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Fines Fail To Curb Cell Phone Usage While Driving
andylim writes "An in-depth study of over 14,000 London drivers by the Transport Research Laboratory has found an increase in the number of London motorists making and taking calls using their handsets at the wheel between 2008 and 2009, even though harsher penalties were introduced in 2007. It seems that most people, at least in London, still don't respect the fact that there's a much higher risk of being involved in an accident if you're using your cell phone."
I'm also from California, where it has been illegal to drive while on a cell phone for some time now. The problem is that not only is the fine only $20, but it is also only a secondary offense, meaning that you can only be cited for cell phone use in conjunction with some other ticket, such as speeding or reckless driving. That means that even if the police see you talking while driving, they can't do anything about it short of checking if your tail lights are both working and trying to get you on that. Not only that, but it seems to me that not everyone thinks the law applies to them. Take Maria Shriver for example, she was caught by paparazzi (yes I normally hate them) talking on her cell phone, and although Arnold threatened to "punish her," I know that it certainly doesn't make me want to stop using my cell phone in the car. Maybe it's because I'm part of the younger generation who learned to drive when cell phones were already prevalent. Nothing against older people, but it seems to me that most of the accidents are caused by them on cell phones, not by the younger one that grew up with cell phones...
You can't keep eliminating all behaviors over risk. Driving is dangerous. Driving while talking to a passenger is dangerous. Driving while talking on a phone is dangerous. Driving while changing the radio station is dangerous. Driving while getting a CD out of its case is dangerous.
I'm a little sick of the assault on cell phones while driving. I'm a much better driver while on a cell phone than I am with a passenger in the car talking to me. We encourage passengers (car pool/HOV lanes), yet we want to ban cell phones.
but enforcement is so lacking that it almost seems random
Show me a cop that doesn't speed when the blues and twos are off. Show me a cop that indicates when approaching a t-intersection. Cops can't drive. And they don't do spot checks, only pulling over someone involved in a burglary or have their insurance or registration expired.
Most Londoners can't drive. They dive between lanes, slam their brakes on in the middle of motorways, pull out and block traffic at will.
There's only one attitude in London. "F%$# you!"
I have no problem with allowing people to be stupid if it only endangers themselves. However, in the case of drink driving, or driving while distracted by a mobile phone other people get killed or injured through no fault of their own.
Me too. Except the laws, they do NOTHING TO STOP THIS. So in the end it is stupid to pass them, because they DO NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. All they do is give cops a reason to pull people over. Honestly I would be OK with just passing a law saying "Law enforcement officers have the ability to pull over anyone for any thing that they personally consider weird" and do away with about 100,000 stupid laws that are there to basically say just that. I honestly think we should have a police force where we feel we can trust individuals to make judgment calls, instead of trying to contractualize the whole field of interaction between officer and civilian. You see? I don't mind the aspect of police being able to pull people over, I just hate the idea of laws that make people think they are protected from something when nothing is actually being helped. Talk about security theater!
If you want to solve that problem the thing that works is awareness programs, like the concept of designated driver (you could have designated texters, or "hold the phone" programs to make people think about using the phone less in cars).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley