- #3523 of 3688
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Re: [steve_]
by kdshapiro
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Dec 25, 2008 (6:28 am)
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Replying to: steve_ (Dec 24, 2008 6:38 pm)
Maybe to appease the anti-law crowd, all driving laws should be eradicated from the books and replaced with one distracted driving law. I'm okay for that as long as the range of fines go from minimal to maximal with the police having the ability to write the ticket as they see fit and the court system accept it.
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- #3524 of 3688
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Re: [kdshapiro]
by steve_ HOST
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Dec 25, 2008 (8:51 am)
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Replying to: kdshapiro (Dec 25, 2008 6:28 am)
Well, then you lose the education component. Folks in here are well versed, but Joe Public may not know that his driving capacity is hammered by simply talking on a cell. Passing a new, specific law together with the occasional headline about someone getting tagged for texting can change make those people aware of the risks.
Cops generally go to driving school and truckers have CDLs that are, in theory, tougher to get. But yeah, that kind of stuff needs to be dialed back a bit too.
The last time I pulled up at an intersection next to a cop, the officer was engrossed in his laptop. Six people could have run the red light and he never would have noticed. 
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- #3525 of 3688
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Re: [steve_]
by boaz47
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Dec 25, 2008 (9:32 am)
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Replying to: steve_ (Dec 25, 2008 8:51 am)
This isn't rocket science. Lets take someone's favorite law when compared to this issue, DUI. They don't have to have a specific law dealing with scotch and another for beer and another for wine. The general DUI will cover the whole thing. Now if people drive under the influence of Pot, coke, or crack do they have to have a specific law? Or does DUI cover it. How about prescription pills? You guessed it they don't need a specific law. So lets suppose they, the police, decide it isn't worth their time to enforce. I am not suggesting they do but just suppose. Would it do any good to pass a law against Pot? Would it do to pass a specific law against beer? And here is a kicker, we now have a local education campaign on TV to assist the CHP in the enforcement of suspected DUIs. Guess what they are asking people to do? You guessed it, call the CHP or dial 911. They are asking the average untrained joe or joey to pick up their cell phone and call to report suspected DUI. Did you get that? DIAL 911 or whatever the local number for your CHP might be. Do you see a contradiction here? Someone in here has insisted dialing and talking on a cell phone is "worse" that driving under the influence and the CHP is asking people to call and report the supposed less evil? It isn't just California either, I have seen the signs along the road in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. What educational message does that send?
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- #3526 of 3688
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Re: [boaz47]
by steve_ HOST
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Dec 25, 2008 (9:51 am)
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Replying to: boaz47 (Dec 25, 2008 9:32 am)
The implied message is to safely pull over to the shoulder, stop, and call. 
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- #3527 of 3688
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Re: [steve_]
by boaz47
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Dec 25, 2008 (6:22 pm)
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Replying to: steve_ (Dec 25, 2008 9:51 am)
I toss the fertilizer flag. The implied message? The operator will ask questions that you can't answer from the side of the road. we all have listened to 911 calls on TV.
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- #3528 of 3688
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Re: [boaz47]
by steve_ HOST
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Dec 25, 2008 (6:53 pm)
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Replying to: boaz47 (Dec 25, 2008 6:22 pm)
Ouch - well, hopefully that'll be the last one of those flags I get this year. I'm running out of floor space. 
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- #3529 of 3688
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Re: [steve_]
by boaz47
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Dec 25, 2008 (7:36 pm)
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Replying to: steve_ (Dec 25, 2008 6:53 pm)
Don't worry, you get to toss all the old ones out January 1st. 
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- #3530 of 3688
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you rang?
by steve_ HOST
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Dec 26, 2008 (8:51 am)
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Speaking of the educational component:
"[G]roups like NSC and AAA are gearing up for massive public awareness campaigns on par with those that were successful in turning public opinion against drunk driving.
One watchdog group has already gone as far as filing a lawsuit against the Bush administration, charging that records on traffic deaths related to phone use by drivers is being withheld by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration."
Groups to Push for More Curbs, Education on Phone Use Behind the Wheel in 2009
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- #3531 of 3688
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Re: you rang? [steve_]
by boaz47
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Dec 26, 2008 (2:13 pm)
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Replying to: steve_ (Dec 26, 2008 8:51 am)
Oh yes, this is all Bush's fault. Johnson had Kennedy killed, there were space aliens killed in Roswell and we never landed on the moon. They all fit together. 
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- #3532 of 3688
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Re: you rang? [boaz47]
by steve_ HOST
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Dec 26, 2008 (2:22 pm)
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Replying to: boaz47 (Dec 26, 2008 2:13 pm)
Information wants to be free.
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