Time for comprehensive common sense cell phone control legislation

Distracted Driving

At 55 mph, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for about 5 seconds, long enough to cover a football field. Each day in the United States, approximately 9 people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.1 Distracted driving is driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving. Distracted driving can increase the chance of a motor vehicle crash.

Source: Distracted Driving (U.S. Centers for Disease Control

That is approx 3200 people KILLED each year by these death machines we call smartphones. What about the families of these victims? Who speaks for them?

The numbers illustrating the dangers of cell phone use while driving are downright startling. In fact, at any given time throughout the day, approximately 660,000 drivers are attempting to use their phones while behind the wheel of an automobile.

Smartphones have made it easy for us to stay connected at all times. But that can pose serious safety risks if someone decides to check his or her text messages, emails, phone calls, or any other mobile applications while driving.

Cell phone distraction rates are alarmingly high. We hope with a little information, you'll make the right decision when you're on the road.

Source: Texting and Driving Accident Statistics

Seems that the vast proliferation of smartphone sales in the past 10 years has resulted in an incredible increase in deaths from these killing machines. In the past, it was difficult to txt while driving, and that kept the incidents very low. However, the introduction of smartphone technology makes it easier for younger and younger drivers to be distracted to the point of killing. There is no need to have a smartphone that can allow the ease of communication at this rate of text. This is a crisis that has been ignored long enough in this country. How many more children must die before we consider banning these death machines.

There is nothing wrong with common sense regulation of smartphones. There is no Constitutional protections that would prevent a total ban on any smartphone that allows the user to enter more than one character per minute while txting. In addition, we need a federal law that will prevent the local development or importation of a device capable of such carnage. Only the military and police need communicate so quickly. Regular people do not need to have this ability to be instantly connected, and to respond immediately so quickly.

I think mandatory capital punishment is in order for anyone found to have one in their possession and in use during an accident that results in the injury and death of another. Until that is done, anyone that owns one of these death machines needs to have a full and comprehensive background check and be approved by the federal government to purchase or own.

When will we be open to a reasonable discussion on this horrific issue.

How many must die?

Comprehensive cell phone bans should be a paramount consideration as well as any company that profits from these death machines. Also, we should force the companies making these death machines to limit the speed of txting to a reasonable rate. Anything less is putting money int he pocket of these irresponsible companies. How many of those companies spend millions in contributions to political campaign and lobbying to allow them to continue this "everything for profit" behavior?

I am appalled........

Lol..touche

Do pharmies next please

a reply to: Krakatoa

Ban Cellphones before More Children are Slaughtered !

With a rant like that then please refrain from using the quote at the bottom of your OP from Ben Franklin. Freedom is not safe.

a reply to: Krakatoa

What are you even saying chinese man?

a reply to: Krakatoa

I see what you did there..but..



!Tenth

After we get some common sense cell phone control,

We can get some common sense abortion control.

Since rights are subject to the whim of the mob.

a reply to: Krakatoa
In the UK, it is illegal to hold a phone while driving. If you haven't got that law, it would be a start.

a reply to: Krakatoa


As long as it's comprehensive common sense.

The link show distracted drivers by the way not just cell phone related.
Eating,
GPS,
Hell I once saw a lady reading a book on the highway. Had it laying on the steering wheel.

a reply to: agentblue

Vvvvvvvvvvvrrrrrrrooooooooooshhhhh

That's the sound I heard as his post flew over your head.

a reply to: DISRAELI

I think it's the same way here too, it's just next to impossible to enforce, a lot of people are watching google maps on their phones too.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: Krakatoa
In the UK, it is illegal to hold a phone while driving. If you haven't got that law, it would be a start.

Same with Canada. Fairly strict cell phone control.

More backup data, from the National Highway Transportation Safety Authority fro, 2015.

Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,477 lives in 2015 alone. NHTSA leads the national effort to save lives by preventing this dangerous behavior. Get the facts, get involved, and help us keep America’s roads safe.

Distracted Driving

How many death will it take before you careless and uncaring smartphone uses wake up and stop this madness!!

It is really shameful, you must all be ashamed of thinking of only yourselves and how you are so self-indulgent and irresponsible.

I for one have been rear-ended twice by these psycho's behind the wheel. I am only lucky to not have been killed!!

General Cell Phone Statistics
Note: These are the most recent statistics available T

The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving.

- 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving.

- Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.

- Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds.

- Traveling at 55 mph, that's enough time to travel the length of a football field.

- Texting while driving causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road.

- Of all cell phone related tasks, texting is by far the most dangerous activity.

- 94% of drivers support a ban on texting while driving.

- 74% of drivers support a ban on hand-held cell phone use.

In addition:

Teen Driver Cell Phone Statistics

- 11 teens die every day as a result of texting while driving.

- According to a AAA poll, 94% of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving, but 35% admitted to doing it anyway.

- 21% of teen drivers involved in fatal accidents were distracted by their cell phones.

- Teen drivers are 4x more likely than adults to get into car crashes or near-crashes when talking or texting on a cell phone.

- A teen driver with only one additional passenger doubles the risk of getting into a fatal car accident. With two or more passengers, they are 5x as likely.

Statistics from: Edgar & Snyder: Personal injury Law


This data clearly shows that we need to raise the age of ownership for these death machines. I propose you need to be at least 21 years old, have a full background check, apply for a federal license to carry, and required to pay to attend mandatory smartphone training courses by a qualified law enforcement professional.

a reply to: Krakatoa

Well I blame the NCA! The damned National Cellphone Association has been lobbying congress to keep their phone fettish from being infringed upon, and more and more people are dying! Everyone of these phone fetishists are racist murderers!

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: Krakatoa
In the UK, it is illegal to hold a phone while driving. If you haven't got that law, it would be a start.

Or to go further, cell phones would not receive text while the operator/ owner was in motion, or perhaps work at all beyond emergency services. A bit of fine tuning would be needed like say in public transportation where an on board beacon might allow passengers access. Again some fine tuning.

Well, it would appear you OP and overall argument is based on false equivalencies and logical fallacies.

originally posted by: tothetenthpower
a reply to: Krakatoa

I see what you did there..but..

!Tenth

Do you dispute the statistics, the data, or the premise that distracted driving (mostly being cellphone texting) does not exist in in this country? I made no comparisons to any other topic but this ongoing scourge. If you are against that, then you must be in support of killing families on the road then, right?

What kind of heartless sociopath would support such sick and senseless behavior?

As far as I am concerned, I could care less. 2 people have died in my immediate family from a wreck due to cell usage... we all die from something and we have no control over fate. It’s nothing to lose sleep over. # happens and if I died tomorrow from someone’s careless mistake of judgement then I bet I’ll make good flower food. Apathy is the opposite of brooding motherhood and I am not one to sway myself on hypothetical thought experimentation. Sorry but I’d take my chances on getting shot at a school shooting or someone plowing into my family in a drunken stupor trying to text his girlfriend about breaking off a piece.
Please go sit down with the authoritarian rules. Men were born free to make mistakes and do good. It’s up to the individual to live with their decisions. Sorry for seeming callous but maybe we should bring back the mob justice like the Salem witch trials since you seem to LOVE rules and laws that impede on a person’s right to live as they see fit.
So by your logic laws are there to impose fines on people even if there is no harm done to another.... so the correct definition you look for is infraction of social constructs to change or steer society’s overview of what is right or wrong.
I am just not feeling your argument but do agree that cell phones are distracting drivers and yes there are deaths due to distracted driving. I am totally not refuting the facts that you laid out but I am refuting the argument laid out based off of emotion. Law has no grey area, either it is or it isn’t....

Now that I have read a few of your post since I first replied, I get the feeling that either this OP is playing a tongue in cheek humored joke or drawing parallels with the bump stock argument... if so, Well played ole chap, well played! Touché

originally posted by: Krakatoa

originally posted by: tothetenthpower
a reply to: Krakatoa

I see what you did there..but..

!Tenth

Do you dispute the statistics, the data, or the premise that distracted driving (mostly being cellphone texting) does not exist in in this country? I made no comparisons to any other topic but this ongoing scourge. If you are against that, then you must be in support of killing families on the road then, right?

What kind of heartless sociopath would support such sick and senseless behavior?