By SN
Saturday August 29, 2009
Slashdot – August 29, 2009:
The NY Times reports on legislation in Utah which harshly penalizes people who cause fatal car accidents while texting. Instead of merely facing a fine, offenders may now get up to 15 years in jail — the same as drunk drivers.
“In effect, a crash caused by such a multitasking motorist is no longer considered an ‘accident’ like one caused by a driver who, say, runs into another car because he nodded off at the wheel. Instead, such a crash would now be considered inherently reckless. ‘It’s a willful act,’ said Lyle Hillyard, a Republican state senator and a big supporter of the new measure. ‘If you choose to drink and drive or if you choose to text and drive, you’re assuming the same risk.’ The Utah law represents a concrete new response in an evolving debate among legislators around the country about how to reduce the widespread practice of multitasking behind the wheel — a topic to be discussed at a national conference about the dangers of distracted driving that is being organized by the Transportation Department for this fall.”
Ontario, Canada passed a law to ban talking on a cell phone (other than a headset), texting, eating, and even drinking anything while driving, comes into effect in October. A couple of years ago I heard of Vermont considering the same type of law, so this stuff is not exactly new.
I wanna know how dangerous it is to us a police radio while behind the wheel?
Nanny state. There, someone had to say it. Nanny, nanny, naaaany!
and slaphappy for the win
Let me add to this..
How many of you have READ a book/newspaper/Stupid LONG worded sign AND done something stupid while driving..
How manyu of you have seen the STUNNER of a girl wearing little or nothing along the road and STARED for at least 3 seconds..to look up and find TRAFFIC in front of you.
How many of us have read the Medicine bottle and wondered…HUH?? I cant drive and take this?? And if it was true 1/2 the USA wouldnt be driving..but, we do it anyway, and we are alright, UNTIL we get that 1 drug that makes us LOOPY.
Many of us have done these things, and either SCARED ourselves (SPITLESS), HAD a friend do it (and SCARED US SPITLESS), or ended up in accidents and WORSE.
My aunt HAS TO look at the person SHE is talking to, NO MATTER if they are in the front seat or BACK…SCARED ME SPITLESS, and I took over driving.
I LOVE taking scenic pictures, BUT IT SUCKS when you are the driver and see the BEST SHOT…and cant do anything about it.
It’s been the law for a bit actually. Fine and dandy, no texting while driving. Fine. Should have been common sense to begin with actually.
I drive mostly at night, so.. at what point can I bitch at the emergency services for having LED emergency lights that are bright compared to the sun? I wonder how many accidents or seizures those cause.
At any rate, texting while sleeping is not nearly as dangerous as sleeping while driving.
Texting and driving is worse than driving drunk! Texting while driving slows reaction time by 35%, which is even higher than the rate that reaction time is slowed while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
It’s another Labor Day and looks like it will be a record weekend for DUI offenses in Arizona. Even though Arizona DUI laws are some of the toughest in the nation it still isn’t preventing drunks from getting behind the wheel.
Very efficiently written information. It will be helpful to anybody who employess it, as well as yours truly
. Keep up the good work – looking forward to more posts.