach the Might-of-Way to pedestrians. I don't always use the crosswalk, because I cross when there's no traffic. If I do use a crosswalk, I do NOT assume the forcefield has gone up. I make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them. If they're looking away, I slap the hood to get their attention. My daughter was run over in a crosswalk while the light was red because the driver was looking to make his turn and never saw her or her babysitter. When she was old enough to learn I taught her that she may have the right of way, but cars had the might of way. If the driver doesn't see you, you might be dead right.

Not everything that can reduce these issues has to fall on the driver. If pedestrians learn to yield to cars, fewer pedestrians will be hit.

teufelhunden 2 years, 3 months ago

You are so right. I cannot tell you how many times people just walk right out without even glancing sideways to make sure the car headed towards them is slowing down or stopping. I yield for pedestrians, but some don't. Many pedestrians are walking while texting and don't even look up before stepping off the curb. Did you hear about the lady in the mall who fell face first into a fountain? She was texting and didn't bother to look up. I bet she was not only wet but embarrassed. Then I hear that she is planning to sue! Hysterical-she wasn't hurt, only her pride!

Ross 2 years, 3 months ago

I couldn't agree more.

native 2 years, 3 months ago

I say we just raise the penalty if they cause an accident while using the cell phone....whether texting or talking.........

VillageAcres 2 years, 3 months ago

What will they want to ban next? Listening to the radio? Talking to another passenger in the car? Where does the line stop?

JER 2 years, 3 months ago

Anything that keeps you from being 100% focused on your driving is a problem that needs to be addressed. For the last 20 years, I put approx. 50,000 miles per year on the highways of this country (no, I'm not a truck driver). I have seen absolutely every possible distraction you can imagine. I have also seen the results of not being focused on the responsibility of driving and, trust me, you don't want me to go into detail on those situations. Imagine what it would feel like to drive your car 100 mph. Some of you don't have to imagine, you've been there or beyond. Now imagine what it would feel like to drive that fast into the side of a concrete bunker and go from 100 mph to zero in less than a second. That, friends, is what it is like for two cars, each going 50 mph, that crash head on. If the car coming at you has a driver who is texting, talking on the phone, eating their lunch, yelling at the kids in the back seat, putting on makeup, changing clothes, having sex, reading a book or glancing at a map, sipping some coffee, drinking a beer, trying to find the hot ash from their cigarette, swatting at bugs, trying to stick their feet out of the window or climbing into the back seat while the car is in cruise control mode, you might just be the next lead story on the 11 o'clock news. Driving is not a right, it is a privilege that can and should be taken away if you don't put a 100% effort into doing it correctly. Unfortunately, there are many people, like Darkwing, who feel they are able to do any or all of these things mentioned above and still be in complete control of their vehicle. They are the reason why there is a discussion about banning cell phone use while behind the wheel. If we could all just simply refrain from doing any of these things and just drive our cars, nothing would need to be banned.

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Broaden the Ban

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