Living Car Free - go utah! texting while driving now equivalent to drunk driving!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/technology/29distracted.html?ref=technology&pagewanted=all


The NY Times reports on legislation in Utah which harshly penalizes people who cause fatal car accidents while texting. Instead of merely facing a fine, offenders may now get up to 15 years in jail — the same as drunk drivers.

Making "texting" part of the bill's language is a poor idea. It shouldn't matter what the driver was doing to be inattentive. The victim of the resulting fatal accident doesn't care if you were texting, changing the radio station or putting salsa on your burrito - he's just as dead.

The shortcoming is that the law can't be enforced until after you kill someone, unlike drunk driving.

The shortcoming is that the law can't be enforced until after you kill someone, unlike drunk driving.

True, but I hope the law works to prevent a lot of this bad behavior.

Tom Vanderbilt wrote about the Lake Wobegon effect in driving. That is, most people think that distracted driving is a bad practice for other drivers, but almost everybody believes that they themselves are above average drivers, so it's perfectly safe for them to text while driving.

X2^^

"He pleaded guilty to two counts of negligent homicide, but his record will be cleared if he fulfills the sentence imposed by the judge. It included 30 days in jail, 200 hours of community service, and a requirement that he read “Les Misérables” to learn, like the book’s character Jean Valjean, how to make a contribution to society"

the court order him to read a book???

"He pleaded guilty to two counts of negligent homicide, but his record will be cleared if he fulfills the sentence imposed by the judge. It included 30 days in jail, 200 hours of community service, and a requirement that he read “Les Misérables” to learn, like the book’s character Jean Valjean, how to make a contribution to society"

the court order him to read a book???
No!!! Does he have to write a book report? Is it punishment for an illiterate? A friend just finished that book and says it is worth reading. Maybe I should hold off until I run someone down on my bicycle.

No!!! Does he have to write a book report? Is it punishment for an illiterate? A friend just finished that book and says it is worth reading. Maybe I should hold off until I run someone down on my bicycle.

Maybe they should make him read the book in French :D. That should slow him down quite a bit..

I bet he reads the book while he's driving.

I bet he reads the book while he's driving.

:lol:

The shortcoming is that the law can't be enforced until after you kill someone, unlike drunk driving.

Maybe they should have a more general law that makes "distracted driving" illegal, and subject to heavy fine and license suspension. Although I don't like the idea of having Big Brother in my car and giving cops such leeway, I'd sure like to see all of the cell phone yappers, smokers, danish eaters, newspaper readers, etc. get seriously nailed before they swerve into my car or bike.

Plus, I like the idea of raising tax money by taxing idiots. In a more perfect world, I'd like to see every aspect of responsible people's lives be subsidized by idiots...Of course, in an even more perfect world, there would be no idiots...

Ugh...every state needs to pass this law, and the same for talking on the phone while driving. But good luck convincing anybody that they can't talk and drive at the same time. My friend was doing it on the highway the other day and no matter what, he insisted that if he just stayed in the slow lanes it was no big deal.

It's gonna have to come from top down, basically, with the same penalties as drunk driving.

No!!! Does he have to write a book report? Is it punishment for an illiterate? A friend just finished that book and says it is worth reading. Maybe I should hold off until I run someone down on my bicycle.


"He pleaded guilty to two counts of negligent homicide, but his record will be cleared if he fulfills the sentence imposed by the judge. It included 30 days in jail, 200 hours of community service, and a requirement that he read “Les Misérables” to learn, like the book’s character Jean Valjean, how to make a contribution to society"

the court order him to read a book???

The court case was last fall, and the new law was passed this May. I think the court was extremely easy on the guy, and that the Utah legislature passed a law allowing stricter sentencing because of this case in particular.

This should probably be in A&S.

Ugh...every state needs to pass this law, and the same for talking on the phone while driving. But good luck convincing anybody that they can't talk and drive at the same time. My friend was doing it on the highway the other day and no matter what, he insisted that if he just stayed in the slow lanes it was no big deal.

It's gonna have to come from top down, basically, with the same penalties as drunk driving.

And even those aren't strong enough to work. In some cases the penalties are there but the court allows them to plead down to other, lesser charges so they can keep their license. Can't really legislate morality nor personal responsibility, that has to come from within.

Aaron:)

Well, at least it would have the same stigma attached to it. 90% of my friends are completely unwilling to drive after 2+ beers; I wish the same proportion of people would refuse to use cell phones.

Well, at least it would have the same stigma attached to it. 90% of my friends are completely unwilling to drive after 2+ beers; I wish the same proportion of people would refuse to use cell phones.

^^^ That is EXTREMELY unusual considering the current DUI rates. However I commend them, I do the same. My limit is 1 beer or 1 glass of wine, if more than that? I don't drive.

Aaron:)

A new report links 6000 deaths to "driver distraction".... last year!

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090930/NATION/909300376/1409/METRO



Report: Nearly 6,000 deaths connected to driver distraction
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau

Washington -- Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood kicked off a two-day summit on distracted driving this morning, calling it a "menace to society" and a "deadly epidemic."

LaHood wants to crack down on texting behind the wheel and other activities that take drivers' focus from the road as the government issued a report that said 6,000 deaths last year were linked to distracted driving.

"Every single time you take your eyes off the road or talk on the phone while you're driving, even for just a few seconds, you put your life in danger," LaHood said. "We need a combination of strong laws, tough enforcement and ongoing public education to make a difference."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving distracted drivers, or about 15 percent of all road deaths. But there is no good data on how many of those deaths are linked to texting or using mobile phones. Every day, at least 800,000 vehicles are driven by someone using a hand-held cell phone.

More than 300 people are taking part in the summit of lawmakers, safety experts, agency officials, automakers and representatives of the wireless industry.