Cell phone jammers

[roadwarrior 0]

Too bad they're not legal here in the US.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041016/ap_on_hi_te/cell_phone_jammers_4

[marks 0]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041016/ap_on_hi_te/cell_phone_jammers_4

[MWGemini 0]

I've toyed with the idea of making one of those that can run off a car battery and drive around with it turned on. I hate people who use cell phones while driving.

Mike

[tunaplanet 0]

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I hate people who use cell phones while driving.

Yeah, how dare people try and find out from a friend which hospital their son/daughter was taken to after they were in a car accident. Bastards.

Forty-two

[AirMail 0]

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I hate people who use cell phones while driving.

Yeah, how dare people try and find out from a friend which hospital their son/daughter was taken to after they were in a car accident. Bastards.

It's OK, they'll probably be taken to the same hospital when they blast thru a red light while trying to dial. It would be better for all of us/them to pull over, make the call then blast thru the red light with both hands on the wheel.

P-

--
It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
Postal Rodriguez, Muff 3342

[MWGemini 0]

What percentage of the population and the total minutes used do you actually think go towards emergencies? MAYBE 1%? I used to be a truck driver, and believe me, cell phones DO NOT belong on the road. I can't tell you how many accidents I have SEEN happen because people are too busy dialing or talking on their phone, let alone how many I've seen narrowly avoided. If you have an emergency, pull to the side of the road. Want to talk and drive? Get speakerphone. People who drive while using cell phones are a danger to themselves as well as others. I have zero tolerance for it.

Mike

[tunaplanet 0]

Not the point. Actually I think cell phones are a major hazzard. However to say that you would hate someone that was using a cell phone for an emergency on the road is absolutely ridiculous.

Forty-two

[MWGemini 0]

I don't care why they're using their cell phone. If they are doing it while driving, its unforgiveable. Don't endanger my life and create an emergency for somebody else.

Mike

[tunaplanet 0]

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I used to be a truck driver, and believe me, cell phones DO NOT belong on the road.

Well fortunately for us the people who make the laws don't listen to truck drivers.

Forty-two

[MWGemini 0]

Maybe they'll start reading accident reports then. I know some states have made driving while talking illegal. Years back when I first heard this, I was pretty pissed. Now I wish it was a nationwide law.

Mike

[AggieDave 6]

Heh, saw a guy on his motorcycle in town a couple of weeks ago talking on a cellphone. Not on a "handsfree" ear bud, but holding it to his ear.

What could go wrong? Nothing of course. All that guy needed was a big starbucks coffee balanced on his gas tank and it would have been perfect. Of course he wasn't even wearing a helmet, actually he was in shorts, t-shirt and flipflops.

Although I've been guilty of it (just as anyone with a cellphone has), I do try to pull over or not answer and call back when I'm off the road (when driving in my truck). While on my motorcycle I've been nearly hit by folks on a cellphone more then a few times, which is a big deal. In my truck people have nearly turned through my truck since they didn't see it...they were too distracted talking on their cellphone. My truck isn't easy to miss, even if you're not looking.

Although I don't want to see a law passed restricting personal freedoms, I wish folks would unplant their head from their ass, taking the cellphone away from their ear when driving while their at it as well.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[tunaplanet 0]

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Now I wish it was a nationwide law.

It's not. Anything else?

Forty-two

[MWGemini 0]

That's even worse- a biker with a cell phone.

To clarify- if somebody has a speakerphone, I don't care if they use it while driving. What I do care about is people who have one hand on the wheel, one hand dialing a number, and no eyes on the road. Yes I have done it, but that was before I got rid of my cell phone (and now I refuse to get another one for reasons like this). It's no different than people applying makeup while driving, or anything else that takes you attention off the road and your hands off the wheel.

If I am ever in an accident caused by somebody who was talking on their cell phone, Regardless of injuries sustained during the accident, they'll be hospitalized for a while. Guaranteed.

Mike

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

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I've toyed with the idea of making one of those that can run off a car battery and drive around with it turned on. I hate people who use cell phones while driving.

Mike

And all those people would be distracted by trying to redial, etc.

Some of us have voice dial and hands free units...or even a bluetooth headset. No different than talking to someone in the car for me.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[MWGemini 0]

And if the person is more focused on redialing then driving, it's their own damn fault when they plow into a phone pole. Serves them right, IMO.

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Some of us have voice dial and hands free units...or even a bluetooth headset. No different than talking to someone in the car for me.

And that is the way it should be- voice dial and hands free, leaving you to direct your attention where it is needed: the road.

[tunaplanet 0]

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no eyes on the road.

Where are your eyes when you're staring into these cars watching them on their cell phone?

Forty-two

[MWGemini 0]

Watching other drivers as they drift into my lane.

You even admitted you think it's a hazard. Just because we disagree as to how big a deal it is doesn't mean it is safe.

I've probably spent more time driving than people ten years older than me, and I've yet to have an accident. Nearly everyone I know who has been in an accident was caused by distracted drivers. Cell phones, makeup, changing CDs, food. Doesn't matter what you're doing. If your primary focus isn't driving, you're wrong. (When I say you, I don't mean YOU specifically, I'm referring to the general driving populace). It's no different than people who lose altitude awareness and have cypres fires. They focused on something that should not be their primary concern (pulling), and are wrong for that.

Mike

Edit: typo (why does spellcheck think "ot" is a word?)

[flyingferret 0]

As much as this is starting to sound like an SC thread and I don't want to add to that, it really all boils down to personal responsbility.

You can be distracted by a lot of things, from extreme like cell phones and in car DVD to others like passengers or bee. When you take out an insurance policy you are quite literally betting on your ability to conduct your car safely. That being said those damages can affect other's health and monetary assets.
Having considered that, I think it is impossible and ridiculous to legislate every habit, sometimes life is just dangerous. If you can afford a $250,000 automobile and take it on the road, my insurance should not be required to cover it, as it was not my choice to drive it. However, this is a different case entirely. This is a habit that has become extremely prevalent, and which people seem ignorant/complacent enough to refuse recognition of.
There are a number of studies out, here is just a snippet from one http://www.nsc.org/issues/idrive/inincell.htm

So.....if we reconize something has a dramatic effect? Why not do something about it? Many places are considering or passing a law to cover handheld cell phones. New Mexico for one already has one. Now, it can actually be more complex than that, as many place already have a law against something that could very easily cover that refers to reckless driving or driving under distraction. However, that becomes almost impossible to enfroce prior to an accident. So, I can see the point of 'handheld' laws.
Personally, I don't see any right that is violated, and a lot of studies that back up using an ear piece at the very least.
What is really gained by defending recklessness?

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All the flaming and trolls of wreck dot with a pretty GUI.