B.C. government announces stiffer penalties for distracted driving

[Hehe]

This is actually one of the app opportunity I have thought about for Google glass when I first got it. You'd have video feed of the road when driving, assuming they come out with a version with bigger display and cars are equipped with the necessary camera and sensors. And when actually looking on the road, you'd get supplemental notifications such as speed limit, coming intersections, possible danger such as pedestrian or animal.

But that's assuming they don't ban google glass or similar wearables when driving in there first place...

[pinn3r]

Fact of the matter: they don't give a shit. Everybody's got an opinion on how things should be, but the law remains the law. If you're rightfully caught using an electronic device, don't expect to be relieved on a technicality. No reason berating cops either 'cause they ain't the ones making the laws; their job is to enforce them

If you feel strongly about this, write the to the legislature or whomever/whatever has the jurisdiction

[Traum]

I agree that the law is the law, and I agree that people shouldn't be using the phones when they are driving. However, I'd say people (or me, at least) is upset that the overwhelming majority of enforcement is done at traffic intersections where there is a much smaller risk, compared to regular driving situations where cell phone usage is more dangerous. By my own count, I have only seen these cell phone usage crackdown happen at intersections, but I have never seen anyone getting chased down / pulled over for using their phones while they are driving. For the most part, I'd say that I see about the same percentage of people using their cell phones while they are at a red light and while they are driving.

Would it make more sense if the penalty is lighter at a traffic light where the risks are smaller? Say, smaller fine and maybe 1 or 2 points instead of 3. If the penalty is somewhat proportional to the amount of risk involved, it'd be easier for people to swallow.

[pinn3r]

Too many complications would be associated with that. You'd have people hither and thither trying to dispute shit for lighter penalties
I, for one, am all for the zero-tolerance

[Great68]

Originally Posted by Yodamaster

What!?

Buttons in cars are designed to be easy to use without looking at them, you aren't thinking of what you're going to say to your girlfriend next, you're just adjusting the radio. Most people function just fine while operating a vehicle and using the factory installed knobs and switches, because they are designed to require little to no thought, you are supposed to be able to operate them without taking your eyes away from the road.

Not to mention that you have to actually look at your phone's screen to actually know whether what you are typing is coming out correctly or not, which means in most cases you aren't looking at the road.

Honestly that has to be the most idiotic response in this thread, just because you've gotten away with it does not mean that you are somehow more capable. Your mentality is skewed, it's like boasting that you haven't died from radiation poisoning yet when you're swimming in radioactive waste. In reality, you should be getting out of the waste, but you seem to take pride in how long you've lasted in utter shit.

I set my phone up to play on shuffle through my aux port when I'm driving.
Pressing the next/skip button (an external button on my phone) requires no more thought/attention/concentration than pressing the next/skip button on my car's radio. (I'm not talking about looking at the screen and scrolling through songs, I'm talking about pressing one button)

Technically one can get you a ticket and the other won't. That's bullshit.

[Lomac]

My friend's step-dad got a ticket a couple months back for using a cell phone while driving. There's only one problem with that...

He doesn't even own a freakin' cell phone! And because it was in his beater work truck, it's not like he was fiddling around with an iPod or something for his stereo because AM-only.

Apparently the officer saw him look down into his lap for a moment and used that as his basis for issuing a ticket.

[svelt]

Stupid law. Play hero if you want, I've driven 12 years one at fault accident nothing to do with distraction. I've changed music on my iPods since they invented adapters for the car radio and replied to texts since I had a cell phone without ever having an issue. There's virtually no risk with mucking around with things while stopped at red light intersections. How many of you can claim to have NEVER: checked your glovebox, adjusted the radio in anyway, adjusted the seatbelt, adjusted the seat, moved the rear view mirror, looked for something in the car, changed the climate controls, adjusted the GPs, eat a sandwich, open a box of fries, write something down on a piece of paper, French kissed your girlfriend, receive fellatio etc.? That's right, none, and if not I call bullshit or you started driving last week.

The law is the law and half the time it's bullshit (other half yes it genuinely protects citizens rights), but I sure as hell don't want to hear some hero mouth off about cell phone use while stopped in intersections, where the bulk of these tickets are happening, when practically anything else you do is equally as "dangerous" (read: not at all). Maybe going back to toy cars is your thing.

Btw, no I've never received a ticket for this so I'm not just ranting out of spite. It's just hypocritical to me for police to ticket people when they're not moving. Secondly, no I do NOT agree with anyone who plays with a phone while a car is actually moving. When red turns green I lock that shit down every single time. It only takes a momentary lapse to cause a catastrophe and I do not want to cause or be on the receiving end of that ever. Police ticketing people stopped at lights should spend their time chasing after anyone looking down or holding a phone while moving instead.

[Gumby]

Originally Posted by Lomac

My friend's step-dad got a ticket a couple months back for using a cell phone while driving. There's only one problem with that...

He doesn't even own a freakin' cell phone! And because it was in his beater work truck, it's not like he was fiddling around with an iPod or something for his stereo because AM-only.

Apparently the officer saw him look down into his lap for a moment and used that as his basis for issuing a ticket.

Wow... so was he able to get the ticket cancelled?

[meme405]

Originally Posted by Gumby

Wow... so was he able to get the ticket cancelled?

I don't know about his buddy, but I had a friend who got one for the same reason and it stuck.

The funny thing is the cop was in a crown vic and buddy has a full size chevy with a 3" lift. So there is no way the cop could have seen any of what he was doing.

So now I have to be afraid of doing up my zipper, or adjusting my seatbelt at an intersection...

This law has more holes in it then swiss cheese.

[ancient_510]

Originally Posted by meme405

So now I have to be afraid of doing up my zipper, or adjusting my seatbelt at an intersection...

I was concerned for this exact situation when I first saw intersection stings start up.

What I do now is lock my phone and wallet in the glove box when driving.

If I was ever directed to the side of the road after police saw me adjust my seatbelt, zip a zipper, button a button, adjust my belt, etc. I would not move over until I was able to actually engage in a dialogue in the middle of the road for a moment.
I would very briefly say "my glove box is locked and my phone and wallet are inside, may I quickly attempt to operate the latch to prove it's locked?; I will move off the road now."
I'd then pull over and only when the officer comes over and demands ID, proof of insurance, etc,; would then turn off the car and unlock the glove box (slowly moving and verbalizing every step because they like to know what you're not going to take a weapon out of the glove box) to establish that the only key that could open it was busy making the car run.

Hopefully that would be enough to make them change their mind on the side of the road.

If not, that's a pretty damn strong case to bring to court.

[Godzira]

Originally Posted by ancient_510

I was concerned for this exact situation when I first saw intersection stings start up.

What I do now is lock my phone and wallet in the glove box when driving.

If I was ever directed to the side of the road after police saw me adjust my seatbelt, zip a zipper, button a button, adjust my belt, etc. I would not move over until I was able to actually engage in a dialogue in the middle of the road for a moment.
I would very briefly say "my glove box is locked and my phone and wallet are inside, may I quickly attempt to operate the latch to prove it's locked?; I will move off the road now."
I'd then pull over and only when the officer comes over and demands ID, proof of insurance, etc,; would then turn off the car and unlock the glove box (slowly moving and verbalizing every step because they like to know what you're not going to take a weapon out of the glove box) to establish that the only key that could open it was busy making the car run.

Hopefully that would be enough to make them change their mind on the side of the road.

If not, that's a pretty damn strong case to bring to court.

god damn this seems like so many precautions for such a simple situation. when did it get this bad?

[Gumby]

Originally Posted by meme405

I don't know about his buddy, but I had a friend who got one for the same reason and it stuck.

The funny thing is the cop was in a crown vic and buddy has a full size chevy with a 3" lift. So there is no way the cop could have seen any of what he was doing.

So now I have to be afraid of doing up my zipper, or adjusting my seatbelt at an intersection...

This law has more holes in it then swiss cheese.

That is absolutely ridiculous.

How can the judge say he is guilty when he:
a) does not own a phone
b) was not within the officer's line of sight

It's like a ref calling a penalty on a player who wasn't even on the ice/field at the time of the infraction.

[ancient_510]

Originally Posted by Godzira

god damn this seems like so many precautions for such a simple situation. when did it get this bad?

Since the merger of the BC Solicitor General and the BC Attorney General's offices.
Since the BC Government appointed a non-lawyer to be AG. (which thankfully is no longer the case)

[Spidey]

Originally Posted by meme405

If police can receive this type of training, and be certified, why can't civilians have that same right?

I would gladly pay a couple hundred bucks and take a course in order to be able to utilize my phone while driving. I drive 45 000+km a year from job site to job site, a lot of my work happens on the run. It's almost imperative to my business that I be able to maintain communication at all times.

do you also want civilians to have special training to enforce the law, go to court, forward charges to crown counsel, along with the other long list of duties performed by the police? The reality is, if you MUST use your cell phone, you can always pull over. If it is life or death or you are reporting a crime, obviously you won't be dinged... mind you, there was an incident where a driver was reporting a possible impaired driver... the caller ended up running a red light because they were distracted and got t boned.... luckily she was okay, but it just goes to show.....

As for the comment about shaving and changing clothes... it's called driving without due care and attention. 368 bucks and 6 pts. It is an umbrella charge for distracted driving, and I am sure most of those who have been caught driving while texting or fiddling with their mp3 players are glad they got a 167 dollar charge (and now 3 pts) instead of a 368 bucks and 6 pts.

[Spidey]

Originally Posted by meme405

I don't know about his buddy, but I had a friend who got one for the same reason and it stuck.

The funny thing is the cop was in a crown vic and buddy has a full size chevy with a 3" lift. So there is no way the cop could have seen any of what he was doing.

So now I have to be afraid of doing up my zipper, or adjusting my seatbelt at an intersection...

This law has more holes in it then swiss cheese.

There must be more to the story with your buddy. If it went to court, and the officer said he never saw a phone, there is no way that would stick.. unless it was night time and he saw the screen of the device shine on the driver's face.... or the driver ultimately admitted to it.... but in the case of the dad who truly did not have a cell phone or any device in his hands, he should definitely dispute it.

There aren't really any holes. The media and the government has made it pretty clear there is a no tolerance approach on using your cell phone. I am not saying whether I agree with how drivers are getting dinged at red lights, but they know they are risking getting a ticket every time they pick up their phone. These days, whether you agree with it or not, if you get caught, you pretty much are asking for it as the law has been thrown in our face for the better part of 4 years.

A red light situation to think about as well though... you pick up your phone and start texting, browsing, or whatever... light turns green... and you go to put your phone down ... it drops on the ground or even between the seat and the console.. you try to fish for it with one hand on the wheel, while your are slightly hunched forward trying to maintain view of the road...... we have probably all done this before whether it was a phone, lipstick, french fry etc... it could happen, and it could have been prevent if you didn't have that additional "distraction". And I know distractions can be anything and everything from your stock radio system, to fixing your wedgy... the reason why the government is fixating on the cell phone is because it is obviously becoming an issue.. not only for drivers but for pedestrians, who are crossing streets with their head down fixated on their phones....

fyi

http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/osmv/share...le-driving.pdf

[twitchyzero]

Originally Posted by Lomac

My friend's step-dad got a ticket a couple months back for using a cell phone while driving. There's only one problem with that...

He doesn't even own a freakin' cell phone! And because it was in his beater work truck, it's not like he was fiddling around with an iPod or something for his stereo because AM-only.

Apparently the officer saw him look down into his lap for a moment and used that as his basis for issuing a ticket.

[Mr.HappySilp]

It would be so much easier if the gov just forces cell phones maker put some sort of security on it say if you go over 30km/hr the phones goes into speaker phone mode and read out all the text out. And disable text functions and all apps that allows a user to send message?

I don't know. I see good and bad about this. Tons of time when I am crossing on a sidewalk I see cars not stopping or seems like they aren't stopping till the last sec and you see the driver holding a cell phone in one hand texting, talking or just playing with it and almost ran me over. Other times I see drivers doing the same thing and they are sharp on the road.

[ancient_510]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

iphone cookie guy arrested during cookie prank for unpaid parking tickets.

[pinn3r]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

It would be so much easier if the gov just forces cell phones maker put some sort of security on it say if you go over 30km/hr the phones goes into speaker phone mode and read out all the text out. And disable text functions and all apps that allows a user to send message?

Sorry dude, but that's just ludicrous
Props for trying though

[hotjoint]

I'm glad that they're doing this. There's so many people that can't multi task while driving, it's just dangerous and they need to get fined so the message will get through to them. I have a buddy that texts and drives ALL the damn time. He got a ticket already and still does it. I tell him that it's not worth it but to each their own. I can drive fine and talk and text but I don't because I don't want to get a ticket. If a phone call is that important, I'll pull over or use my bluetooth headset. IMO there are a lot more people that can't text/call and drive vs people that can.

[Yodamaster]

Originally Posted by Great68

I set my phone up to play on shuffle through my aux port when I'm driving.
Pressing the next/skip button (an external button on my phone) requires no more thought/attention/concentration than pressing the next/skip button on my car's radio. (I'm not talking about looking at the screen and scrolling through songs, I'm talking about pressing one button)

Technically one can get you a ticket and the other won't. That's bullshit.

That's not quite the circumstance I was referencing, I'm talking about having to actually hold your phone, look at it, and type OR actually using the phone.

[TOPEC]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

It would be so much easier if the gov just forces cell phones maker put some sort of security on it say if you go over 30km/hr the phones goes into speaker phone mode and read out all the text out. And disable text functions and all apps that allows a user to send message?

and force everyone whos riding the bus/skytrain to broadcast their phone convo/sexy txts...?

[nma]

I get both sides of the argument... From one side, there are people with some common sense when they use their devices. On the other side, look at how many terrible drivers there are in the lower mainland. It really terrifies me when I think of what could happen with their driving skills combined with a SMALL distraction.

[DragonChi]

Isn't it the shitty drivers that caused this law to exist you should be mad at?

[BoostedBB6]

Originally Posted by Spidey

do you also want civilians to have special training to enforce the law, go to court, forward charges to crown counsel, along with the other long list of duties performed by the police? The reality is, if you MUST use your cell phone, you can always pull over. If it is life or death or you are reporting a crime, obviously you won't be dinged... mind you, there was an incident where a driver was reporting a possible impaired driver... the caller ended up running a red light because they were distracted and got t boned.... luckily she was okay, but it just goes to show.....

As for the comment about shaving and changing clothes... it's called driving without due care and attention. 368 bucks and 6 pts. It is an umbrella charge for distracted driving, and I am sure most of those who have been caught driving while texting or fiddling with their mp3 players are glad they got a 167 dollar charge (and now 3 pts) instead of a 368 bucks and 6 pts.

Should be issuing "driving without due care and attention" rather than this cell phone stuff as that is exactly what it is. Was no need for a new law to deal with this IMO.
Would be great to see it enforced more tho. I commute on the highway 15min a day and nearly every time I'm on the road there is someone bouncing between the lines txting or messing with there phones. Gets tiring trying to dodge people who don't want to pay attention.

There are arguments for and against, the only one I have is that a police officer is no better equipped to divide there attention between an electronic device than the majority of other road users. Its not that they should be limited to how to do there job but rather a safety concern. There have been MANY incidents with Police officers being distracted by these devices involved in accidents. Need to find a better way.