NJ passes law to ban talking and driving

[Localonthe8s]

From Newsday

Shut up or pay up: Drivers face start of tougher NJ phone ban
By BRAD HAYNES | Associated Press Writer
1:53 PM EST, February 28, 2008

TRENTON, N.J. - For New Jersey drivers, the message is clear: Keep your thumbs on the wheel and off the keypad.

Starting Saturday, police can slap drivers with a $100 fine for talking or text messaging on hand-held devices.

New Jersey joins four other states, including neighboring New York, where talking on a hand-held cell phone is reason enough to get pulled over. New Jersey also becomes the first state where text messaging on the road is a primary offense, meaning police need no other reason to pull a driver over, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.


Pam Fischer, director of New Jersey's Division of Highway Traffic Safety, said officers will be on the lookout for telltale signs of distracted drivers _ slow driving and the "cell-phone weave."

But enforcement of the text messaging law will be tough.

"It's difficult," Fischer said. "The law is designed to get those law-abiding folks to understand the danger inherent in these activities."

Drivers can still use their cell phones to contact police or emergency services, and can talk at any time with a hands-free device. But crash statistics suggest that those headsets and earpieces may not make conversations in the car any safer.

In 2006, nearly half of the 3,580 phone-related crashes in New Jersey also involved a hands-free device, according to transportation officials. Five of 11 fatal accidents involving a cell phone that year also involved a hands-free device.

Russ Rader, of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said those figures are consistent with recent research showing no difference in crash risk between hand-held and hands-free cell phones.

"The conversation itself is the distraction," said Rader. "You are in another place when you are talking on the phone."

Trucker Lou Cataldo hopes the new law will cut down on the distracted drivers he sees all over the state.

"I see a car in the middle lane doing 50 miles per hour, and 99.9 percent of the time it's someone yakking on a cell phone," Cataldo said.

But Cataldo questioned how police would spot drivers typing out a message.

"If you're doing 75 miles per hour," he said, "the cop has to be right alongside to see you."

Driving while using a hand-held cell phone has been illegal in New Jersey since 2004, when the state became the second in the nation to pass a ban. However, it was considered a secondary offense _ something drivers could be ticketed for if they were pulled over for another reason. Over the past year, state courts have recorded 16,000 tickets issued for the offense.

Fischer called those numbers minimal and suggested they would go up significantly now that drivers can be pulled over for cell phone use alone.

Twenty-one state legislatures this year are considering some kind of ban on texting while driving.

"It's a popular issue this year," said Matt Sundeen, a transportation analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures. "We expect to see some movement on this."

Since Jan. 1, Washington state drivers have been fined for texting on the road, but only if they are pulled over for another reason. Enforcement has been difficult; only six drivers have been fined in February.

"If we see them weaving and they're holding the phone high enough, we can get them," said Bob Calkins, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol. "But if they're holding it down low, it's hard to cite them."

Drivers know it's a hard habit to break.

"At the outset, I was more guilty than anyone," said Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, D-Gloucester, who sponsored the bill to create a tougher ban.

He said he stopped reading e-mails on his Blackberry after his 12-year-old daughter scolded him. "That's when I realized _ this is crazy."

[Gil]

That needs to be a national law. There's no reason for it, and theres no excuses

[lfmusiclover]

Their talking about passing a law like that here in Maryland. I think its a great idea. I can't tell you how many near misses I've seen due to someone talking on the phone while trying to drive. 

[Localonthe8s]

Gary, can you change the title? It sounds like you can't buy a cell phone in Jersey

[Gil]

If I could kill every single person i saw in a day that was driving while on a cell phone, not only would i be in heaven, but there would be a shitload of dead bodies.

Maybe not the best analogy...

[lfmusiclover]

changed the title for ya Vic. Good enough?

[Localonthe8s]

changed the title for ya Vic. Good enough?

Perfect!

Thanks

[Gil]

Why does it say you've edited my posts, when nothing has changed?

[Mike M]

My older school bus driver from earlier this year text messaged a lot, not to mention she would drive 40 mph in a 25 mph zone, and close to 60 mph in a 45 zone.

[Al]

thats retarded. a police officer won't have evidence that a person was talking on a cell phone unless he/she has a cam on their dashboards...and a good one at that 

states trying to outlaw driving while texting (DWT), is retarded as well...

not only that, your cell phone is part of you property, so they can't take it and view your latest calls / text messages from you unless they have a warrant out.

[Stephen]

I think it's a great idea. Unless it's an emergency, there's absolutely no reason why you should be on a phone while driving. And besides, it's dangerous. Your mind can't focus on two things at once. So, if you're talking on the cell phone while driving, you're main focus is NOT on the driving, and you run a higher risk of an accident.

[Gil]

Well when it endangers many lives, it's very necessary. Maybe if people were more responsible, they wouldn't need such a law. But people have proved that they can't handle it.

[Gil]

I think it's a great idea. Unless it's an emergency, there's absolutely no reason why you should be on a phone while driving. And besides, it's dangerous. Your mind can't focus on two things at once. So, if you're talking on the cell phone while driving, you're main focus is NOT on the driving, and you run a higher risk of an accident.

Yes if its absolutely necessary, then they can pull over. There is NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER to be talking/texting on a cell phone when driving.

[Al]

again, here lies the problem...they can't take your phone away...they have to have hardcore evidence to give you that ticket...otherwise you can just fight and win in court.

a good law? yes?

is it gonna work? no.

I think it's a great idea. Unless it's an emergency, there's absolutely no reason why you should be on a phone while driving. And besides, it's dangerous. Your mind can't focus on two things at once. So, if you're talking on the cell phone while driving, you're main focus is NOT on the driving, and you run a higher risk of an accident.

Yes if its absolutely necessary, then they can pull over. There is NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER to be talking/texting on a cell phone when driving.

gil, you'll understand how hard it can be to NOT talk/text on a phone while driving when you get a bit more of a social life. not to sound harsh, but you're not in HS yet, and don't drive.

[Gil]

Well by all means, they should do whatever it takes. It IS legal for them to confiscate it if they have reason to believe your breaking the law. If you don't want your precious phone taken away, then do the smart thing and don't talk/text while driving.