New Jersey Passes a No-hands Cellphone law.

[KC2OST]

I'm from NJ and I quit riding my motorcycle because of cellphones.

Every time I was out riding I'd have a close call with some moron with a phone jammed in their ear. It was uncanny.

I wish they would make it a 'primary' offense instead of a secondary. The law has no teeth now as a secondary, it's just a way to harass kids. Primary means they can see you using the phone and pull you over because of that. Make it a primary and make the fine $500 first offense, doubling each consecutive offense. $1k, $2k, $4k, $8k etc. That way it wouldn't just affect the working folks like most laws do.

It would solve another issue too....jobs expecting people to instantly pick up a cellphone call no matter what. I refuse to talk on my cellphone in the car...pisses people off at work all the time too.

You are exactly correct it is a secondary offense only punishable if stopped for another motor vehicle violation.

"c. [Enforcement of this act by State or local law enforcement officers shall be accomplished only as a secondary action when the operator of a motor vehicle has been detained for a violation of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes or another offense] Deleted by amendment, P.L. , c. (2[now]2 pending before the Legislature as this bill). "

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

QRN,
I can't say for Canada, but in the USA there are no laws which give emergency vehicles exemption from speeding or stopping at normal traffic signals. Flashing red/blue lights and a siren give no "rights" to anyone, they are only to let people know that there are greater needs than theirs at some particular time, and that they ought'a be aware that something unusual is happening and to make allowances for it. Those lights and sirens do not provide exceptions to law (spent too many years sitting under those dam things to not know that). They DO provide ~notice~ that there is/will/should be an exception to the typical "rules of the road" thingys in a particular circumstance. I've never seen it written into a law, but there ARE exceptions to ANY law under genuine emergency situations. (Even that 4 watt rule with CB radios, imagine that!)
- 'Doc

I guess I should have worded it a bit differant.Up here an emergency vehicle has the right to exceed the posted speed limit and not come to a full stop at a stop sign or a red light to the extent that the driver of said vehicle can do so and be free of any driving infractions when due diligence is used. That means that the driver is still responsible for any accidents he may cause as a result of his careless use of such rights.I have seen cases where police have been charged even when responding with lights and siren and I have seen cases where another driver was charged with failure to yield to an emergency vehicle when an accident occured. It's a thin line and every case is differant.You are correct however in stating that they do not have carte blanche to rip through an intersection without care.

 

[Switch Kit]

I was just curious .......what cb radio were we talking about in this here cb radio section of the Forum ? BAD BAD SWITCH KIT !!! ........Golly .......I was only kidding

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

you know it was some dummy buerocrat who thought
gee if cell phones are bad then so are CB's

yes a cb if used inproperly can be dangerous
but you know...i do not recall ever a problem caused by a CBer

i do see problems caused every day by cell phone users

also i have to agree making it a secondary instead of primary offense makes it a useless offense

yes we all know countless times how so many people become dummy's while talking on cell phones

however it is not just holding the cell phone while driving that is an issue.....even used via the countless hands free ways is proved to be just as dangerous as when used without hands free

hey is funny how they didnt make provisions for police fire etc

Happy 4th all

 

[Peddler]

Cell phone use seems to be the problematic with high school and college age females more so than anyone else.

 

[W5LZ]

"Cell phone use seems to be the problematic with high school and college age females more so than anyone else." -
Can't agree with that. If you would broaden it a bit, forget the age qualification, I think you'd be much closer to the norm. Throw in males too, they certainly are not immune.
I think the whole thing is more a 'peer pressure', or a 'bragging' right, something to impress other people with, a status symbol. And before someone get's their panties in a wad, they do have some usefulness. But not much when you stop and think about it.
If they were such 'necessary', 'required', means of communications, why are there not more pay phones than there used to be at one time, instead of quite a few less? And ~that~ trend started quite a few years before cell phones were ever invented.
By the way, when is a 'kid' considered old enough to have their own cell phone? Theres a reason for my asking. I went to pay my bill yesterday. While there, I watched a kid, no idea how old (something like 8 - 10 maybe?), browsing the display wall to select her first cell phone. (Moma was certainly worth looking at! Daddy had a sort of 'totally lost' expression on his face.) Reminded me a lot of the expression on my dad's face during my "rite of passage" thingy... first car, you remember? I can also understand the 'why', the expression of joy on the girls face! He'll remember that for quite a while.
And what it all amounts to is that if you don't do some thinking about the possibilities that cell phone will cause, you/we really do need something to make us do that thinking.
I think the possession of a cell phone ought to be cause for 'blowing' a driving test. Automatic, no appeal, fail if it rings during the test, written or practical. Can you imagine the HELL the state would catch over that - LOL?
- 'Doc

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

Too many people
regardless of age and sex do not use cell phones properly

but mostly i see teens of both sexes and women in general

 

[FJR Predator]

The problem with cell phones without hands free devices is that you have to hold them to your head. If you hold your hand to your head you virtually render yourself unable to turn your head. At least with a 2-way radio the speakers are external. Most can navigate the steering wheel with two hands and still have a mic in there hand. Almost like a speaker phone you can just about key the mic from the steering wheel and still be heard.

 

[hotrod]

problem with cell phones is text .i thinks its impossible
to text and drive.ive notice the younger generation text ALOT more then 30s 40s and up