I’ve been thinking more about the recent N.C. ban on texting while driving, specifically how utterly useless the law is. It got me thinking that if our legislators were serious about making the roads safer, perhaps they would pass a law requiring older drivers to submit to additional screening as they get older. Such a law might have saved the life of a 42-year-old motorcyclist as well as the life of a six-year-old girl getting off her school bus.
I generally support the efforts of the AARP but they were dead wrong in opposing this bill. I hope that Rep. Ric Killian and the rest of General Assembly gets bold enough to pass this bill during the next session.
BTW, here’s an example of how stupid this new law is. The law says you can’t mess with a music player on your phone. Well, I have both an iPhone and an iPod Touch. Under the law, I’m not allowed to interact with the music player on the iPhone. However, my iPod Touch is not a phone and is therefore not covered under the law so I can do whatever I want with the music player there — the exact same music player that is on my iPhone. Is that stupid or what?!?
Tanner,
Are you sure that only phones are covered and not other devices too? Personally, the cynic side of me believes this is more of an effort (since it’s a primary violation) to allow LEO’s to pull people over so that they can check for other violations.
Oh, and now that I think of it, since you can use broadband services on the iPod touch couldn’t that be counted as a phone? And, don’t you think some prosecutor would try hard as hell to say that was the case?
one other thing, if they don’t allow you to use your MP3 player on your phone then why are they allowing GPS use? That doesn’t make any sense at all…
see, you guys need to come to the dark side….libertarian! w00t! 🙂
Scott, I really don’t see this law having been pushed by law enforcement. Cops are some of the most distracted drivers and it would be completely hypocritical for one to ticket a driver for this so-called offense.
I believe this law will result in almost no violations. A total waste of time.
I mostly agree with libertarian ideals. The problem is that we don’t live in an ideal world. I believe some big corporations will happily screw their customers over given the chance to make an extra buck. An unfettered market would spell disaster for most people.
That, however, is a topic for another day . . .
Mark, I agree that this will result in almost no violations but it can be abused such that they can use it at their indiscretion to make routine stops. Just another tool in the box, so to speak…
As for big corps, I agree totally however big government does the same and it’s harder to change governments than corporations! Also, if you believe that libertarians are all about big corps you got some reading to do, my friend! 🙂
I am well-versed in libertarianism, Scootdog. I’ll explain more in a future post.
scootdawg, yes, it’s only phones. See http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2009/Bills/Senate/PDF/S22v0.pdf
“It shall be unlawful for any person to use additional technology, as defined in G.S. 20-137.3(a)(1), associated with any mobile phone, while operating a vehicle on a public street or highway or public vehicular area.”
“Additional technology. – Any technology that provides access to digital
media including, but not limited to, a camera, electronic mail, music,
the Internet, text messaging, or games.”
My iPod Touch is not a “mobile phone”. And, yes you’re right, neither is my GPS receiver, even though I can do both of those actions on my iPhone.
This may make me think twice when it comes time to upgrade my phone since I was thinking that when the iPhone has enough storage I would trade in the iPhone and the Touch for just an iPhone with more memory.
well, I still wonder if some slick prosecutor would try to claim that an iPod touch is a phone because it can “skype”…ya know? I’m very leery of all legislation like this (or most really)
I saw a WRAL article where the logic behind this was to make people think twice. Crap like that really bugs me.
I think we’re all on the same side of this one…