Texting while driving illegal today

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by Expert...on everything...
Published on December 1st, 2009, 3:52 pm
Rift: Greensboro
  
I think the practicality of enforcing this will be a chore.

What about when someone is texting below the window's plane of view? How could the officer see that? Tinted windows? Etc?

What about people like me who have GPS navigation in their phone? When they click screens to "go to route" and such, will they get a ticket? "No officer I wasn't texting my phone is a GPS as well" Like they will care.


I see any charges being dodgy at the least, and very hard to prove.
John Cleese: The audience is too uninformed. I blame the Americans. Nation of obese, violent, pig-ignorant, bible-thumping morons contaminating world culture. That’s why I spend most of my time here in France.. Beautiful isn’t it? Just look at those olive trees.

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December 1st, 2009, 3:52 pm
 
Yeah... no idea how they'd ever be able to know... unless the cell phone companies disable the feature when the GPS senses movement.
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December 1st, 2009, 4:12 pm
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Liv
 
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They asked that question in a story they did on the law this morning. Apparently, performing other distracting, manual operations on your phone while moving are still legal. You can dial, check your email, take photos... I guess they'll need to write and pass more laws for the nonsense people do with their phones.

Bloody ridiculous... :angry-tappingfoot:
December 1st, 2009, 4:21 pm
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SouthernFriedInfidel
 
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SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:They asked that question in a story they did on the law this morning. Apparently, performing other distracting, manual operations on your phone while moving are still legal. You can dial, check your email, take photos... I guess they'll need to write and pass more laws for the nonsense people do with their phones.

Bloody ridiculous... :angry-tappingfoot:


See, thats not what I heard. I watched the local news the other night and they included email in that list of no-nos.
John Cleese: The audience is too uninformed. I blame the Americans. Nation of obese, violent, pig-ignorant, bible-thumping morons contaminating world culture. That’s why I spend most of my time here in France.. Beautiful isn’t it? Just look at those olive trees.

Interviewer: This is Santa Barbara.
December 1st, 2009, 4:23 pm
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Sanjuro
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Oh wow. I guess we'll need to look up the actual law to see what it says... This might take a little while. I haven't looked at NC's traffic law database ever.
December 1st, 2009, 4:31 pm
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SouthernFriedInfidel
 
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Bam: http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2009/Bill ... /S22v0.pdf

1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT TO MAKE IT UNLAWFUL TO USE ADDITIONAL TECHNOLOGY
3 ASSOCIATED WITH A MOBILE PHONE WHILE OPERATING A VEHICLE ON A
4 PUBLIC STREET OR HIGHWAY OR PUBLIC VEHICULAR AREA.
5 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
6 SECTION 1. G.S. 20-137.3(a)(1) reads as rewritten:
7 "(1) Additional technology. – Any technology that provides access to digital
8 media such asincluding, but not limited to, a camera, electronic mail, music,
9 the Internet, text messaging, or games."
10 SECTION 2. Chapter 20 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new
11 section to read:
12 "§ 20-137.4A. Unlawful use of additional technology.
13 (a) Offense. – It shall be unlawful for any person to use additional technology, as
14 defined in G.S. 20-137.3(a)(1), associated with any mobile phone, while operating a vehicle on
15 a public street or highway or public vehicular area.
16 (b) Exceptions. – The provisions of this section shall not apply to any of the following
17 while in the performance of their official duties: a law enforcement officer; a member of a fire
18 department; or the operator of a public or private ambulance.
19 (c) Penalty. – A violation of this section shall be an infraction and shall be punishable
20 by a fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00) and the cost of court. No drivers license points or
21 insurance surcharge shall be assessed as a result of a violation of this section. Failure to comply
22 with the provisions of this section shall not constitute negligence per se or contributory
23 negligence by the operator in any action for the recovery of damages arising out of the
24 operation, ownership, or maintenance of a vehicle."
25 SECTION 3. This act becomes effective December 1, 2009, and applies to
26 offenses committed on or after that date.
John Cleese: The audience is too uninformed. I blame the Americans. Nation of obese, violent, pig-ignorant, bible-thumping morons contaminating world culture. That’s why I spend most of my time here in France.. Beautiful isn’t it? Just look at those olive trees.

Interviewer: This is Santa Barbara.
December 1st, 2009, 4:39 pm
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Sanjuro
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What gets me about this is that the WFDD interview that said texting was the only issue... was with a state patrol spokesman. Obviously, some misconceptions need to be cleared up along the way. It seems from this info that even using a Bluetooth ear bud is illegal.
December 1st, 2009, 4:54 pm
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To me this is nothing more than a good intentioned law turned to (expletive) because of the ineptitude of elderly lawmakers that know nothing about modern technology.
John Cleese: The audience is too uninformed. I blame the Americans. Nation of obese, violent, pig-ignorant, bible-thumping morons contaminating world culture. That’s why I spend most of my time here in France.. Beautiful isn’t it? Just look at those olive trees.

Interviewer: This is Santa Barbara.
December 1st, 2009, 5:00 pm
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Sanjuro
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I got my current phone back in the Spring of this year. It has a virtual keyboard which is ridiculous to try to type on while driving. I've texted at the stoplight, but have not tried to drive and text because it seems near impossibleand not worth the risk of wrecking my car or hitting a pedestrian or whatever.

Honestly, I don't miss it, and there's nothing soooo important that it can't wait until I'm stopped. And if I had an emergency to communicate, I'd probably make a call and not send a text.

Enforcement of the law... definitely tough to do, except MAYBE if there actually is an accident and the authoriTIES are able to get the cellphone records and prove that a text was sent at the time of the accident. Dunno. just thinking outloud.
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December 1st, 2009, 6:42 pm
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texting_while_driving.jpg
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December 17th, 2009, 7:18 pm
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