Heights High School At 413 E. 13th St.

[samiamj]

http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

There is now a ban on Texas drivers from calling, using or texting on a cell

phone in school crossing zones (effective 09/01/09). I am sure more

publicity will be coming soon.

http://www.drivinglaws.org/2008.php#Texas

Texas - House Bill 55 - Provides that an operator may not use a wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle within a school crossing zone unless the wireless communication device is used with a hands-free device.

[Ross]

A total ban on cell phone use while driving would be better, with massive prison time for anyone who causes an accident while using one (maybe not prison, but some major penalty). The bad driving caused by phone use is getting ridiculous. Hang up and watch the road!

I'm getting tired of

a) Near misses caused by drivers gabbing away on some inconsequential matter

Drivers gently weaving between several lanes while talking on the phone

c) Drivers going 30mph one minute on the freeway, then speeding up to 65 then back to 35, all while having a phone stuck to their ear

Kind of a pet peeve of mine...

[Subdude]

A total ban on cell phone use while driving would be better, with massive prison time for anyone who causes an accident while using one (maybe not prison, but some major penalty). The bad driving caused by phone use is getting ridiculous. Hang up and watch the road!

I'm getting tired of

a) Near misses caused by drivers gabbing away on some inconsequential matter

Drivers gently weaving between several lanes while talking on the phone

c) Drivers going 30mph one minute on the freeway, then speeding up to 65 then back to 35, all while having a phone stuck to their ear

Kind of a pet peeve of mine...

Agreed. What is the sense in saying it is illegal to use a mobile in a school zone, but it is OK anywhere else?

[sabasushi]

Agreed. What is the sense in saying it is illegal to use a mobile in a school zone, but it is OK anywhere else?

Also, I doubt a driver who is busy gabbing away on his phone would notice that he's in a school zone, anyhow.

I kind of hate these "illegal in a school zone" things -- it's like a lawmaker doesn't have the balls to make an outright ban, but thinks he might get it passed if children are involved.

[Marksmu]

Also, I doubt a driver who is busy gabbing away on his phone would notice that he's in a school zone, anyhow.

I kind of hate these "illegal in a school zone" things -- it's like a lawmaker doesn't have the balls to make an outright ban, but thinks he might get it passed if children are involved.

I actually feel sorry for people who are too stupid to both drive and talk on a phone at the same time. I see plenty of them, but I for one, and am 100% certain that I can accomplish both, safely, and in a school zone...I have been doing it for years, without an accident, and without even so much as a ticket, or being pulled over. I use my hands free blue tooth device, and my phone stays in my pocket. I use voice dialing, to call and receive calls. I absolutely can not stand the blanket bans on everything in the name of our "safety" its ridiculous....its only a matter of time before they make it a total ban instead of just a hands free ban.... Sure, some people are incapable of doing both, but I would even go so far as to say more can do both, than cant. Before cell phones it was radios, then passengers, etc, etc...I mean you dont see people banning bill boards b/c they are distracting because of the revenue. This is another money grab.

I am so sick of people deciding for me what I can and cant do - I will not give away any more liberties for safety. And spare me the old argument that driving is a privilege, and you abide by the laws if you want to keep on doing it blah blah blah....I will keep on talking on my hands free bluetooth even in a school zone....I would love to see a cop pull me over b/c it looks like I am talking to someone....how can he tell the difference between talking and singing to the radio? He cant...its a stupid law, being passed, not out of safety, but to give cops another reason to pull people over and write tickets for more money b/c the city governments are strapped.

People today are all too willing to give away all their liberty in the name of safety....which reminds me yet again, of the old saying, those who so easily give away liberty for safety, deserve neither, or something like that.

Quit being total idiots, learn to drive, and stop trying to tell me what to do. There were idiot drivers long before there were cell phones. There will be idiot drivers long after they ban cell phones.

Edited July 29, 2009 by Marksmu

[RedScare]

I am 100% certain that you are not as good at it as you think you are. This is the most common argument by those opposed to limiting cell phone use while driving. Every study shows that they are wrong.

[VicMan]

Whenever there's a passenger in the car and my cell phone rings, I make the passenger answer the call. I agree with Redscare. The driver needs to focus on driving the car, just like the pilot of the airplane needs to fly the airplane.

[Marksmu]

I am 100% certain that you are not as good at it as you think you are. This is the most common argument by those opposed to limiting cell phone use while driving. Every study shows that they are wrong.

I dont disagree that it is safer to not talk on the phone, but I also think its much safer to talk on the phone than it is to have a passenger in the car...any passenger, any age, any level of driver. A person with their talking and body movements is much more distracting than a person on a hands free phone. Let alone a parent with a kid they are trying to get safely out of the car to school with all the things they are supposed to remember to take with them that day.

So I guess we should ban passengers in cars too...or better yet, force each individual passenger into a sound proof containers, so the driver is completely isolated from any distraction they may encounter. Banning a cell phone is that ridiculous.

And I am absolutely as safe as I think I am. I am a slow driver around town b/c I drive a big truck, which gets bad city fuel economy and cannot zip and weave, and cut through traffic even if I wanted too...I have not been pulled over, or received a ticket since I was 20 years, old - 9.5 years ago.

Doesnt matter anyway, I wont stop talking on the cell phone, same as the bad drivers wont stop speeding...its just a money grab.

[Ross]

I dont disagree that it is safer to not talk on the phone, but I also think its much safer to talk on the phone than it is to have a passenger in the car...any passenger, any age, any level of driver. A person with their talking and body movements is much more distracting than a person on a hands free phone. Let alone a parent with a kid they are trying to get safely out of the car to school with all the things they are supposed to remember to take with them that day.

So I guess we should ban passengers in cars too...or better yet, force each individual passenger into a sound proof containers, so the driver is completely isolated from any distraction they may encounter. Banning a cell phone is that ridiculous.

And I am absolutely as safe as I think I am. I am a slow driver around town b/c I drive a big truck, which gets bad city fuel economy and cannot zip and weave, and cut through traffic even if I wanted too...I have not been pulled over, or received a ticket since I was 20 years, old - 9.5 years ago.

Doesnt matter anyway, I wont stop talking on the cell phone, same as the bad drivers wont stop speeding...its just a money grab.

Your beliefs go against all fo the studies on the topic, which indicate that talking on a cellphone while driving is as dangerous as drinking and driving. This doesn't mean that everyone is going to be equally affected, any more than everyone who blows 0.08 is equally affected. It does mean, in general, that we're all safer if we don't allow the use of cellphones at all while driving. You may consider that an infringement on your liberties. I don't, because you can still pull to the side of the road and talk. As for passengers in the car, the studies show that while they are a distraction, the impact is small compared to cellphones.

[VicMan]

Marksmu: In many cases the point of driving is to transport your passenger from place to place.

You said: "I also think its much safer to talk on the phone than it is to have a passenger in the car...any passenger, any age, any level of driver"

That doesn't make any sense. A driver can carry a passenger and still put his or her full concentration on the road. You do have to watch out for whether a discussion with a passenger takes too much of your attention (which is why the State of Texas limits the number of passengers certain teenagers can carry), but that is not something inherent in carrying a passenger. However talking on a cell phone or texting while driving inherently takes attention away from driving.

Please do not be overconfident in your own skills. Remember that you need to drive the car, and answering a cell phone will impede your ability to drive a car. If you have a passenger, let him or her answer.

I dont disagree that it is safer to not talk on the phone, but I also think its much safer to talk on the phone than it is to have a passenger in the car...any passenger, any age, any level of driver. A person with their talking and body movements is much more distracting than a person on a hands free phone. Let alone a parent with a kid they are trying to get safely out of the car to school with all the things they are supposed to remember to take with them that day.

So I guess we should ban passengers in cars too...or better yet, force each individual passenger into a sound proof containers, so the driver is completely isolated from any distraction they may encounter. Banning a cell phone is that ridiculous.

And I am absolutely as safe as I think I am. I am a slow driver around town b/c I drive a big truck, which gets bad city fuel economy and cannot zip and weave, and cut through traffic even if I wanted too...I have not been pulled over, or received a ticket since I was 20 years, old - 9.5 years ago.

Doesnt matter anyway, I wont stop talking on the cell phone, same as the bad drivers wont stop speeding...its just a money grab.

Edited July 29, 2009 by VicMan

[ricco67]

I dont disagree that it is safer to not talk on the phone, but I also think its much safer to talk on the phone than it is to have a passenger in the car...any passenger, any age, any level of driver. A person with their talking and body movements is much more distracting than a person on a hands free phone. Let alone a parent with a kid they are trying to get safely out of the car to school with all the things they are supposed to remember to take with them that day.

So I guess we should ban passengers in cars too...or better yet, force each individual passenger into a sound proof containers, so the driver is completely isolated from any distraction they may encounter. Banning a cell phone is that ridiculous.

And I am absolutely as safe as I think I am. I am a slow driver around town b/c I drive a big truck, which gets bad city fuel economy and cannot zip and weave, and cut through traffic even if I wanted too...I have not been pulled over, or received a ticket since I was 20 years, old - 9.5 years ago.

Doesnt matter anyway, I wont stop talking on the cell phone, same as the bad drivers wont stop speeding...its just a money grab.

ANY distraction in a car affects the way you drive.

When I have a passenger in the car, we just chill out to music, chit chat about nothing (i'm not that guy that has to LOOK at a person they're talking to), or they talk on THEIR phone (while I get annoyed).

Usually when I get a call while driving, I usually make it short, particularly if I'm on a city street. I might talk a bit longer on a freeway, but that involves someone I'm dating; and even then, that's why I spent the extra money for my bluetooth. I don't get the idiots that insist on putting the damned thing up against their head, limiting their vision.

I've gotten quite attached to just listening to music and having quiet time in my car, while I look out for the other idiots that weave in their lane or not paying attention to what they're doing.

[Marksmu]

Marksmu: In many cases the point of driving is to transport your passenger from place to place.

You said: "I also think its much safer to talk on the phone than it is to have a passenger in the car...any passenger, any age, any level of driver"

That doesn't make any sense. A driver can carry a passenger and still put his or her full concentration on the road. You do have to watch out for whether a discussion with a passenger takes too much of your attention (which is why the State of Texas limits the number of passengers certain teenagers can carry), but that is not something inherent in carrying a passenger. However talking on a cell phone or texting while driving inherently takes attention away from driving.

Please do not be overconfident in your own skills. Remember that you need to drive the car, and answering a cell phone will impede your ability to drive a car. If you have a passenger, let him or her answer.

Yall must have some kind of attention deficit problem...I can talk on a phone, and drive, in exactly the same manner and fashion as if I were not on it at all. If Im not on the phone Im listening to the radio, paying the same amount of attention to it, as I would be a person on the phone. It does not take one single bit more of concentration (for me) to be on the phone than it does to talk to a person in the car, which I also do when I have a passenger. As I said in the first 2 responses, I use my hands free blue tooth - and I never text, or dial the phone while driving....heck I dont even dial when Im not using the bluetooth...its just easier to say, call (insert name here) than it is to look the number up and dial it. I have seen the studies, they all show that texting is the same as drinking and driving, not talking with a blue tooth device, and I don't disagree with that - its almost impossible to text and drive...heck its difficult to just text with how small the keys on the phones have gotten. But if your not holding the phone, which I dont, I do not see at all, how your driving is effected unless your just old and slow. Like it or not, I am confident in my ability to drive while I talk on the phone - your opinion, or a stupid law to grab money is not going to change that.

And study or no study, I still think a person in the car is a larger distraction than a hands free phone ever could be. A baby is constantly requiring attention, a toddler is worse, a young child is screaming, spilling, unbuckling, fighting,etc... teenagers do whatever it is that they do now, and normal adults talk - they talk about the same things they would talk about if they were on the phone, so there is no difference there. The difference between having a passenger and being on the phone is that you have the added distraction of the persons movements, and emotions, but a slight advantage in a second set of eyes.

To me all the studies show is that some people cant do both safely - I know I can. I can also handle a gun safely - Im sure its the same groups of people who are out to save us from ourselves that dont want cell phone in cars, also dont want people to have guns. Its all a money grab in the name of safety - and its very difficult for a politician to stand up and say he is not for safety, let alone the extra money it brings. It may sound like Im some cocky punk kid who thinks the rules dont apply to him, but thats not the case - I know my driving abilities, I don't speed, I don't drive aggressively, and I do a whole lot of coasting... for me (maybe not you) its not distracting or difficult to talk and drive, and I suspect its not for a huge problem for alot of folks. Its just the politicians out to govern all us to protect us from those who probably should not be driving anyway.

[crunchtastic]

Why are people so obsessed with talking on phones ALL the damn time? You hear these conversations everywhere. Just babbling on about nothing. Or the self important blowhards who are 'doing business' for the whole world to hear. I value phone time with people I care about, and I do business over the phone as is reasonably necessary, but for the most part I consider a ringing phone to be an imposition. In the car, I prefer to minimize distraction so I can drive defensively, and save my hide from all the drivers who think they're so skilled the laws of physics and basic principles of cognition don't apply to them.

I'm beginning to believe we have raised an entire generation who's self worth is measured in cell phone minutes, and who are emotionally incapable of just being quiet and alone with their thoughts.... but that's too far OT. Oops, almost forgot: You kids get off my lawn.

[rsb320]

I play the music too loud in my car to talk on the phone. Seriously though, I typically answer and say "I'll call you back" or I'll let it go to voicemail and answer when it's safe to talk on the phone.

[PureAuteur]

The kids just need to be careful when crossing the street, and people just need to pay attention and be fully alert when driving their cars anywhere. This phone ban stuff is too much. We need less laws in Texas, not more.

[Marksmu]

Why are people so obsessed with talking on phones ALL the damn time? You hear these conversations everywhere. Just babbling on about nothing. Or the self important blowhards who are 'doing business' for the whole world to hear. I value phone time with people I care about, and I do business over the phone as is reasonably necessary, but for the most part I consider a ringing phone to be an imposition. In the car, I prefer to minimize distraction so I can drive defensively, and save my hide from all the drivers who think they're so skilled the laws of physics and basic principles of cognition don't apply to them.

I'm beginning to believe we have raised an entire generation who's self worth is measured in cell phone minutes, and who are emotionally incapable of just being quiet and alone with their thoughts.... but that's too far OT. Oops, almost forgot: You kids get off my lawn.

Im not disagreeing with you one bit! I cant stand people who talk on their phone in public, or those folks who let their phone ring, look to see who it is, then let it keep ringing....mute it for the love of god....But, I talk on my phone only in the car, and pretty much only on my way home from work, and I make 2 calls - one to the wife Im on the way, and then to my mom - she waits for my call every day about the same time, I would much rather talk on the phone in the car on the way home, then have to set aside time to ignore my family at home, when I could have had that conversation earlier instead of doing nothing. I enjoy talking to my mom, and it makes her day.

I actually ride my wife's rear end daily about her dang blackberry - she cant put it down - in fact, almost everyone I know always has it on the table, texting, checking email, and responding to work things all the time...it drives me crazy - but talking on it in the car when your by yourself - that doesnt bother me.

[editor]

I can talk on a phone, and drive, in exactly the same manner and fashion as if I were not on it at all.

How do you know this? We've all seen people yapping on the phone on a freeway who weave around and don't even realize they're not in their own lane anymore. Perhaps one of us has even seen YOU doing it.

Again, how do you know that the phone doesn't impair your driving? You're likely just oblivious to your own weaving.

[RedScare]

I have found that I am able to drive drunk just as well as I can sober. I know this for a fact. The studies are wrong.

[jgriff]

I also want a ban on cell phone use in bathrooms. If you can't wait until you get out of the stall to talk to your wife you've got problems.

[outback]

Cell phone use while driving is banned in many countries already. All the studies from Europe as well as the US show that cell phone use, even hands free cell phone use is a major problem. It's not so much that it's a distraction like a passenger or having kids in the car - there's a lot more cognitive processing involved in a cell phone conversation than just yelling at your brats in the back. Partly this is down to the lack of visual clues and body language, partly that the guy on the other end of the phone doesn't see the truck that just cut you off - if you have a passenger, they will mostly see the same road situation you do, and break off the conversation leaving you free to deal with it.

The surprising result is that hands free isn't much better - and that's because the data processing going on is much the same, minus a small component for motor skills in holding a phone to your ear.

Redscare had it right - I can drink drive too, no problem. Until the one time that something does happen...

[west20th]

Yall must have some kind of attention deficit problem...I can talk on a phone, and drive, in exactly the same manner and fashion as if I were not on it at all. If Im not on the phone Im listening to the radio, paying the same amount of attention to it, as I would be a person on the phone. It does not take one single bit more of concentration (for me) to be on the phone than it does to talk to a person in the car, which I also do when I have a passenger. As I said in the first 2 responses, I use my hands free blue tooth - and I never text, or dial the phone while driving....heck I dont even dial when Im not using the bluetooth...its just easier to say, call (insert name here) than it is to look the number up and dial it. I have seen the studies, they all show that texting is the same as drinking and driving, not talking with a blue tooth device, and I don't disagree with that - its almost impossible to text and drive...heck its difficult to just text with how small the keys on the phones have gotten. But if your not holding the phone, which I dont, I do not see at all, how your driving is effected unless your just old and slow. Like it or not, I am confident in my ability to drive while I talk on the phone - your opinion, or a stupid law to grab money is not going to change that.

And study or no study, I still think a person in the car is a larger distraction than a hands free phone ever could be. A baby is constantly requiring attention, a toddler is worse, a young child is screaming, spilling, unbuckling, fighting,etc... teenagers do whatever it is that they do now, and normal adults talk - they talk about the same things they would talk about if they were on the phone, so there is no difference there. The difference between having a passenger and being on the phone is that you have the added distraction of the persons movements, and emotions, but a slight advantage in a second set of eyes.

To me all the studies show is that some people cant do both safely - I know I can. I can also handle a gun safely - Im sure its the same groups of people who are out to save us from ourselves that dont want cell phone in cars, also dont want people to have guns. Its all a money grab in the name of safety - and its very difficult for a politician to stand up and say he is not for safety, let alone the extra money it brings. It may sound like Im some cocky punk kid who thinks the rules dont apply to him, but thats not the case - I know my driving abilities, I don't speed, I don't drive aggressively, and I do a whole lot of coasting... for me (maybe not you) its not distracting or difficult to talk and drive, and I suspect its not for a huge problem for alot of folks. Its just the politicians out to govern all us to protect us from those who probably should not be driving anyway.

Pssst.....this law does not apply to you.

Texas - House Bill 55 - Provides that an operator may not use a wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle within a school crossing zone unless the wireless communication device is used with a hands-free device.

[Marksmu]

How do you know this? We've all seen people yapping on the phone on a freeway who weave around and don't even realize they're not in their own lane anymore. Perhaps one of us has even seen YOU doing it.

Again, how do you know that the phone doesn't impair your driving? You're likely just oblivious to your own weaving.

I'm not dumb, I can see your point, but I can assure you with absolutely no proof whatsoever to back it up that I am one of the most defensive drivers on the road - Ever since I got a big truck that does not stop or start quickly, cannot weave in and out of traffic and keep up with the quick starts and stops of traffic, I have become content to be the guy who stays mostly in one lane, gets cut off frequently and coast to the lights....it does not take many $500/mo gas bills when diesel was $5.40/gallon, and your getting 18mpg to completely change your driving habits. I'm not saying I have never been distracted by the phone- I have had my battery start to die or something, and that has been a distraction, but I pay alot of attention to my driving and more importantly to those driving around me, and my record reflects it. No accidents since I was 16 (13 yrs) and I have not even been pulled over since I was 20. I seldom speed, and in a truck like mine flying over the heights oh so wonderfully smooth roads would do nothing more than spill everything in my truck everywhere.

Im not saying everyone can drive just as safely on the phone, but I am confident I can.

[Subdude]

I'm not dumb, I can see your point, but I can assure you with absolutely no proof whatsoever to back it up that I am one of the most defensive drivers on the road - Ever since I got a big truck that does not stop or start quickly, cannot weave in and out of traffic and keep up with the quick starts and stops of traffic, I have become content to be the guy who stays mostly in one lane, gets cut off frequently and coast to the lights....it does not take many $500/mo gas bills when diesel was $5.40/gallon, and your getting 18mpg to completely change your driving habits. I'm not saying I have never been distracted by the phone- I have had my battery start to die or something, and that has been a distraction, but I pay alot of attention to my driving and more importantly to those driving around me, and my record reflects it. No accidents since I was 16 (13 yrs) and I have not even been pulled over since I was 20. I seldom speed, and in a truck like mine flying over the heights oh so wonderfully smooth roads would do nothing more than spill everything in my truck everywhere.

Im not saying everyone can drive just as safely on the phone, but I am confident I can.

"Famous last words."

The problem is everyone thinks they are better drivers than the rest of the world, and the brain wiring that makes other people drive the equivalent of being drunk while driving and talking on the phone somehow just isn't present in them. Jeez buddy, wake up and smell the coffee. It is EXACTLY because of people like you that believe they are special human beings that we need more laws.

The hands-free device thing is a bit of a cop out as well. Studies consistently show that they don't make a difference safety-wise.

[Marksmu]

"Famous last words."

The problem is everyone thinks they are better drivers than the rest of the world, and the brain wiring that makes other people drive the equivalent of being drunk while driving and talking on the phone somehow just isn't present in them. Jeez buddy, wake up and smell the coffee. It is EXACTLY because of people like you that believe they are special human beings that we need more laws.

The hands-free device thing is a bit of a cop out as well. Studies consistently show that they don't make a difference safety-wise.

If you can't safely drive and talk please by all means do not, your just a danger to everybody else out there - but I can do it safely, I've done it safely for years, I do it safely daily, and I am confident that I can continue do it safely in the future, and I don't need a study, a politician, a cop, or any other person who thinks more laws and more regulations are the answer to all our problems to tell me not to do it. More rules, regulations, laws and more of a police state are not the answer to our problems. Why don't we put in mandatory breathylzers in cars, and stop checks and road blocks everywhere to check for everything? I had an open bottle of wine in my car this morning from a dinner party last night...I guess I should have been hauled in and gotten an open container violation at the local road block this morning...Its ridiculous. Everyone here seems so willing to give away all of their freedoms for more "protection", its a weak spineless stance on life... At least with this law I can happily ignore it and go about my day and there isnt anything anyone else can do about it...this will definitely be a law I ignore if it progresses past the hands free restriction.

Besides I dont trust the studies at all- for every study that takes one particular side I can find 3 that take the other side. All the "studies" now a days, come with a predetermined outcome that the "researchers" are looking for anyway. Global warming...I mean "climate change" is a great example; there are countless studies that say global warming is a myth, and just as many that say its a fact. All are based on "facts" and "experts"

Edited July 30, 2009 by Marksmu

[RedScare]

Actually, these studies are not quite as complicated as determining global climate change. They are pretty much as simple as having someone talk on a phone while sitting in front of a simulated driving machine. They then measure the difference in reaction time for a distracted driver from an undistracted one. What they find is that the level of involvement in the phone conversation dictates the level of distraction of the driver. Now, if what you are trying to say is that you really don't listen to anything that your wife and your mom says, not only would that be very believable, but would make you a less distracted driver. Not that it matters. I already steer way clear of drivers of oversized vehicles anyway, due to their apparent belief that they alone own the road. The fact that I now know that many of these drivers think that their reaction time while discussing what to eat for dinner is the same as when the phone is off gives me just one more reason to steer clear of them.

Here's a suggestion. In return for your "freedom" to talk thanksgiving turkey with your mum while driving a 9,000 truck, how about we make accidents involving cell phones the same level of crime as accidents while drunk. As long as I get the satisfaction of watching you play jailhouse lawyer for 20 years for running over someone, I can live with you phoning while driving.

[outback]

Besides I dont trust the studies at all- for every study that takes one particular side I can find 3 that take the other side.

Go ahead and show us these studies.

[rsb320]

If you can't safely drive and talk please by all means do not, your just a danger to everybody else out there - but I can do it safely, I've done it safely for years, I do it safely daily, and I am confident that I can continue do it safely in the future, and I don't need a study, a politician, a cop, or any other person who thinks more laws and more regulations are the answer to all our problems to tell me not to do it. More rules, regulations, laws and more of a police state are not the answer to our problems. Why don't we put in mandatory breathylzers in cars, and stop checks and road blocks everywhere to check for everything? I had an open bottle of wine in my car this morning from a dinner party last night...I guess I should have been hauled in and gotten an open container violation at the local road block this morning...Its ridiculous. Everyone here seems so willing to give away all of their freedoms for more "protection", its a weak spineless stance on life... At least with this law I can happily ignore it and go about my day and there isnt anything anyone else can do about it...this will definitely be a law I ignore if it progresses past the hands free restriction.

Besides I dont trust the studies at all- for every study that takes one particular side I can find 3 that take the other side. All the "studies" now a days, come with a predetermined outcome that the "researchers" are looking for anyway. Global warming...I mean "climate change" is a great example; there are countless studies that say global warming is a myth, and just as many that say its a fact. All are based on "facts" and "experts"

My daily drive is study enough for me. You may be operating your phone and car safely, but many are not. Those that are not, endanger people's lives on the roadways. In order to protect innocent lives on the roadways, sometimes additional laws are required. I do doubt that such laws will deter those that are the target here.

[Yankee_in_TX]

My daily drive is study enough for me. You may be operating your phone and car safely, but many are not. Those that are not, endanger people's lives on the roadways. In order to protect innocent lives on the roadways, sometimes additional laws are required. I do doubt that such laws will deter those that are the target here.

I agree - I'll put my phone down if it means everyone else has to, too. It makes me so mad when people do REALLY stupid stuff while driving (cause me to swerve, brake, honk, etc.), and when I can see the driver they are on the phone or worse TEXTING!

Houston drivers are bad enough without distractions. And I would intend to agree with Redscare - I usually call my mom or wife on the way home from work, and well, the conversation ain't that involved

[RedScare]

http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.416f74e8613992381601031046108a0c/?javax.portlet.tpst=4427b997caacf504a8bdba101891ef9a_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_4427b997caacf504a8bdba101891ef9a_viewID=detail_view&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=token&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=token&itemID=71052f9b8559a010VgnVCM1000002c567798RCRD&viewType=standard

[ricco67]

Besides I dont trust the studies at all- for every study that takes one particular side I can find 3 that take the other side. All the "studies" now a days, come with a predetermined outcome that the "researchers" are looking for anyway. Global warming...I mean "climate change" is a great example; there are countless studies that say global warming is a myth, and just as many that say its a fact. All are based on "facts" and "experts"

We're still waiting.

There is a nice blog entry on this very topic on the Chronicle. Link.

Also, there is a book I'm currently thinking that says (and I'm paraphrasing), "Technology advances faster than the knowledge that it requires." It seems appropriate considering that, for all the technology we use in our daily lives, quite a few people don't seem to understand that just because you CAN use the technology, does not mean that you have to use it when common sense dictates it wouldn't be a good idea.