More states cracking down on phone use while driving
Add Oregon and Washington to the list of states that now officially frown on yapping while driving. Oregon's sporting the less restrictive legislation of the two Pacific Northwestern states, preventing teens from using cellphones in the car as of January 1. Washington already banned the idiotic practice of texting while driving last year, and will ban handsets altogether (except for handsfree devices) this July. Of course, with lawyers eternally in the mix, let's just hope the fine lawmakers out there have dotted their I's and crossed their T's lest these new laws spend more time in court than they do on the road.
Filed under: Misc
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Albert @ Jan 17th 2008 10:43PM
I haven't seen enforcement in NJ... EVER.
Phil @ Jan 17th 2008 11:35PM
As an Oregon teen, I'm not sure why this law is teen specific. I never talk on my phone when I drive (which may be due to the fact I drive a stick and can't talk and drive), but I have nearly been hit on at least three occasions by an adult driver on the phone. First was someone who pulled out of a side street and almost into the side of my car (I accelerated in time, but it was close), second was when walking a crosswalk, and had to jump out of the way of a jabbering driver making a right-on-red and ignoring the pedestrians, and finally was on my bike, waiting for a red light. Guy on the phone didn't see me sitting there and came up so fast i had to ride forward into the crosswalk to avoid getting hit. All of these people were adults.
What I'm saying is who decided that adults were more competent than teens at driving and talking? Even if teens don't have the driving experience as adults, the level of distraction is the same. That, I believe, gets to the root of the problem. It isn't handsets which are distracting, it is yelling at your kid/friend/secretary/co-worker/doctor etc which takes the driver's attention away from the road and channels it into a piece of plastic. If the government feels it needs to get involved, ban it all, don't be ageist about it.
itsnotabigtruck @ Jan 18th 2008 2:02AM
Agreed. Nearly every law today singling out teens has no less hypocrisy than those that singled out racial groups in the past.
Maggot @ Jan 18th 2008 7:22AM
Teen driver said...
"What I'm saying is who decided that adults were more competent than teens at driving and talking?"
Why that would be the insurance industry son,they're real smart like. Just try to make a claim though!
Good law though,way too many distractions,there needs to stricter driver education...MANDATORY,it works elsewhere,just my .02
nwskier @ Jan 18th 2008 2:28AM
Wow, as a young adult (now only 23) I can tell you that there is a reason for singling out teens in driving legislation. You even mentioned it yourself Phil! That is what this all comes down to, when we are younger we feel just as competent as most of our adult friends and family. It is only until you grow a bit out of the situation that some faults are acknowledged. Believe me Phil I've seen just as many young teens on the phone almost hitting people as I have seen older adults, it comes down to the fact that most adults do have more driving experience, so even though there is the same level of distraction in the event of something going wrong an adult (in theory) can react safer and use a more tested out decision making process. It all comes with growing up man, but it has been shown that younger drivers (and the elderly) have a higher incidence of getting into accidents due to their lack of experience and skill sets. Washington realizes that cell phone use by anyone is a dangerous activity on the road and that's why our law includes everyone. I think that Oregon just doesn't have the balls to pass an all encompassing law like that yet, but I think sooner or later they will. Either way I'm more afraid of a young teenage girl yapping on the cell than an older business man, but that's just me.
Oh and how the heck can you compare this cell phone law or other teen laws to singling out a while race of people? At least when you get older they don't affect you anymore and perhaps sometimes will agree with a law that was trying to protect you. But seriously, you can't stop being a minority in a society that is persecuting you!
Rich @ Jan 18th 2008 12:03PM
You are right, it is women who should not be allowed to talk on the cell phone while driving.
Phil @ Jan 18th 2008 12:22PM
While it is true many teens develop a "superiority complex" ("no one understands me wahhh"), that doesn't really apply in this situation. Insurance companies, based on statistics, charge teen drivers more for insurance. That is fine, because theirs is a business of numbers. In government, however, it is different. As I have an income, I pay the same taxes as any adult, and I can join the military, yet I am treated differently? That doesn't seem constitutional; however that is whole other argument.
In this case, all one has to consider is that cell phones are distracting to everyone, regardless of experience. They are comparable to alcohol; it doesn't matter how many times you've driven the indy 500, talking into a cell phone can distract you to a point you can hit another vehicle, just as alcohol can cause even the best of drivers to do stupid things (sources: http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-6090342-7.html, http://bicycleuniverse.info/cars/cellphones.html.)
I'm not saying teens shouldn't be banned from talking while driving, I'm saying everyone should be. Being afraid of a young teen yapping vs. a businessman yapping is personal opinion, and while it may be valid for you, it is an unethical basis for a law.
I think the reason Oregon didn't pass an all encompassing law is because they wouldn't have been able to dredge up enough voter support. Notice how this law targets those unable to vote, and therefore enable to speak in their own defense? It seems to me that the adults of this state are the ones with the superiority complex, who use teens as scapegoats but refuse to restrict themselves.
Frun @ Jan 18th 2008 7:56AM
Isn't that sign missing something... like "while driving" or can you not talk and walk either.
toonces @ Jan 19th 2008 10:09PM
Is there a list of all the states that prohibit cell phone use while driving somewhere?
Tom @ Jan 22nd 2008 10:26PM
NeutralAlbert said:
"I haven't seen enforcement in NJ... EVER."
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You will, eventually. Right now, New Jersey is exercising a low profile on this matter until folks get used to the idea of a law being in place. Watch for enforcement within or close to a year from now.
Matt @ Feb 12th 2008 8:34PM
Here's a Map of current cell phone laws...
http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2008/01/018552.htm