Fines vary from $20 to $2000 – is this merely an extra money for the government to spend on new roads, or will it prevent people from using cellphones?
Photo from Stefan Kloo’s flickr
We all know your reaction time doesn’t improve when you use a cellphone while driving. If I were playing Angry Birds, I wouldn’t even see the other car coming. But I could hold a navigation device in my hand all day while building a Lego tower, and not be fined. Even calling someone while riding a bike is no problem.
Calling would distract you from driving, and therefore be an offence. Research shows that older people react much slower than younger people (Green, 2009), and there is a dramatic increase in reaction time between an 80 year old and a 20 year old man. Why then do we not forbid all old people to drive? They’re much more dangerous that young people calling.
Research also shows that handheld calling causes as many accidents as handsfree calling (Victor H., 2011). It doesn’t matter whether you hold your phone or not, you can’t pay as much attention to the road as you should. But when attention becomes the problem, we could also forbid music in cars. I personally find pink cars very distracting, let’s forbid those too.
Is there any way to forbid everything that causes distraction? No, but calling is a popular thing to do while driving, so when you forbid that. We might solve a big part of the problem. But then handsfree calling should be forbidden too. And Angry Birds. While we’re at it, let’s just ban all cellphone use from our lives. It is not possible.
Will the fine prevent you from calling while driving?
Sources:Driver Reaction Time; Visual Expert
Using a Bluetooth hands-free while driving just as risky as using the handset, study finds; Phone Arena
Moment Matters 
Phone use is not the problem. The crux of it is that people let the phone and it’s functions distract them from their lives, it just happens to make them dangerous drivers when they use them behind the wheel. The problem is not the phones. The problem is people being stupid, just like the woman in your picture. Even without the phone she is being stupid.
I say we should not ban phones, just stupid people 🙂
I don’t use my phone while driving, period. Not because of the fear of a ticket, but because I have read the research and I’m not willing to die or kill someone for a phone call. If I need to call someone I pull off the road and call. What I find funny is people are being ticketed for doing that too!
But I think the idea of banning pink cars and stupid people is good; put it on the ballot, I’ll vote for it.
Those people who drive with dogs on their laps should be fined just as severely! I’m completely on board with banning stupid people too.
It is, in fact, illegal in some states.
We should also ban passengers. Drivers spend more time looking at them than the road!
I never look at a passenger when I’m driving. The fact that they show drivers spending way to much time looking at the passenger on t.v. shows actually drives me up a wall.
I work in an auto claims department. When I find out I’m talking to someone who is trying to report a claim while driving, I’ve told them to hang up and call back when they are not driving. I need them to be able to give me info that may be on their insurance care, a police report, a driver exchange form, and they need to be able to write down a claim number. Not to mention, it is illegal in many states.
Totally agree! I think even eating while you’re driving, makes you have less attention for what’s happening around you. And yes, what about all the women who put on their lipsticks while driving? And mothers who are driving with crying babies on the passenger seat..
There’s not one solution I think..
X
Dip It Black
I think it’s a little ridiculous the things that you can get a ticket or a fine for in your car. I remember being outraged when they made wearing a seatbelt a law here. Well excuse me, but I thought it was my right to go flying through my windshield in the event of an accident if I want to. I know they’re doing it to protect other drivers, but what about the people yelling at their kids in the backseat instead of watching the road? Is there a fine for that, too?
People absolutely shouldnt be on their phones while driving. For me, the fine does matter as a I rarely touch my phone while behind the wheel (admittedly, though, I’m not 100% innocent).
People have inflated views of themselves in terms of their importance and popularity. The call can wait, the text can too; the email will still be there.
I think there aren’t fines high enough for being on the mobile phone while driving – people are even texting when they drive on highways. It cost a good friend of mine life – a guy was on the phone and didn’t see the red light. I totally agree that putting make up on and reading the newspaper should have high fines too. Sweden that is so much for traffic and driving safety – don’t have a law against none hand free mobile phones. One of the few in the world today. In UK is it so high as £1000. Rightly so.
Personally I think a person who is driving on a phone should lose all rights for driving..it shows immaturity, lack of common sense, and its just stupidity
You can get a fine for “distracted driving” in Ontario which usually means a cell phone. I agree with this.
My Dad got a fine once when all he had done was look down while driving and the police officer assumed he was texting. I found it stupid that his “evidence” was that he saw my Dad look down. Nothing about seeing a phone…..because there wasn’t.
I drive way too much to ban my phone use in the vehicle. Fine or no fine.
It’s rare when I use my phone while driving, but if I need to I will. For me it is no more distracting than talking to someone else sitting in my car. I never text while driving if that makes any difference to people, that does take more attention than I am willing to take away from the road, but answering a phone I don’t even need to look at the phone to do so. Also, since motorcyclists aren’t required to wear a helmet in my state, I refuse to put a seat belt on. The seat belt distracts me as no matter what I do it digs into my neck and becomes a huge distraction as I try to keep it off my neck.
We have much larger problems in society that need regulation than what I do personally like my seat belt, or NY state which is regulating the size of a soda that can be purchased. Let’s first worry about improving education or poverty.
I find the whole “smartphone” business and use of, bewildering? I have one, but I really only use it for “making phone-calls”.
The personalities that seem to have it glued to their ear and hand – predictable. They seem oblivious to what is going on around them and wrapped up in staring at a small screen or talking far too loudly into it.
BTW, I’m not sure exactly where you draw the line-in-the-sand over age? That’s a bigoted point of view. Just wait until you’re older? If you make it? See how you like them apples then?
If you have good spatial awareness and are not a moron, you can conceivably drive whilst talking on the phone. However, most people really are not and phone use is an easy target. Hell people can’t even walk properly when they are staring at their phone like a zombie.
But this is the same for changing cd, eating food etc.
People are generally retarded and have little or no regard for anyone else whether on the train, in a car, on a bus or on the street.
People = cunts