Cell phone ban

Bet he messes with the CB per another thread.

But don't make him wear a helmet or seat belt.

 

It is sheer hipocracy!

I have my rights....But you don't get any.

 

Yeap, I have a CB. Yes I use it. My convos on the CB are very short. Less then a minute mostly but never more then maybe 5 minutes unless I am parked.

It is not like I am having hour long convos on the thing.

Like yesterday, spent about 8 ish hours in the truck. Total CB time was probly 10 minutes. Usually only when I heard a strong signal calling for a contact. Answer the call with location and "name" and a freindly "wave". Then let put the mic back on its hook so it is not just dangling there next to my head getting in the way of my mirror.

Also take into mind that I am usually running the state roads in North Dakota. Not much out there to get into trouble with. I can go hours without seeing one vehicle.

I don't like to chat on my CB in traffic or while going through town etc. I like both hands free so that I can shift if need be and not have to let go of the wheel.

I have a great fear of possibly hurting someone especially since I usually am running alot heavier then your average truck since I am legal for 105,500 lbs on North Dakota State roads. In the years that I have been driving a truck, I have yet to rub another vehicle muchless get into an accident of ANY sort with a truck. I have never been off road in a truck even with the many miles that I put on each winter on nothing but ice,slush and snow. Something I take great pride in. The only thing that ever got bent on the truck is the front bumper and that was from sinking a front wheel into a frost boil in the yard causing the bumper to kiss the ground. Heck, I have only tagged 1 deer with a truck. Yeap that was 1 single deer. And I put on many miles in our local deer ally during peak movement times.

See, when I started driving, I too was on the phone alot. I got tired of holding the phone and purchased a wired headset and my phone time went up drastically. I even added extra crap to the truck so that I could get a good signal in areas were signal was not so great. I then purchased a Blue Parrot headset. to get rid of the wires that were getting wrapped up in the shifter and steering wheel while I was driving.

It was when I started questioning myself about things on the road while on the phone, that I realized that I was kind of a hazzard on the road. Although I did not hear the brail ont he side of the road etc, I was questioning myself as to if I looked in the mirror when I moved over to another lane, or did I signal my lane change or when I would quickly come up on another vehicle that was moving slower because I was not dedicating the attention needed and did not notice that the vehical was moving that slow. See, that very lasting that I want to be know as is that dimwith steering wheel holder that is not paying attention to the road and just cut someone off.

Another thing is that our insurace company sends someone out on the roads looking for our trucks. They will follow our trucks and note anything and everything that happens. They then send reports back to the office, some call them nasty grams. These reports have truck numbers, trailer numbers, vehical speeds etc on them. The safety manager gets these and he puts them on his door for EVERYONE to see and since all the drivers know who is driving what unit number etc then they know who was doing what while on the road. Some drivers get pissy about the nasty grams on the door. I actually got a nasty gram 4 years ago. Following too close, failed to signal lane change, Aggressive behavior, 72 in a 65 etc. It bugged the heck out of me for the longest time. The last one I seen that had my truck number said 68 in a 75, signalled properly, lights on through contruction etc GOOD JOB!

I fully understand that some people need to have their phones for their job and sometimes they must field calls. But there are far too many people out there that run for hours on end yaking on the dam things not paying attention to anything else on the road. It is these types of people that are causing the problems and will cause some type banning to happen. It is these types of people that are going to get phones produced that won't do anything if the gps in them senses movement of greater then 25 mph.

You know, they say it is the few that ruin it for many. Well it is the other way around this time, it is the many that are going to ruin it for the few.

In that link, It said that there were 2600 deaths related to cell phone use while driving. It also said there were something like 300,000 injuries related to cell phone use while driving. It also said that there were possibly more deaths and injuires that might have been cell phone related.

Who close to you has to be killed or injured because someone was talking on a cell phone while driving, before you guys see that it is a problem and that something shoudl be done about it.

I personally have a family ban on cell phone use, especially with my kids. It is kinda harsh but hey. I followed my daughter around town once and she had her phone stuck to her ear the majority of the time. I had warned her before but she did not listen. I went home and waited for her. She walked in and I asked for her phone, I looked at the history on the phone then walked down into my garage, set the phone on my Vise and smashed it with a 32 oz ball peen hammer. The message was clear, crystal clear and my other daughters got the message. Their phones are off when they are in the car.

 

That explains a lot right there.

 

I worked for many long years with the phone. I had to work on returns and answer questions from clients and multi task to a large degree.

In the ambulance, I had to do the same. Sometimes, you had to contact the hospital for additional medication or special treatment while treating the patient.

In my truck, the phone rings, I look at it and the traffic.

I may not even answer it. I have a head set and do not hold the phone.

Many times I leave it in the truck when I go inside somewhere.

I personally want the ability to choose. I do not have a qualcomm or anything in the truck. It is how we contact dispatch and others.

I listen to audio books for the most part.

Just because you cannot handle the ability to multi task or even your daughter, does not mean that others cannot.

I have seen many talking on the phone and not weaving. I have seen some who weave for no reason.

Like I said, bigger government and more regulations are not needed.

 

I agree to a extent. Regulations are a necessary evil, but our congress tends to go overboard. Give them a inch, and they take a mile.

 

Actually, we wouldn't need all these regulations if people would police themselves better and use their head rather than for a hat rack.

But, all it takes is a few people to fudge it up for the rest of us, yet all the "innocent victims" who proclaim to be more responsible will always whine and cry and act like they have no idea whatsoever why these retarded laws get created in the first place.

 

People don't know how to police themselves. They dont know how to take responsibility for their own actions. They get into a accident, and blame the company for firing them. They can't find another job, and blame big brother for not giving them a free check every week. This is the sad reality of our nation.

While you may be able to manage priorities, not everyone can. The people who are against more regulation will sing a different tune when they are the ones involved in a accident. Lets say you're against this proposal, and it doesn't pass. When your wife, daughter, whoever gets killed in a accident because the other driver was distracted by a phone, will you still be against the proposal (rhetorical question)?

 

I disagree - "sexting" while driving, is the only remedy for on the road loneliness...

 

It was only a matter of time until someone dragged this old turkey out....

Looking for the kneejerk emotional response?

What if the driver that kills your little family was drinking a soda?
Talking to his passengers?
Looking at the contents of his briefcase?
Eating a burger?
Driving with no distractions at all?
Hair blew in his/her face?
Looking some direction other than where they should have been looking?
Messing with the stereo?
Sneezing....Or just plain old fashioned stupid?

Are we gonna out law Sodas? Passengers? Briefcases? Eating? Not having any distractions at all? Hair?, Looking the wrong way?Stereos? Sneezing? Stupidity?

The fact is that all of those things that I mentioned are responsible for many accidents every day, Probably far more accidents than cell phones are but the poor old cell phone is the new cigarette for the weenies and zelots that always have to be banning something for "safety".

People are generally stupid idiots and will always figure out new ways of accidentally killing each other through that stupidity...Enacting all of these new laws and regulations will not prevent that but it is surely eroding our freedom in this country.

So, In answer to your question...No , I would not change my position regarding the erosion of our freedom for the remote possibility of a little more safety.