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Senate Seeking Ways to Coax States to Adopt Texting Ban

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Jun 8, 2010, 11:14 AM   by Eric M. Zeman

The U.S. Senate is preparing a revised version of S. 1938 which would create a state grant program to reward states that enact legislature banning texting while driving. The bill's goal is to provide a financial incentive for states that choose to ban texting and the use of handheld devices while driving. It would act similar to laws regarding the drinking age, motorcycle helmet use, and maximum speed limits. States that enact such legislature would gain access to addition federal monies, which have yet to be defined. A number of states have already banned texting and handheld use while driving, and others have proposed legislation. June is National Safe Driving Month.

source: Verizon Wireless

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muchdrama

Jun 8, 2010, 9:31 PM

Good...

...ban it nationwide and that's one less idiot I have to worry about endangering my life.
Yep lets ban EVERYTHING that could distract anyone. No radios, CDs, No eqating, drinking, No others to talk to, No kids in the car, No cell phones, No ads or anything along the roads. No people in sexy dress.

Hey if it saves JUST one life ANYTHING ...
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madcapjim

Jun 8, 2010, 1:57 PM

And whats next?

I can promise you more accidents are caused by people playing with their radios than from cell phone use. The same can be said of trying to eat and drink after hitting a drive-thru.
Why not ban talking to people in the back seat? How many accidents are caused by people looking away from the road to chat with the people behind them? Maybe we can just ban any form of conversation in the car, remove the radios, and force people to drive in complete silence. Maybe ban car pools because have you ever noticed a car load of people barreling down the highway talking and laughing as they drift in and out of traffic?
So just sit back and applaud the Feds for doing one more thing to keep us safe from ourselves because we can't be expected to act re...
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The ban they are talking about is for TEXTING which generally requires you take both your eyes AND hands away from the road ... which is idiotic for anyone to complain about! Personally I dont eat & drive and only fiddle with my radio when I'm pulled...
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Here is just one more example of how the government feels we are to stupid and they have to think for us. How will they enforce it? We11 with money, imprisonment, force and most likely a gun. Think about it. We give them up willingly. Remember that in...
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It's called bribery and somehow it's legal when the communist Feds do it. Yikes. What a sad state this country is in.
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trojandrew

Jun 10, 2010, 1:58 PM

can someone please produce statistics...

can anyone produce statistics on % of crashes caused by someone texting? the problem is we as humans have really bad brain computers for wrapping our heads around risk and the actual probablity of you getting in an accident due to X, Y, or Z. Has anyone hit YOU because they were texting? I bet if we polled these forums there would be very few if any who have. even if we did any such poll would be skewed and hearsay anyway.

it sounds good right? ban driving texters!!! rawr! heck i think people are morons for texting while driving. frankly no skin off my back if people are or are not allowed to text in the car. it will only accelerate voice control as a standard technology. but i think people get on these silly crusades without any real und...
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Statistics can be used to support both sides of the debate, so in the end they are useless.
The obvious solution to the problem is simple but you will never hear it proposed. If you want to make driving safer you raise the legal driving age from 16 ...
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asidious66

Jun 9, 2010, 4:22 PM

If you support this....

kind of legislation, you are a mindless, mush brained pinko robot. Just because its a good idea doesnt mean you legislate it. Is it a good idea and does it save lives to wear a helmet while you drive? What about putting $10 a month into a bank account? Should hot chics in convertables be outlawed? And besides, isny wreckless operation already against the law? Think and dont feel before you create laws. "my baby brother was killed by a...." oh, shut the hell up! A kid in smallville sticks a toy in his thraot and dies so now its banned. Good freakin lord, I await the "calm down dude" replies. Ok hippy Ill calm down or mellow out, smoke a spliff and vote my rights away.
Some dumb woman spills hot coffee in her lap while driving. The fast food chain (that would be us with the price) gives her a tone in a settlement. Plus how long till we can not drive with hot coffee.


Why do we give our freedom away?

I heard ...
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misschris

Jun 9, 2010, 3:06 PM

seeking ways to coax states?

they need to be coaxed? really?
wdfichtel

Jun 8, 2010, 11:58 AM

Why not just make it a federal law?

If the federal government wants texting while driving to be banned, why not make it law? Wait, let me think... would that be because driving laws are under the jurisdiction of the state, and the federal government has no authority to interfere? 🤨

Just another example of the federal governemnt putting their nose in where it doesn't belong. Leave it to the states to decide, don't offer an incentive with our tax dollars. (And I do believe texting while driving is dangerous, but really, it's not the federal government's place to decide.)
I was about to say thats unconstitutional, but I see your already educated lol.
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They are leaving it to the states ... just as they have with the helmet laws, speed limit laws & drinking age. The state has the choice to enact the law and take the money or not! Plenty of states choose not to take the fed money for things they don...
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Heh, talking while driving is and can be dangerous. Any sort of distractions while driving is dangerous; that's in the driver's manuals in my state.

The person in the passenger seat engaging the driver in a thoughtful discussion is dangerous. Chil...
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amen.
Things like seatbelt laws, drinking ages etc...are under state jurisdiction and those smarmy politicians circumvented this by threatening to deny highway funds if states did not enact the laws they wanted. And of course...the States buckled.
maokh

Jun 8, 2010, 4:06 PM

Distracted and reckless driving has been illegal for years

Distracted and reckless driving has been illegal for years, and they apply to just about any form of distraction -- changing the station, painting your nails, eating, sex, driving with your knees while using both hands for something, etc. Its pretty obvious that these folks are distracted -- they practically drive like they are drunk. Same goes for the cops behind me when they swerve a little trying to run my plates on their vehicle laptop. Pull them over!

These specific laws that target texting and talking on the phone are nothing more than political grandstanding and revenue stream generation from a task that many people safely do every day. They make great news stories, everyone seems to be furious about it, but those same people ...
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It's already illegal to not use your turn signal, speed, etc... but none of that really matters.

You have to do it in front of a cop who has time/desire to deal with you and the weather has to be appropriate to get out of his call.


So I agree,...
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Otowncell

Jun 8, 2010, 11:32 AM

We Should Ban

the #1 cause of accidents and that is eating and drinking (not alcohol) while driving!
Well if texting was only the 10 cause should not still be banned? Man get a life, quit look for a excuse.
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trojandrew

Jun 8, 2010, 12:10 PM

Let's go Taiwan style!

Screw all these driving regulations, let's go Taiwanese style and viedo chat conference text facebook MMORPG our way down the highways!
🤣 awesome

we could if these dang cars would learn to drive themselves! MMORPG addicts would be in heaven, they would get long commutes just so they could play
 
 
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