http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24580099/

I am sorry I do not agree with this. One more step at the government stripping me of a personal freedom because a few morons can not use their cell phone in a responsible manner while not creating a hazard in the road. Sometimes when i am lost i use my cell phone to urgently get directions or i may receive a very important phone call while driving. nonetheless when i am making a vital move in traffic (merging onto a highway/ making a turn / changing lanes/ driving in dense traffic) i always put my phone down or end a call. On a two hour drive to Wilmington going 70 on an open freeway; cruising in the right lane i see no problem with making a quick 3 min call to to my buddy saying i am 40 mins away.

There will always be some law/restriction the gov't can create in order to make society "safer", however, when are we going to draw the line when these laws at the same time restrict our personal freedom. A few years ago it was the seatbelt laws now this.

Do not get me wrong there have been many a times when i had some bitch pull out in front of me and sure enough she's on the cell. Or i'll be driving on the freeway and some jerk is going 65 in the 65 riding in the passing lane; sure enough he's on the phone to. These people are not be responsible cell phone users. Denying the rest of the population the ability to use there cell phone b.c of these jerks is just wrong. We might as well just go ahead and ban eating while in the car; changing CD's while in the car; and outlaw driving without two hands on the wheel unless you are changing gears.

What is even worse is this ban may be counter-productive. With the widespread use of text messaging; drivers may start texting their conversations more often since this is easier to conceal then talking on the phone. This is far more dangerous as the texter is actually taking his eyes off the road to review what he is writing.

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 12:50 PM. Reason : a]

5/13/2008 12:47:31 PM

i think a driver's license should be harder to get than it is

a phrase i've often heard is that "driving is a privilege not a right"

not sure where i heard it first...probably driver's ed in high school

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 12:50 PM. Reason : +]

5/13/2008 12:48:52 PM

in New York you cant drive and use a non hands-free cellphone...they passed a law

however its not illegal to use a laptop while driving

5/13/2008 12:50:41 PM

I highly highly agree ^^

As much as i'd like to have a highway system like the autobahn i know we just have to many stupid/shitty drivers to do this.

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 12:51 PM. Reason : a]

5/13/2008 12:51:06 PM

I'm a fan of that picture though

5/13/2008 12:51:19 PM

Darwin in action

5/13/2008 12:51:31 PM

Darwin in action because a semi truck is stopped at a stop sign?

Or Darwin in action because you couldn't interpret the picture properly?

5/13/2008 12:52:29 PM

RAWR RAWR RAWR

KING DOUCHEBAG, JR HERE

5/13/2008 12:59:02 PM

ok

5/13/2008 1:00:33 PM

I seriously think some type of aptitude test should be in order for the privilege to drive

5/13/2008 1:11:26 PM

bad drivers are probably my biggest pet peeve, whether it be going really slow in the left lane, not signaling, not paying attention, etc

5/13/2008 1:12:31 PM

Quote :

"some jerk is going 65 in the 65 riding in the passing lane; sure enough he's on the phone to. These people are not be responsible cell phone users"

while i will agree based on what actually happens on the road that you shouldnt be in the passing lane if youre just doing the speed limit. I do think its funny when someone complains about someone going the speed *limit* (when legally they could be going slower heh) and calling them irresponsible for it

Once again, not saying that I dont see tons of irresponsible cell phone users on the road, and also not disagreeing with the fact that its not a good idea to just go the speed limit in the "passing lane"...but I dont think that example says anything. Someone obeying the lawful speed limit because they are using a cell phone isnt a very strong argument for outlawing cell phones behind the wheel.


One thing that annoys ME is on a 4 lane highway where its like 65, and people in the right lane are going 60 (happens more than you think) and people in the left lane want to go like 80-85+ because I dont do 15 over

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 1:31 PM. Reason : ]

5/13/2008 1:27:20 PM

Quote :

"I am sorry I do not agree with this. One more step at the government stripping me of a personal freedom because a few morons can not use their cell phone in a responsible manner while not creating a hazard in the road."

I know damnit. They already won't let me drive at any speed I see fit, or with any unsafe automobile I might trot out on the highway. Fuck the government for trying to keep order!

5/13/2008 1:29:09 PM

whats the difference in a cell phone, CB radio, walkie talkie, conversation inside the car or even a loud radio?

5/13/2008 1:34:34 PM

doing ANYTHING while driving other than paying attention to driving increases your chances of getting into an accident

cell phones are probably up there on the list as being one of the worst

5/13/2008 1:35:38 PM

NO SINGING TO THE STEREO

NO TALKING TO THE PASSENGERS

5/13/2008 2:07:10 PM

Quote :

"i think a driver's license should be harder to get than it is"

5/13/2008 2:07:19 PM

Quote :

"whats the difference in a cell phone, CB radio, walkie talkie, conversation inside the car or even a loud radio?"

fumbling with your cd's

eating a hotdog

having your girlfriend give you head


i said it before; all this is going to do is encourage drivers to have text conversations which is 10x more dangerous and a lot harder for the police to see.

5/13/2008 2:16:26 PM

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. ~ Ben Franklin

5/13/2008 2:27:53 PM

It's my constitutional right to talk on the cell phone and not wear a seat belt while driving.

5/13/2008 2:39:19 PM

Because it's my god damned right to be able to talk on a cell phone while driving on roads that my taxes paid for...fuck the safety of my fellow man

5/13/2008 2:40:14 PM

Quote :

"i said it before; all this is going to do is encourage drivers to have text conversations which is 10x more dangerous and a lot harder for the police to see. "

Seeing someone text while driving is scary ><

5/13/2008 2:45:49 PM

^^ i pay for the roads everytime i fill up.

Just admit you believe in totalitarianism ^^ . you see no problem in the gov't taking money from its citizens to use as income redistribution AND you see no problem with the gov't stripping away the freedoms of its citizens in the name of "national secuirty"/"public safety".

Usually most people are either or. The hard core neo-cons are all about stripping an individuals civil liberties and the liberals are all about taking hard working peoples money in order to help the "struggling poor". you though agree with BOTH!

Quote :

"It's my constitutional right to talk on the cell phone and not wear a seat belt while driving."

Damn right it is. If i don't wear a seatbelt and get killed in an accident then its my own damn fault if i die. No one else is directly effected. Likewise if i have an accident while using my cell phone it is my own damn fault and must live with the consequences rather it is paying higher insurance premiums for vehicle damage or having to get a 2nd job to repay the medical bills of someone i injured. We are all adults and it is not the governments job to act as my nanny. Where are we ever going to draw the line!

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 2:49 PM. Reason : a]

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 2:50 PM. Reason : a]

5/13/2008 2:47:16 PM

This probably wont stop me from driving and talking on my cell phone

5/13/2008 2:51:23 PM

Me neither; kinda like how the speed limit sign does not stop me from driving 80mph to wilmington.

5/13/2008 2:52:34 PM

Quote :

"Damn right it is. If i don't wear a seatbelt and get killed in an accident then its my own damn fault if i die. No one else is directly effected. Likewise if i have an accident while using my cell phone it is my own damn fault and must live with the consequences rather it is paying higher insurance premiums for vehicle damage or having to get a 2nd job to repay the medical bills of someone i injured. We are all adults and it is not the governments job to act as my nanny. Where are we ever going to draw the line!"

I dont have a strong opinion either way (I am not completely against people using their cell phones on the road even though I admit it is not as safe), however I dont agree with what you are saying.

You not wearing a seatbelt does not affect anyone else, you are correct. However, if you get in an accident and kill someone else or severely injure beyond normal repair (missing limbs, etc.) then you are affecting someone else. You cannot just say that since youll pay for medical bills it didnt affect the other person... (and thats assuming they fully recovered and doesnt account for lost time at work etc). There is just no way to back up that statement at all. Youre comparing something that obviously only affects you to something that obviously affects someone else.

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 2:58 PM. Reason : ]

5/13/2008 2:57:07 PM

Quote :

"It's my constitutional right to talk on the cell phone and not wear a seat belt while driving."

I disagree. There's a difference between seat belt and cell phone use. Seat belts are a personal freedom issue - you're only hurting yourself if you don't wear one. But talking/texting on a phone distracts you, makes you more likely to cause an accident, and endangers other people. Your freedoms end where the safety of others begin.

^ like he said

5/13/2008 3:00:27 PM

Quote :

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. ~ Ben Franklin"

give me a break...

OMG SEATBELTS HURT MY FREEDOM

pfft, policies to dictate safe driving are OK in my book

5/13/2008 3:00:41 PM

I was being facetious y'all. I'm laughing at the people who some how think this violates their rights.

5/13/2008 3:02:54 PM

doh

5/13/2008 3:05:01 PM

Quote :

"I disagree. There's a difference between seat belt and cell phone use. Seat belts are a personal freedom issue - you're only hurting yourself if you don't wear one."

If the cost of scraping brains off of the pavement is > the cost of enforcing the seat belt law... than it does affect everyone else.

5/13/2008 3:05:03 PM

where do we draw the line then??

cell phone use is not the only unsafe thing people do on the roads. Are we soon going to have a fatigue test after we outlaw driving of sleepy drivers?? People falling asleep behind the wheel causing way more accidents then some soccer mom blabbing about what she's picking up for dinner on the way home from soccer practice.

Quote :

"talking/texting on a phone distracts you,"

well prepare to see a lot more texters on the road since it is so much easier to conceal writing a text message then having a phone pressed up against your ear.

5/13/2008 3:13:51 PM

i'd just expect to see a lot more speakerphones / hands free setups

5/13/2008 3:19:57 PM

once again though we are forfeiting personal responsibility; replacing it with the gov't acting as our nanny.

5/13/2008 3:22:52 PM

meh...when states other than NY and CA start writing up bills i'll care

5/13/2008 3:28:44 PM

I believe this takes effect here in July

5/13/2008 3:29:48 PM

This thread reminds me I need to expense my new bluetooth earpiece since I can't hold my phone in a month or so anymore while in the car..

I don't have a problem with the ban, honestly...

Quote :

"whats the difference in a cell phone, CB radio, walkie talkie, conversation inside the car or even a loud radio?"

I'm sure I don't have to tell you the difference between a loud radio and a non-hands free cell phone...

^^ there are quite a few states/districts that have hands-free laws. Washington, D.C., New York, CT and now CA off the top of my head.. Anyway, I don't see anywhere in that article that NC is getting one. There was talk of it 2 years ago but it never made it out of the House..

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 3:32 PM. Reason : x]

5/13/2008 3:30:31 PM

There is no cell phone ban in North Carolina and there are no plans to bring one forth. I wish the people who cried the loudest would be the ones to actually take the time to know what they are crying about.

5/13/2008 3:30:58 PM

no ban in NC http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html

also HUR, New Jersey and Washington have banned text messaging already

only thing in North Carolina is that people under 18 y.o. arent supposed to use cellphones...they're bad enough drivers as it is

and school bus drivers cant use cellphones, whoopty do

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 3:33 PM. Reason : .]

5/13/2008 3:32:54 PM

Quote :

"New Jersey and Washington have banned text messaging already "

that is not the problem though. yes texts may be banned also but it is hell of a lot easier for cops to see someone yapping with a phone against their ear versus typing a text message below the line of vision of the window. Given both are illegal; it seems logical more people will revert to texting since they will be more likely to get away with it.

5/13/2008 3:58:19 PM

well we dont have to worry about that in north carolina

and i'm sure your phone has a speakerphone

5/13/2008 4:07:32 PM

Quote :

"pfft, policies to dictate safe driving are OK in my book"

What about red light cameras?

Or the next step, the little camera/sensor things that are already in place on NC interstates that can gauge speed being enabled to give you a ticket for going 71 in a 70.

5/13/2008 4:47:07 PM

The problem i have with red cameras is it completly eliminates due process. Something may come up or an emergency happen in which somebody else needs to drive my car. They may run a stoplight get photographed and then a month later get a ticket in the mail. Assuming that i actually do remember letting someone borrow my car at that date/time i have to now prove that i wasn't driving the car or force my buddy/family member to cough up.

Over winter break my sister's car broke down and i let her borrow my car to go to work. If she would have run a red light i would have gotten a ticket in raleigh and just scratched my head; as i wouldn't be sure if she did it or i accidently got caught during my stay in charlotte.

5/13/2008 4:52:02 PM

Quote :

"or i accidently got caught during my stay in charlotte."

lucky for you Charlotte turned off their red light cameras over a year ago since the majority of the ticket money was going to the red light contractor, when like 80-90% was supposed to go to the schools

5/13/2008 4:59:34 PM

somebody at the office was saying NC in fact -was- working on a no cell phones ban that has not yet been passed

troof?

5/13/2008 5:00:44 PM

Good for California, those liberal hippie freedom haters. I don't mind taking away a few more of their freedoms.

And if NC doesn't shape up it's act, and stop voting for wackos, we're going to end up right behind 'em.

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 5:05 PM. Reason : gg]

5/13/2008 5:04:12 PM

You know who else started a war on freedom by banning the use of cell phones while driving...


[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 5:35 PM. Reason : -]

5/13/2008 5:25:54 PM

Elliot Spitzer?

5/13/2008 5:29:41 PM

Quote :

"i'd just expect to see a lot more speakerphones / hands free setups"

I agree.

Quote :

"People falling asleep behind the wheel causing way more accidents then some soccer mom blabbing about what she's picking up for dinner on the way home from soccer practice."

Proof?

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 6:06 PM. Reason : ?]

5/13/2008 6:05:49 PM

^ it may or may not be true, but it's irrelevant. HUR is trying to make a slippery slope argument, but it is not working.
Banning a particularly distracting, non-essential or related activity while driving a 2000lb death machine for the sake of others is one thing - the government does it all the time. Trying to curb natural human behavior (tired drivers, angry people, loud kids) is an entirely different subject and is not relevant to the cell phone discussion

5/13/2008 6:58:09 PM