LexFather

People need to be kicked in the head. I love texting, I text 6000 times or so a month. I caught myself texting a few times in the car and I made it a rule for MYSELF "NO TEXTING WHILE DRIVING". I didn't need a gotdamn LAW to tell me this.

Texting in the car is dangerous. Sadly people want to have cheap gas, big *** vehicles, they want to text, eat and do everything in the car EXCEPT drive. Driving IS A PRIVILEGE not a right.

Just a couple days ago some trick in Honda Accord nearly sideswipped me on a two lane road. I slow down to see wtf was that about and no joke this moron is texting with BOTH HANDS.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

both are still distractions, especially if you get into the conversation.

exactly, how is a $20/$50 fine going to deter this behavior, when this currently happens.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

more feel good legislation that will do nothing that current laws can't.

if someone is swerving all over the place while texting/driving, fine them for reckless driving. if they're going too slow, i think there's laws against that.

and yes, texting while driving is stupid. i confess to typing e-mails on blackberries while driving, and it's a very bad idea.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

I'll shoot out a text if I'm waiting at a light, but once it turns green I put it down. It helps that I'm not comfortable texting without looking @ the screen on my Dare

mmarshall

Well, that alone could (?) also be illegal, depending on the local or state tinting code.

plex

iTrader: (11)

Probably, I got ticketed for tint in fairfax county even though I live in MD where my car is registered. I didn't think they were allowed to cite out of state vehicles for tint but I didn't argue with the officer. In my case I either had to take it off and go to court with proof or pay a fine . I paid the fine. The motive was revenue more than safety but it is what it is I knew what the risk was when I got tinted windows that were under 35%.

mmarshall

Agreed. We wouldn't need half the traffic laws we got if people would just drive with common sense. But some laws, IMO, still go a little overboard........IMO, the headlights-on-with-wipers rule is a good example. That's fine with most newer cars that have daytime-running-lights that come on and off with the ignition and parking brake, but in older or cheaper cars where you turn everything on manually, you must remember to turn the lights on and off by hand during low visibility.......people often forget to do that. And, if you can't recognize another car at 500 feet in the daytime without headlights, (the law's distance limit), even with fairly low visibility, then you shouldn't have a drivers' license.

oldcajun

One effect of these laws is to impact the post-accident settlements. It is fairly easy to check your cell phone records. If it can be proven that you were texting at the time of the accident, you will be cited and will likely be found at least partially liable regardless of the true cause. If you are texting and cause an accident with serious injury or death, you could face jail time in some cases for showing careless disregard and violating a law. Much the same as if you cause an accident while speeding. It may not deter, but it may get some of these idiots off the road. When Daddy gets sued for big $ because daughter was texting while driving, that may also have some impact.
Steve

Milla...

Yeah old news in Cali Texting went into effect earlier in the year, and of course hand free cellphone use only. From my observation these laws have had very little affect on the driving populace.

IS-SV

I agree that common sense is more effective. Enforcement of laws like this is sporadic at best.

irv_usc

correct.

it lasted about two weeks where i noticed less people talking or doing other stuff on the phone, but now it's status quo.

tran_man

$20/$50 fines seem low and it is. But when you include court fees and the such, the fine jumps to somewhere around $150 for the first offense. Not from experience, only from talking to a person who worked in a courthouse. This is in CA.

I think it's also easy to catch someone texting because those who do use MOST of their attention to it and don't notice other around until they finish their text.