New York Clamping Down n Texting & Driving-GPS Incuded

"But officer, I was not texting. I was updating my status on Facebook."

Now, the LEO's need to start ticketing the people who play music so loud, I can hear it in MY vehicle 8 cars away!

Oh yea, it's hands free, and no ear buds. Right. [/sarcasm]

The idiots texting while driving often drive erratically, drifting in (or out of) their lane. When I see a car moving that way, I stay far, far away from them.

There are perfectly good laws already on the books without stupid "no texting" laws.
There are good solid "distracted driving" laws in every state and city, simply waiting to be enforced.

No need for overly specific infractions such as texting, map-looking, hamburger eating, or make-up applying (farding).

Shame on politicians for the self-serving feel-good laws that cause more problems than they solve.

But I never see these people who are swerving or going real slow so they can finish their test or hand-held phone call get caught. I have even seen police in their vehicles on the phone.

In MD when using a handheld device while driving became a primary offense, on Oct 1, 2013, State Troopers spent three intensive days pulling over drivers who were holding a phone to their ear. Anywhere one drove during that time, one would see drivers by the dozen on the side of the road with the police behind them, writing tickets. Then we Marylanders were supposed to get the message and stop using our phones while driving. It hasn't happened.
In addition to the laws and associated fines, I think the insurance companies should be allowed to declare the insurance coverage of any driver who causes an accident while talking or texting on the phone null and void. Perhaps when folks realize that talking and texting could cost them their life savings and their house, they would refrain from using the phone and pay attention to why they are sitting behind the wheel.

It won't matter. The addiction is just too strong. I think the only thing that would work is some sort of heavy-handed method like requiring the auto makers to install signal jammers when the car is moving or whenever it senses that you do not have both hands on the wheel.

It's written into Pennsylvania law that police are exempt from a lot of the very things they pull others over for, like being on the phone or using a laptop while driving.

This doesn't bother me as most of Canada has already adopted this. Erratic driving is a result when doing either task.

Over 500 tickets issued in Calgary during a week-long blitz on distracted driving. It was well promoted in the media, but obviously people don't care.

What's next? Don't adjust your heat, vents, your radio, turn on a map light, adjust your seat, don't eat or drink a coffee, talk or breathe. Just drive! Gimme a break people. If every minor thing is a distraction and someone is that vulnerable to a crash they better not get behind the vehicle in the first place. Seems that it has gotten a little ridiculous. I've heard that when the radio first was introduced to automobiles, people thought that it would result in distracted driving and increased wrecks but all cars have radios today. I'm all for voice activation and do think that it is helpful but at the same time, the crackdown seems a bit excessive. Some are perfectly capable of multitasking while others are not.

The problem is, people that can't multitask think they can.

Texting and driving is a distraction that should be a violation everywhere - in my opinion.

If you must text, why not pull over to the side of the road, send the text, and then resume your trip?

While it is true that some people are better at multitasking that others, testing while driving is still a distraction that should not be allowed.

Are you saying that you are capable of texting and driving?

The anti-texting law in Illinois is not being enforced at all in my area. I also see people talking on hand held phones in school & construction zones.
Enforcement of laws is mostly through automated devices.

The problem is "distracted driving" can be subjective, what constitutes "distracted" and how was that demonstrated? A "no texting" law is easily defined - if you are texting, regardless of how well you are controlling your vehicle, you violated the law.

Think all those that have been killed by being rear ended, run over, side swiped by drivers distracted with their devices.

I don't think police should be exempt (except perhaps in an emergency situation). Unsafe driving is unsafe driving no matter who does it. Police should have to obey the law like the rest of us.

It's really sad that a majority of drivers can't just drive. They have to text, talk, and fidget with their phones. This behavior spills over to all other parts of life as well. How many people do you know, or you yourself can't turn your phone off ever? And when the battery dies, panic!

This is a new addiction and most people don't even realize they're addicted.

Drivers should drive, passengers should do the texting and talking.

It seems that driving is the second thing they do after talking, texting, etc.

It is also legal in California for police officers to use their mobile devices while driving.

I think it should be legal to simply shoot the jerks who are texting or yaking on the phone. while driving. The only problem is that it wouldn't be possible to shoot them "hands free".

I freaking hate dealing with this stuff every day. There's an uncontrolled freeway exit in my town where traffic comes off of the freeway and simply merges into a city street. People are always coming off the freeway with their phones up to their ear and they can't even see the cars they are trying to merge into. It's crazy.

I'd like to see the hands free laws enforced without exception. I either use hands free or pull off the road if I need to make a call or send a text.

... is that NO ONE can multitask like they think they can. The brain can only really focus on one thing at a time. "Multitasking" is really rapidly switching focus from one task to another then back again. Hopefully, nothing happens when the brain is briefly focused on something other than driving.

Prohibiting the use of the hands, i.e. allowing hands-free devices, doesn't help a whole lot either because that doesn't free the brain from "multitasking", just the hands.

There have always been focus issues with driving. Texting is only one of them, but maybe the worst, short of DUI. All this makes a strong case for robotic cars, huh? I read that the technology is coming along nicely. Then the robotic car can get a ticket if it gets "distracted."

Another alternative is to return to the horse and buggy. Then the horse can help us in keeping focus. LOL

I've seen 20-20/60 Minutes type reports on that very subject with the same conclusion.

It seems that while it is in the best interest of the police to insure that drivers are focused on driving and not other tasks, they also have a job to issue tickets and generate revenue. It that sense, I see it as a double sided coin. Whether you are looking at a cell phone, GPS or your wrist watch, it is taking focus away from the task of driving and focusing on the road which is where the attention should be at all times.

I would say I'm not the worst offender but I would be lying if I said I never picked up my phone or sent a text while I was driving. I was using the touch screen on the GPS while driving the other day. Not saying I was right or wrong but it definitely took a slight amount of attention away from the road and the task of driving.

No. The real problem is that people CAN'T multitask to begin with. Our brains are not wired that way. Every time we humans need to change our focus, we need to reevaluate the task we are changing our focus to. This is what causes the "distraction", how long it takes our brain to do this reevaluation, and hence the reason that we cannot multitask in the true sense of the word.

[edit] Didn't notice someone beat me to it the point. [/edit]

Military people are an exception. Fighter pilots would be at the top of that list.

I think they are just able to task-switch much faster than the average person.

New York is one of the most restrictive states on personal freedom in the United States. It isn't until those of us unfortunately to live here venture to states down south or in the midwest (sans Illinois) that we realize how bad we have it. Frankly, in New York, anything not expressly permitted by New York City or New York State is prohibited. And the courts agree.

A reporter on a TV news cast said he always texted while driving as he could feel the buttons without looking at them.
His only complaint was the smart phones, he could not feel the buttons any more.
I would like to know how he would know what texts he received with out taking his eyes off the road.

companies are to blame. They don't want to pay to replace little Johnnies brother whan a drunk texting person kills little Johnnies bother. I usually have 56 people telling me that I can't do that or this and why don't I have a seat belt in this bus.

We pay the law makers to make these laws. So what do you expect. Lets go back 50 years.

Illinois is going hands free cell phones on January 1.
AFAIK the hands free in school & construction zones has not been enforced this year.
Maybe IL should issue suction-cup dart guns. If we see someone breaking the law, we shoot a dart onto the car. If a cop sees a car with 3 darts, he pulls it over & gives him/her a ticket. (Thank you Gallagher)

I would love to go back 50yrs I was a lot younger.
50yrs ago we would not have to worry about texting and cell phone use. But we do now and my life is more important than somebody's phone call or text.

If more people realized this, instead of the entitled attitude toward being connected to their phones 24/7, the safer we'd all be!

I have seen multiple times young female cops talking on their cell phones while driving a patrol car. with all the technology available I think police departments should monitor cops usage of their cell phones while on duty.

Even forty years ago. My sisters and I used to ride in the rear of my parents station wagon. No problems and no one ever got hurt. Heck I remember going bowling for one of my classmates birthday parties and something like six or eight of us piled into the back of his mothers station wagon to go to the bowling alley. Try it now and you'd get arrested. That would have been around 1970-1972.

Texting while diving might be subject to the "distracted driving" law, but the people who text are too stupid to make the connection. It needs to be spelled out to them in TEXT.

Me Jeep can handle that, when the phone is hooked up to the bluetooth the Jeep announces an incoming text has arrived and who it's from, my steering wheel has controls on it to activate voice commands (among other things and I know the layout by feel) and I can tell it to read me the text.