Driving while talking on a cell phone is pretty much an unnecessary impairment regardless of who does it and regardless of the circumstances.

I don't see this so much as an indicator of the hypocrisy of government, so much as an example of human frailty.

At least the woman voted according to reason rather than her selfish desires.

Too bad that she let her selfish desires get the better of her.

The lesson:

Don't talk on the cell phone and drive, unless you have a hands-free device, even if you are a politician.

[edit on 2007/5/20 by GradyPhilpott]

Its not just that Grady. When this bill was passed, she was the head chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee and was the #1 pusher of this bill to pass. Thats where the sweet irony and hypocrisy's comes in. Apparently she was reaching down to answer it (didnt have a no hands device) and when she took her eyes off the road is when it happened.

Well, I'm not really arguing the sequence of events, so much as I am pointing out that the accident illustrates the danger of mixing cell phones and driving.

Yes, it is ironic and hypocritical on her part, but should we eschew all laws because legislators or as human as the rest of us?

The moral to this story remains, don't drive and use a cellphone, unless you have a hands-free device.

Sometimes legislators and judges get nailed for DWI, but that doesn't mean we should ditch DWI laws.


[edit on 2007/5/20 by GradyPhilpott]

No i fully agree with you on all counts. Yes driving and talking without a handsfree device is ignorant. As well as drinking and driving. It just got my ire that another politician was doing something that they fought so hard to get stopped. The laws are great(some of them) and no we should not eschew(had to look that one up) them. I would just expect our legislators, even though they are human as we are, to abide by them instead of thinking that they are above them as we have seen on many occasions.

Do i know that she thinks she is above the law? No i do not. Im just saying....ya know what im saying.

Well I don’t talk unless it’s with my earpiece. I don’t want the distraction. I would never dial a number while driving. Cant say the same for my husband though. He drives me crazy, talking without a hands free device. He dials too.

However, I can almost bet even if this bill passed, she would still talk on the phone. They pass the bills for us. It’s a different set of laws for them. Didn’t you know?

Clearly, this is an embarrassment for the legislator. If she were my legislator, I would take the incident into consideration the next time she comes up for reelection.

I don't do a lot of phone talking, even though I almost always have my phone with me, so it's not hard for me to take the high ground in this matter.

Typically, if it's necessary, I will dial while at a stoplight and use the speaker phone while I make a call. Usually, such calls take less than a minute.

If the phone rings while I'm driving, I might look at the display, but usually, I just ignore the call until I get to where I'm going, which is usually no more than 20 minutes away.

If the call is important, I, again, use the speaker phone.

In New Mexico, this is still against the law, as the law states that you're not even supposed to have a cell phone in your hand while driving, so I guess technically, I'm a hypocrite, too.

I can usually handle the phone in such a way that it's not obvious and since it fits nicely in my cup holder, I only have it in my hand for a few seconds, certainly no longer than it takes me to take a swig of Sam's Club Caffeine-Free Diet Cola.

I agree with the cell phone and driving ban.

Here in Louisiana they passed a law banning smoking in a car with a kid. They couldn't do the same for the much more dangerous practive of cell phone drivers.

A kid is more likely to get killed while driving with an inattentive cell phone driver, than someone smoking a cigarette. I don't think a kid has ever died because some one lit up a cigarette in a car. But smokers are an easy target so the bill passed. A cell phone ban will be much harder to pass.

The next thing they are trying to do is ban cell phone use in a school zone. Even that will have a hard time passing.

Democrats have had some bad luck lately when it comes to driving.

This is off the top of my head...

A Democrat State Legislature was stopped going over 100 MPH traveling from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. Her response? "Do you know who I am?"


Democrat New Jersey Governor gets seriously injured in a wreck where speed and non seat belt use contributed to his injuries.

And the #1 all time Democrat bad-Driver.....

Ted Kennedy! You all know that story.

My phone has name and number voice dialing so i never have to look at it while driving. Makes my life simple. I thought most phones had that. Guess im wrong. My last 3 have.

LOL your not a hipocrate Grady, just a talented lawbreaker

Actually, my phone has that, too, but since I rarely talk on the phone at all, I don't set it up so before I drive.

All it takes is a push of a button, but it never occurs to me, but then we're only talking about one call in every 50 trips.

[edit on 2007/5/20 by GradyPhilpott]

No surprise really.

I expect hypocrisy from my leaders and I expect every idiot on the road in the bay area (especially S.F. area) to be on a cell phone while they are driving 90 mph or cruising 2 inches away from my bumper.

The irony is indeed tasty though

Great Find! I love the way Karma works. LOL!

Humble Pie time folks....enjoy Senator.

Originally posted by S1LV3R4D0
Oh the sweet Irony.

To me, it's not merely "sweet irony," but a confirmation of circumstances that would initiate the "cell phone ban while driving" in the first place. In short, this particular Legislator lends further credence to the argument in favor of the ban!
Even if you can't see it behind the mask that my avatar wears, there's a very large grin...

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Driving while talking on a cell phone is pretty much an unnecessary impairment regardless of who does it and regardless of the circumstances.

This is the major point in the argument for such a ban...Drivers are distracted away from traffic while they commit a portion of their grey-matter to a phone conversation. It's the same type of distraction as if the driver looks down to change radio channels or grabs a bit of food purchased earlier from a franchise drive-thru...
Your suggestion of still allowing a "hands-free" phone system has merit, though.
In any case, when someone gets behind the driver's wheel, they're literally putting their life into their own hands. And you still can never be sure of the other drivers you share the road with, in any case; This is why a driver should always keep his eyes & mind on his surroundings, regardless of whatever else may be going on inside the car.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Yes, it is ironic and hypocritical on her part, but should we eschew all laws because legislators or as human as the rest of us?

No, we should make certain that the members of the government cannot & should not consider themselves immune to the very laws they create. That, I think, should be the true "moral" of this story.

Originally posted by Shar
I would never dial a number while driving.

Hmmm...A possible solution would be to get an auto-dialer that uses voice recognition, as Silv3r4do pointed out earlier. I've heard of those already being on the market, but I don't remember any specifics at the moment. Still, I commend your diligence to treating road/traffic conditions as being more critical than making a phone call.

Originally posted by S1LV3R4D0
No i fully agree with you on all counts. Yes driving and talking without a handsfree device is ignorant. As well as drinking and driving. It just got my ire that another politician was doing something that they fought so hard to get stopped. The laws are great(some of them) and no we should not eschew(had to look that one up) them. I would just expect our legislators, even though they are human as we are, to abide by them instead of thinking that they are above them as we have seen on many occasions.

Do i know that she thinks she is above the law? No i do not. Im just saying....ya know what im saying.

The law passed but hasn't gone into effect yet. So as of today it is still legal to talk on a cellphone and drive. She wasn't violationg any law on the day of the accident; however as the #1 pusher of the bill you would think she would have better habits.

As far as talking on a handsfree device there have been several studies which have shown that talking handsfree or on a handset is identically dangerous. Apparently the danger is the phone conversation itself, causing people to multi-task.

I've been using a bluetooth enabled radio/CD unit in the car for the last 18 months. It cost me under £200 but is useful as I often get calls calls outside of normal office hours as I am on call for any problems.
I drive through some very affluent areas to and from the office each day and it bugs me to see people in cars costing £50 - £70K or more driving along holding a mobile phone to their ear. I mean, come on people, if you can afford a BMW 6 Series coupe or an Aston Martin, surely you can afford a Bluetooth head unit in the car or a £30 bluetooth earpiece?

As for it being a distraction, it's surely no different from talking to a passenger whilst driving? I can talk while driving safely the same as I can walk and scratch my arse at the same time. Surely adjusting the volume of the radio or heater settings is also a distraction and should be banned too if multi-tasking is such a problem?

This is the typical stuff from both parties, they break the very rules they want us all to have to follow.

What do they mean state issued vehicle? Are we buying their cars now? Sure she works for the gov. , but why does that mean she gets a free car?

And just why was the Senator driving a Toyota? Didn't it say the car was state-issued? Wouldn't the state prefer to issue American made cars?

And just why was the Senator driving a Toyota? Didn't it say the car was state-issued? Wouldn't the state prefer to issue American made cars?

Japanese cars are more reliable than an American made clunker

ANYONE who drives a car while talking on a cell phone is a selfish fool and deserves to be tossed in jail with the DUIs and the DWIs. Blathering needlessly on a cell phone while attempting to drive is no different than being DUI or DWI.

I have one of those jars that say 'ashes of drivers on cell phones' sitting on my dresser. (full of loose change)

It's my pet peeve