PSA Distracted Driving month in April heavy enforcement

[ALANRIDER7]

Awesome! Thank you.

When will we see a "Stay to the Right" enforcement month?

Californians are completely incapable of the "Keep Right/Pass Left" thing.

Turn signals are optional.

They can't even look to the left when merging with traffic from an on-ramp. They just roll the dice and hope that an open slot is there waiting for them.

 

[theAmazingKickstand]

I like the poeple who get on the freeway at 23mph while making sure it' super safe....especially when the onramp and right lane merge into one.

 

[Yo!Joe!!!]

Bring back stick shift..!

 

[Yo!Joe!!!]

Awesome! Thank you.

When will we see a "Stay to the Right" enforcement month?

+ A MILLION..!

 

[TheRiddler]

I've seen other officers in court for cases of reading the paper or applying makeup at freeway speeds. 22350VC for 60 MPH (or whatever) with a safe speed of zero, the fine is like 480 . Even my 'regular' speeding tickets of like 85-89 are almost half that much.

That's awesome

 

[Gixxergirl1000]

They should make a law to put all 5 car seats in their own private little box. Talking to anyone in the back seat is distracting as is a nagging wife in the front. Also they shouldn't let people with accents be passengers cuz you always gotta pay extra close attention to what they're saying and ask them to repeat themselves. Pretty distracting too.

Unlike driving while eating a bowl of cereal- even if it's oatmeal...

 

[silversvs]

Awesome! Thank you.

When will we see a "Stay to the Right" enforcement month?

Won't happen.

Impaired drivers continue to kill and injure poeple at an alarming rate. Speed is still the highest primary collision factor in fatal and injury collisions. Its easily correlated that people who don't wear seatbelts end up injured or killed in collisions at a much higher rate than those who do. Distracted driving has been shown to result in high rates of injury and fatal collisions.

Its those type of statistics that unleash the NHTSA and OTS funds. Those are the targeted campaigns and safety issues. There's not a lot of collisions that are deemed to have been caused by a knucklehead driver putzing along in the fast line. While I know its frustrating, its not really a deadly driving habit.

 

[Lazerus]

silversvs, You're one of the good ones

 

[silversvs]

On my commute I've seen people while driving engage in the acts of:

- Eating entire bowls of cereal
- Applying makeup
- Blatantly using their handset
- Surfing the net on their phones

Those would all be deemed to be distracted driving habits. Its harder though to get officers to write those tickets, especially officers who haven't done any time in a traffic unit to be exposed to just how deadly those driving habits can be.

As Tharkun mentions, the appropraite violation for that type of distracted driving would be an unsafe speed for conditions ticket (a speeding ticket not a distracted driving ticket). Drivers can create their own "conditions." While the amazingkickstand may feel like he can drive with his knees better than any (insert your favorite crappy driver stereotype here) driver, that's all well and good until he has to take some sort of emergency evasive manuever. Any of the above list would be a condition that would make it unsafe to operate the vehicle at any speed.

Cops and drivers like simple. The cellphone law is simple. Don't drive while using your cellphone. "Using" has been defined in our courts as doing anything with the phone; talking on it, checking emails, playing Words With Friends, listening to music, or using the GPS. If you want to talk and drive, make sure your phone is hands free. Pretty simple really. If an officer sees a driver using their phone while driving the driver is in violation and they can get a ticket. The driver knows this and the cop knows this.

Writing someone a speeding ticket for driving at or below the posted limit while they are putting on their make-up is a whole different scenario. Its not simple like a cellphone. The officer has to explain to the driver why they are getting cited. The driver is going to argue that they weren't speeding. The driver is likley to take the officer to court. The officer has to convince the judge why the speed was unsafe. This all adds up to some officers steering clear of these citations.

 

[budman]

Mr. Silversvs

Has libmo pd ever cited a moto rider for distracted driving?

 

[DaveT319]

Some drivers still don't get it that "phone in hand" talking/texting is bad mmmmkay.

Most mobile phones have built-in speaker phone functionality. Put the phone on the dashboard and yap away. Please no excuses about not having bluetooth or wired earphones.

Which is retarded, because it's not the holding of the phone that's the REAL problem, it's the distracting conversation itself. I don't give a rats ass if someone wants to drive one-handed holding a cell phone; it's the people who can't have a conversation and drive safely that concern me. And those people are still dangerous with a "legal" Bluetooth device in their ear.

 

[Yo!Joe!!!]

Won't happen.

Impaired drivers continue to kill and injure poeple at an alarming rate. Speed is still the highest primary collision factor in fatal and injury collisions. Its easily correlated that people who don't wear seatbelts end up injured or killed in collisions at a much higher rate than those who do. Distracted driving has been shown to result in high rates of injury and fatal collisions.

Its those type of statistics that unleash the NHTSA and OTS funds. Those are the targeted campaigns and safety issues. There's not a lot of collisions that are deemed to have been caused by a knucklehead driver putzing along in the fast line. While I know its frustrating, its not really a deadly driving habit.

In Germany, the gov. don't even care if people don't wear their seat belts. In fact, it's hardly enforced (except for U.S. DOD). But using your cell phone to text or talk without a hand's free device is a big deal and the fines are very steep. The way the Germans see it, is that if you don't wear your seat belt you're endangering yourself. But if you're using your cell phone while driving, you're not just endangering yourself. You're also endangering everyone else that shares the road with you, including cyclists and pedestrians. I remember the German drivers always pulling over to the curve, or stopping at one of the rest areas on the Autobahn to use their cell phone. Speeding and DUI is another big one over there. Just my...

Edit: Also, forgot to mention that one of the other reasons drivers in Germany are good about pulling over to use their cell phone. Is that most cars over there are stick shift and so it's quite difficult to use the phone and shift at the same time. Hence my suggestion that U.S. auto makers should bring back "stick shift."

 

[liferider]

Will this apply to folks getting stoned while driving as well, cuz that HAS to be distracting

Every day, I smell it at least twice in both directions whilst commuting.

 

[silversvs]

Mr. Silversvs

Has libmo pd ever cited a moto rider for distracted driving?

Is that a challenge??

 

[two wheel tramp]

Bring back stick shift..!

View attachment 390642

I agree!

Will this apply to folks getting stoned while driving as well, cuz that HAS to be distracting

Every day, I smell it at least twice in both directions whilst commuting.

I smell it all the time on my bicycle. ALL THE TIME.

I am glad to see these PSA's running. I wish people would focus on the task at hand (driving) and pay attention, damn it!

 

[ALANRIDER7]

There's not a lot of collisions that are deemed to have been caused by a knucklehead driver putzing along in the fast line. While I know its frustrating, its not really a deadly driving habit.

Sorry, bub. I don't mean to piss in your Cheerios but....... you police officers that don't enforce the keep right/pass left concept have created a monster.

How many of us can recall countless examples of some autistic dickhead who plants himself in the left lane going 49mph and is TOTALLY OBLIVIOUS to the 37 drivers that pile up behind him???? Those frustrated drivers say 'fuck it' and pass on the right, which increases the potential for road rage, speeding, lane change collisions, cut offs and other traffic related stupidity.

Just try driving the 5 to LA and watch the show unfold. It's fucking infuriating.

You want to drive at 50mph on the freeways? Fine...... just stay the fuck out of the left lane. Duh.

 

[silversvs]

I'm with ya on that. My point was that you aren't going to find a bunch of fatal and injury collisions that were deemed to have been caused by the "autistic dickhead who plants himself in the left lane going 49mph and is TOTALLY OBLIVIOUS ". The cuase of the collision will be the over agressive "frustrated" driver who makes some type of unsafe pass or travels at a speed unsafe for conditions.

I too get frustrated by the drivers who poke along in the fast lane at the limit. The problem is they are at the limit. California does not have a specific "simple" law to address these drivers. We can use 21461(a) for not obeying a sign (slow traffic keep right) but what's the definition of slow? And those signs aren't posted everywhere.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm making excuses because I'm not trying to. Just trying to pass on the "why."

 

[ALANRIDER7]

I'm with ya on that. My point was that you aren't going to find a bunch of fatal and injury collisions that were deemed to have been caused by the "autistic dickhead who plants himself in the left lane going 49mph and is TOTALLY OBLIVIOUS ". The cuase of the collision will be the over agressive "frustrated" driver who makes some type of unsafe pass or travels at a speed unsafe for conditions.

I too get frustrated by the drivers who poke along in the fast lane at the limit. The problem is they are at the limit. California does not have a specific "simple" law to address these drivers. We can use 21461(a) for not obeying a sign (slow traffic keep right) but what's the definition of slow? And those signs aren't posted everywhere.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm making excuses because I'm not trying to. Just trying to pass on the "why."

We both know the left lane is no place for the tree hugging, asshole Prius driver going 51mph to be placing himself and putting down roots in his misguided and delusional efforts to *re-educate* the motoring public. Just because they're not speeding doesn't mean they're not causing trouble. Those douchebags don't belong in the left lane. Period.

You guys have basically validated their idiocy by not pulling them over and telling them to stay the fuck out of the left lane.

Germany is a whole different deal. You will have your ass handed to you if you don't adhere to the keep right/pass left concept. That didn't happen by accident. They enforce it there. California would be a hell of a lot better off if it was enforced here. It's not that hard to do.

What gives?

 

[jeepjockey]

California does not have a specific "simple" law to address these drivers. We can use 21461(a) for not obeying a sign (slow traffic keep right) but what's the definition of slow? And those signs aren't posted everywhere.

I don't normally tell other people how to do their jobs, but when I do, it's with half-baked amateur ideas.
Wouldn't being pulled over and hearing that they're being targeted for DWD (Driving While Douche) correct this behavior for most drivers?

There are presumably myriad indicators that can to a trained eye create probable cause to suspect that the driver is impaired, off the reservation, out to lunch, unlicensed or smuggling pillows with the tags cut off. Fast lane camping seems like it should fit that bill. They should draw your attention because they look like they are trying to hard not to draw your attention - like the guy who does a U-turn before the checkpoint.

Back on the distracted topic. Over the weekend I spent several hours in the back of a minivan in traffic :| with bikes splitting by and I saw that no fewer than 20% of drivers were using their phones handheld . But I had a vision -- an epiphany -- and it was this:

Getting people to pull over is too much work and disrupts traffic. Just post up in a kidnapper van with a DSLR and mail the bishes their tickets . Two operators could generate at least two dozen citations in an hour (with less risk of getting shot or run over!). What's the record for present methods?

 

[thedub]

..."Using" has been defined in our courts as doing anything with the phone; talking on it, checking emails, playing Words With Friends, listening to music, or using the GPS...

So, if I can be cited for changing the song on my phone while using it as an iPod, or zooming in while using it as a GPS navigation unit can I similarly be cited for changing the song on an actual iPod or using an actual, dedicated GPS navigation unit?