Our government wants to enforce a new law, whereby if you are caught speaking or texting on a cell phone while driving, they will impose a fine on you as well as confiscate your cell phone for 24 hours. I think it is a fantastic idea as there are so many people that use their cell phones while driving in our town. Obviously there are those that are against this new law they want to implement. They feel, as many of them rely on their phones for business, that it is not a good thing. Does your country have any similar laws with regards to fining people that use their cell phones while driving?
I support this action because they are just thinking about the majority. Vehicular accidents have been increasing in numbers recently and we could not deny that some reasons why vehicular accidents happen is that the driver is texting while driving which is unacceptable. I hope that this law will really be effective and that all will comply with it.
I support this decision. But also people need to use common sense...and also perhaps blue tooth mouth pieces. I have been in automobiles where people texted while driving...I got really angry actually and just chose to never get in a car with them again. I feel it is disrespectful to oneself, to the passengers in the car...and to the other unsuspecting drivers. I hope they implement it successfully.
I hope it gets to the USA. We need it. If it isn't dafe to drink and drive, what makes people think its safe to text and drive? It really just doesn't make sense..... People are actually dying from this, yet others continue to do it. Just doesn't make sense.
You can't have a law against common sense. We've had this law in our province for nearly two years and it hasn't lowered the amount of car accidents or deaths. It actually creates even more accidents because people are now being forced to be coy when on their cellphones. There are now even more criminals in the province because someone checks their cellphone when driving. Also, why would anyone want to be on a cellphone when driving? Why not use a headset or avoid it completely? Of course, government thinks it can prevent it and protect us. Ha!
I like the idea, ideas rarely work out as planned. Someone who would be discouraged by this law is generally not going to be on their cellphone anyway. The rest will simply try to be sneaky and cause even more accidents. Idiots.
It illegal to use a handset and drive here, but people do it all the time. I have been nearly hit a few times just crossing the street. People just don't pay attention while they are driving and talking on the phone. I can't imagine that it so important that you can't pull over to the side. The police can't be everywhere though. I would love this law, but I can see that it would be hard to implement.
They really need that law here also because to many people are using their phones and not paying attention as to where they are going but are more engaged in there phone conversation with someone else. How did this world get so screwed up whereas a person has to use a phone no matter where they are? And what did they do when there phone was at home and they had to wait until they got back home to see who had called them and for what reason? Then they could call them back if they wanted to. I guess they would just die, if they had to go back to doing that and that's the way it should be.
They recently passes laws against cell phone use while driving in our area. It is too soon to tell if it will make any difference but so far it doesn't seem to have changed anything. We still see people talking on their cell phones while driving. When I was younger, the police could pull you over and charge you with "inattentive driving" or "distracted driving". I never understood why we had to have these particular "cell phone" laws when the police already had the ability to pull you over for being dumb while driving.
Where are you from, Jennifer? Where I am, it's already illegal to text or talk on the phone while driving. You can talk, but it has to be through a bluetooth headset or the car speakers, so both hands can still be on the wheel. They wouldn't dare consider taking a phone from them, though.
This law has long been passed in the area where I live and I would have to say that it is something that I support. Many people claim that driving is second nature to them and so texting or making phone calls while driving isn't an issue to them and they can handle it well. One thing however is that as much as they may be good drivers, conditions on the roads are ever-changing and you'll never know when a car might just suddenly dash out of a lot along the roads crashing into you if you're not alert enough to break on time. You have to have full concentration whilst driving all the time to react quickly to these unexpected circumstances. Calling or texting serves as a huge distraction because you might get so engrossed in your conversation, you might just forget you are actually driving. This could lead to serious consequences and is a main reason why so many road traffic accidents happen on our roads. I do hope that this law would help in reducing the number of accidents on the roads because losing lives due to a phone call or text message is just ridiculous.
Something tells me taking the phone would totally fix that texting and driving thing. I would support such a measure.
I don't see what the point is to tell you the truth when the government will not enforce the traffic laws anyway. It is foolish, yes, to operate your phone while driving and I understand that. However the reckless driving on the roads is epidemic and there is total chaos on the road ways. This is bigtime symbolism over substance when they will not try to correct the behavior of reckless drivers. Just watch how the drivers weaving in and out of traffic on the interstate. Nothing is done about it but they will ticket and fine someone driving along a side street with a cellphone.
Hi Jessi I am from Cape Town, South Africa. Before this new law came out it was already considered illegal to use your phone while driving and you were fined if you were caught doing so. So many people blatantly disregarded this, as a result the Law Enforcement had to find a new way to enforce this law. This is where the confiscating of cell phones comes in. So far it seems to be working as there are definitely less people using their cell phones while driving but only time will tell if it will be completely successful.
I struggle with these types of "laws" not on their basis but on the fact that they are nealry impossible to enforce. I think that the idea is good: you should drive while distracted, I just feel as though it's a waste of time for lawmakers to pass such legislation because unless an officer sees you using your device and can prove it in a court of law, the law is meaningless. I think that until you get people to realize that driving while distracted is dangerous...much like DUI or driving while fatigued...it will continue and no law is going to stop it.
Right now, the only law is, and it's posted all around school zones that if you are caught using a cell phone in a school zone you will get a $200 fine. I like that but I don't think it's enough. I always here people say stupid stuff like " I can drive and text or talk on the cell and I am an excellent driver." I just want to scream at them, No you are not! I have only driven with my aunt who is 10 years older than me once, she was texting and driving and I was terrified. She ran a stop sign, never even noticed, swerved and was driving either way under the speed limit or way over. I would never let my kids get in the car with her, ever!
I'm from the UK and it's already disallowed here though it's fine to use handsfree. The mobile phone is such a big distraction from driving and I've read so many stories in the news already of accidents caused by such use. All the drivers attention should be fully focused on driving only; people tend to forget that the potential for a major accident only takes one little distraction and the use of a mobile phone while driving is a conscionable act of ill regard on the part of the driver - I would welcome tougher laws on this.
