Texting While Driving in Kelowna - Epidemic

[Anonymous123]

A possible solution would be for the government to privatize the enforcement of this law. With a company that drives around writing tickets all day and they are paid on a 50% split with the local city?
That would free up police time.

Privatizing law enforcement thats a slippery slope no one in there right mind should be asking for.

I agree Gordon, look at the hatred that people have for Impark.

[John500]

Fines should be starting at $1000 and graduate upwards to the point you loose your vehicle as a previous poster wrote. But.....this government will never put something like this in place as they may loose votes. Thats how governments think. Also, we all are paying thru ICBC for the stupidity of these text and cellphone users while driving. so why should I be paying for someone elses stupidity. 2 biggest items, cellphones texting and speeding.

[chicklo]

I wish there was a license program you could go through that would allow cell phone use. The law already has exceptions in place so the foundation is there. I'm not talking about allowing full use but some. I drive for a living and my phone is my income. Unfortunately customers nowadays expect you to always be available and if your not they just move on to the next company. I'd even put a magnetic C on the back of my car so drivers behind would know.

[GordonH]

I wish there was a license program you could go through that would allow cell phone use. The law already has exceptions in place so the foundation is there. I'm not talking about allowing full use but some. I drive for a living and my phone is my income. Unfortunately customers nowadays expect you to always be available and if your not they just move on to the next company. I'd even put a magnetic C on the back of my car so drivers behind would know.

That is were safely pulling off the highway & taking your calls is all about. Pretty simple to do, its safer for you & the other drivers on the road.

[Randall T]

I wish there was a license program you could go through that would allow cell phone use. The law already has exceptions in place so the foundation is there. I'm not talking about allowing full use but some. I drive for a living and my phone is my income. Unfortunately customers nowadays expect you to always be available and if your not they just move on to the next company. I'd even put a magnetic C on the back of my car so drivers behind would know.

And the ones in front of you are going to be warned how?

Handsfree doesn't work for you? Not that I agree with it either, but it is still legal.

[chicklo]

That is were safely pulling off the highway & taking your calls is all about. Pretty simple to do, its safer for you & the other drivers on the road.

Sure sounds easy. But when you have to get to the next appointment and you have multiple msgs to return and the phone rings 4 times on your drive it's not possible or really safe either to be pulling over every few minutes. Add on that again ppl don't care that you can't take their call they just want what they want and they want it now. My question to you is what's the difference between me and the police offer as an example of uses electronic devices?

[Logitack]

Sure sounds easy....the phone rings 4 times on your drive it's not possible or really safe either to be pulling over every few minutes.

oh but it is safe to DRIVE and TEXT ?????? mmmmmmmmkay

[GordonH]

That is were safely pulling off the highway & taking your calls is all about. Pretty simple to do, its safer for you & the other drivers on the road.

Sure sounds easy. But when you have to get to the next appointment and you have multiple msgs to return and the phone rings 4 times on your drive it's not possible or really safe either to be pulling over every few minutes. Add on that again ppl don't care that you can't take their call they just want what they want and they want it now. My question to you is what's the difference between me and the police offer as an example of uses electronic devices?

Sound like you need to make a choice, your safety & other drivers on the road or your demanding clients.

Of course since there is almost nothing to current fines for using cellphone, you will continue to break the law.

[chicklo]

[/quote]

Sound like you need to make a choice, your safety & other drivers on the road or your demanding clients.

Of course since there is almost nothing to current fines for using cellphone, you will continue to break the law.[/quote

I use a headset so im not breaking any laws, in fact Ive used a headset well before the laws changed on cell phones. . I said it would be nice to be able to use my phone a bit more. It's stays secured in a holder and I legally can push one button(if I undestand the law correctly). Now if I could legally dial a phone number or scroll down to get voice messages that would be great. And as far as everyone's saftey goes again I ask if it's so dangerous why are exceptions already being made? Unsafe is unsafe regardless of who you are.

[Catri]

Suggesting that because the police are allowed to use their phones we should too is like suggesting that if we all put emergency flashing lights on our cars we should be allowed to ignore the speed limit if we're in a really big, important hurry (as decided by us, of course). It's silly. If your business is so busy that you are overloaded with calls, perhaps you should hire someone to take your calls, you know, like a clerk or a dispatcher.

[chicklo]

Suggesting that because the police are allowed to use their phones we should too is like suggesting that if we all put emergency flashing lights on our cars we should be allowed to ignore the speed limit if we're in a really big, important hurry (as decided by us, of course). It's silly. If your business is so busy that you are overloaded with calls, perhaps you should hire someone to take your calls, you know, like a clerk or a dispatcher.

Ok how about bylaw? Less silly? I've heard cell phone use being compared to drunk driving so you would be ok if say RCMP drove drunk? like I said a place where you could go to be tested to see if you can drive safely while using a phone would be a good option. I don't want to send texts, emails, update my Facebook and snap a selfie just some use. What's the difference of me dialing a phone number or scrolling through the six preset radio stations turning up the volume then pressing the seek button to check stations not preset? I've driven for over 15 years and always used a cellphone with 0 accidents. In fact I would bet my license I could drive better on my phone than 25% of drivers who are out there.

[Catri]

Wanna talk about drunk drivers? I have known people who habitually drove drunk and you know what they said to defend themselves? They said this: I would bet my license I could drive better after a few drinks than 25% of drivers who are out there. Sound familiar?

[Auto1]

I am glad that you are so successful. You are right. All of society should support you driving while talking on the phone so you can continue to rake in the cash.

Using a cell phone use while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (Source: University of Utah)
Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent. (Source: Carnegie Mellon)
Nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted driver, and more than half a million were injured. (NHTSA)

http://www.parrot.com/usa/responsibledriving?cat=38

Summary: A study published by Suzanne McEvoy in the British Medical Journal concludes that drivers who use hands free cell phones are equally likely to get into car accidents as are drivers who do not. According to a CBSNews

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/accident- ... hones/1592

It is too bad that world wide data (these are not the best studies, just the top two results on a simple google search) show that hands free is not a lot, if any, safer than using the phone itself.

Why not hire a driver, or an answering service? I know you clients want answers NOW, so maybe build that time into your busy day? It is not impossible, you just don't want to do the responsible thing and do it.

The sense of entitlement astounds me. All it takes is one accident. One.

[Hmmm]

I use hands free and its great. I also talk with passengers in my car while.....wait for it.......DRIVING. That being said, what the heck are people still doing not using hands free? Why do people insist on texting while driving?

PS, My IPhone lets me text and read texts hands free, SIRI reads them, types them and sends them. My steering control accesses it. All the while I remain heads up and watching traffic.

[Auto1]

I used to be a huge supporter of hands free - and I want to believe that something reading the texts helps (It comes built into some models of cars now), but the statistics don't support this notion.

When I got my class 4 licence we had to take an extended driver's safety course. Our instructor said that hands free is different from talking with people inside the car, because people inside the car will naturally stop talking when approaching intersections, or if they see a danger, or a car not staying in its lane, etc. Someone on the other end of a phone can't tell if there is an environmental change or danger for the person driving.

I just get annoyed by people that admit that they do it all the time. Maybe they are a driving savant and they can handle it, but the statistical data does not support that.