Urbana's scaled-down restrictions on cell-phone use while driving have passed:
The Urbana City Council voted 6-1 Monday night in favor of an ordinance banning the use of text messaging while driving. The ordinance also enacts a $750 fine for those who are using cell phones while driving during the time of an accident.
Additionally, the ordinance requires that the Urbana Police Departments track the frequency of car accidents where cell phone usage plays a role. The report will span from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 and with finding being presented to the council afterwards.
The ordinance does include a clause that would make some city government workers exempt, saying that "all law enforcement, fire rescue personnel, emergency vehicle operators, public works personnel and other government personnel are exempt from this section if a mobile communications device is a piece of equipment necessary to the normal functions of their position."
As I've said, I doubt this will satisfy the nanny-staters, but this law is much more reasonable than the original draconian proposal.
I guess public works employees have the ability to talk on their phones while driving without being distracted. If they don't, then the city council must believe that the work they do is worth the risk that they are causing the rest of us. Surely mobile communications devices are necessary for taxi drivers and delivery vehicles. And their services are at least as important to us as public works.
Actually, since the city will be liable for damages caused by one of their employees crashing into somebody - and by "the city" I mean the tax payers, shouldn't there be extra restrictions on activities that are known to distract drivers placed on city employees?
yr phone btter be nuke free 2
Huh. Nanny-staters. Didn't your momma teach you it isn't nice to call people names? I'm sure Matt's parrents appreciate your sensitivity. http://www.mattslaw.org
The driver got away with far less than she deserved. After-the-fact fining is a joke -- it perpetuates the misconception that 'hey I'm better at driving distracted than the other guy' Oops, guess not. There are over 40,000 deaths in the US per year due to automobile accidents. That's more than we lost in 911, more than we're losing in GWI, GWII, & Afgahnistan. Combined. The numbers have been pretty steady, even with all of the saftey enhancements... which means driving in the US hasn't gotten better.
The law, as passed, is a joke. If your brain is busy focused and processing the conversation, it isn't focused and processing the road. The data is in http://www.news.uiuc.edu/news/04/1112cellphones.html It doesn't matter if the cell phone is hands free or not -- you're not paying attention to the most important task at hand, and therefore turning your vehicle into a potential lethal weapon.
i have to agree. there has to be some control of bad behavior. thefre's nothing nanny-state about requiring people to pay attention while they send 2 tons of steel over the roads.
if you can't wait until you're in a safe place to chat on a phone or download ringtones, you need to re-examine your priorities
The numbers have been pretty steady, even with all of the saftey enhancements
Or, because of all of the safety enhancements. With all of the safety features, people feel far safer in cars now, allowing for more distractions.
Motorcycles barely have safety features - how many motorcyclists do you see using their cell phones in traffic?
Maybe if they stopped selling cars with automatic transmissions, traction control, ABS, TONS of airbags, etc. people would start driving better. Sure, there could be just as many fatalities, but I bet there would be far fewer accidents like Wilhelm's.
Thoughtpolice--wow, what a transference of responsibility to the auto design engineers; rather, than enough human beings giving up common sense as to what is the appropriate mix of behaviors when handling a piece of equipment with the potential to get out of control, hit things, maybe even people, and do an immense amount of destruction just so I can talk on the phone with no guilt so laws have to be passed to control this? What ever happened to common sense of responsibility? :-)
Pattsi Petrie
Dot,
Actually, if the numbers are steady in the face of an increasing population, more cars on the road, and more miles driven per year, that means they are getting better. That means that fatalities as a percent of the population and as a percent of the miles driven are falling.
Thought Police,
You don't see motorcyclists using their cell phones in traffic because all the cool guys buy bluetooth capable helmets with the sound system pre-wired.
Thoughtpolice--wow, what a transference of responsibility to the auto design engineers
I'm not blaming the engineers. I'm blaming the mandated safety features and people for buying these vehicles. How many people buy/bought SUVs because they're "safer" (which, they're not...they're more dangerous to other motorists/pedestrians)?
You don't see motorcyclists using their cell phones in traffic because all the cool guys buy bluetooth capable helmets with the sound system pre-wired.
Incorrect. Cool guys don't wear helmets.
But seriously, I'd imagine that the frat boy squids are the most likely to talk on a cell phone (and they, uhh, don't wear helmets).
Does anyone have a link to the ordinance that was adopted? I would like to see the exact language and I'm spinning my wheels trying to find it.