Was waiting at a traffic light and I saw a motorcycle cop lane filtering through the lineup peering into the cabin of each car. He was looking for people on smartphones, ready to hand out tickets.
|
|
|
Don't check your phone while stopped at a red light!
- Thread starter Lightcycle
- Start date
I would love to know the percentage of distracted driving tickets that are handed out while vehicles are moving vs. stopped. I know there are potential issues with using a device while stopped, but in my mind it is an order of magnitude less dangerous and probably an order of magnitude more enforced (because it's so easy, it's like shooting fish in a barrel).
Excellent!
TK4
Well-known member
And safer for the cops - I have no problem with this.
Wait, so the cop can lane filter? This isn't stunting?
For people using phones at red lights, I don't have a problem with this, assuming they are ready when the light goes green again. If it has JUST turned red, and they bust it out to send a quick text (where it is down before the other lights even go yellow) then it's completely impossible for any damage to occur.
Honestly, the people I see doing the dumbest **** on the road are people who are just talking to their passengers (or they don't have an active excuse besides just being terrible drivers). Some people just have a higher capacity to perform a given task than others (some people can text, talk, and drive better than others can just drive).
For people using phones at red lights, I don't have a problem with this, assuming they are ready when the light goes green again. If it has JUST turned red, and they bust it out to send a quick text (where it is down before the other lights even go yellow) then it's completely impossible for any damage to occur.
Honestly, the people I see doing the dumbest **** on the road are people who are just talking to their passengers (or they don't have an active excuse besides just being terrible drivers). Some people just have a higher capacity to perform a given task than others (some people can text, talk, and drive better than others can just drive).
I think once people are caught once stopped or not, the chances of them doing it again is pretty low. For the average drivers, $600-$1000 is quite a bit.
Also the people that does it at a stop light, tends to forget to look up at the right time and causes delays at a light. Yes they only delay few seconds, but if everyone does that... It causes a lots delays
Also the people that does it at a stop light, tends to forget to look up at the right time and causes delays at a light. Yes they only delay few seconds, but if everyone does that... It causes a lots delays
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Impaired driving is a lot safer when the driver is at a stop light too. She will still be drunk when the light turns green. My experience is he will keep texting once the light changes.
And then on the opposite Spectrum, a guy was looking at his phone at a light and noticed the other car to the right of him inch forward to make a right hand turn. He assumed that this meant the light at turn green and started to roll forward without looking. Ended up hitting my grandmother, breaking her hip and sent her to the hospital for four months.
Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk
'performing the course of their duties'
That's the stereotypical situation where distracted driving at a light has real consequences. Often, the texter will think they missed the light change and take off and go right through the red.
I'm sorry that happened to your grandmother, but it sounds like the guy was an idiot regardless of whether he was texting or not. This sort of situation won't go away even if phones have to be left in the trunk of a car. The guy could have been daydreaming or have sneezed and had the same thing happen.
Like I said, it can be done safely, but that doesn't mean it always will be. It's much the same way that you can walk and text without walking into a pole; some people do it, but that doesn't mean that it's impossible to do safely. Or even driving (some people can do it safely, others are a menace no matter what they do).
Of course. My point would be that if it's too dangerous for normal folks to do, it shouldn't be done by them. I'd argue it isn't actually unsafe, but that won't stop some people from getting huge fines for doing it.
Who said it is?
Seems like an odd thing to say. Are you limiting your scope of this to traffic laws only? If so why?
I'm not saying it is (I said so just afterward) but, from my understanding, people have been charged with all sorts of random things for filtering from police (reckless driving, stunting, etc.). I don't think it should be illegal, but the police should be held to at least the same standard they (as a whole) hold others to. In the same way I frequently see them on their phones (even ignoring the fact they're on their police computers as part of their work, which is also 'safe' according to them).
It's a double standard.
When the law is vague enough for the enforcement to be subjective then this is the result.
Tale as old as time.
The law specifically allows law enforcement to use handheld devices while driving. It's unfortunate the scope of that part was strictly limited to communication necessary to do their immediate task. A cop chatting to his girlfriend is just as dangerous as joe blow doing the same thing.
I've also heard there are cops riding the TTC buses looking down on cars beside them and radioing ahead to a patrol car ahead.
And tractor trailers on the highways. I'm all for creative solutions to this problem. Hell, enough vehicles are coming with panoramic sunroofs now that they could probably install cameras over the road and mail tickets out by the handful (similar to red light tickets, not assigned to a driver, the car owner gets the fine and they can pass it on if they want). It wouldn't catch every use case, but could easily pick up the screen in the hand down through the roof and tie it to a license plate shot just after.
Fact.
|
|
|
|
|