It Can Wait - Video about Texting and Driving

Take away the phone on the first offence, as well as levy a fine. When they have to buy another phone each time, they might think twice about when / where to use it safely.

I work for AT&T. Not speaking for them. I am the guy you see on the side of the road,blocking lanes of traffic, going in manholes, up poles.....
I see 9 out of 10 people using devices while driving. We've had people run thru our work zone/cones, hit our vehicles etc...

We are not immune. A couple years ago in Charleston, SC one of our employees hit a man on a bike and killed him. I believe it was determined that the employee was texting on his personal phone.
I believe he lost his job and is facing jail time.

I was personally missed by inches a few years ago. Lady in a van talking on phone almost hit me. I was wearing orange reflective vest, orange cones out, my truck safety flashers were on and a man working sign out.
It was very scary, she came back to apologize. She had car seats in the van. I informed her she nearly killed MY babies father. She almost cried. I was very stern with her, but thanked her for coming back.

Also, apply makeup in the bathroom and don't read books going down the road either. Yes I see that too.

In NY its illegal to use any hand held device while driving. You cant even hold your phone even if its off. My nephew got a ticket for holding his phone. Phone was dead,and he was just fiddlin with phone. He showed cop it was dead, but cop told him it didn't matter.

Thanx for the video link. I watched it on my way to work.

I was not texting will viewing it.:-)

Statutory penalty for using ANY electronic device here, including i-pods, while driving is up to $500 for a first offence.

Recently a guy riding a motorcycle was done for riding while using an ipod. $400 or 10 days in jail. He took the jail time. What an uproar in the local media. The jail time works out at something like $1500 cost to the taxpayer.

I just found out that texting while driving has been against the law in Michigan since 2010.

The law is so blatantly ignored I would never have guessed it even existed. I guess $100 for the first offense, and $200 for second offense is just chump change.

Jagtech wrote:
In a city near here, there was a guy dressed like a homeless man holding a sign, standing at an intersection. When you pulled up, the sign said: "I'm a police officer, and if you're on the phone, you're about to get a ticket." Very creative and effective!

Yup, they did that in Vancouver too! People on the phone merely waved at the guy in many cases! And they all got pulled over and fined $167 for using the phone while driving.

Here in BC, the only time you're allowed to use the phone while driving is if you are calling 911 to report something. Otherwise, the law says you must pull over and stop to use your phone. Not that many people do. Other communications devices, like 2-way radios, can be used while the vehicle is in motion, so long as the radio itself is a mobile/mounted unit.

Personally, I think the police should have to abide by the law too. But, they are exempt in this province. And they are sometimes the worst for using their phones and MDT's while moving. Although, having said that, I will credit an RCMP officer for requesting dispatch to read out some information on the radio instead of trying to read his MDT at 110km/h!!

Cheers!
Mike

500 dollar fine in Ontario using any hand held device while driving.

....we once saw a man trying to steer with his knees while having a cell phone on one shoulder pressed to his ear, an open binder on his knee and eating chinese food with chopsticks.

We got his plate number and reported it. You can apparently be charged if someone calls in the time they witnessed the situation. It can be verified through the phone records.

The things that people do when driving, a lot of new laws need to be put in place.

In a city near here, there was a guy dressed like a homeless man holding a sign, standing at an intersection. When you pulled up, the sign said: "I'm a police officer, and if you're on the phone, you're about to get a ticket." Very creative and effective!

People get mad when they are stopped and cited for driving while distracted.