August 26th, 2006
Talking on Your Cell Phone? Don’t Have an Auto Accident in Dekalb County
By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews
You may recall my earlier story on Lawrence, Kansas and a proposed complete cell phone ban. Dekalb County in Georgia hasn’t taken that step; instead, if you get into an accident while using a cell phone you are fined $500.
Drivers who cause a wreck while talking on a cell phone will face a fine of up to 500 dollars under a law that took effect yesterday in DeKalb County.
The law is believed to be the first of its kind in Georgia. It sanctions drivers whose improper usage of a mobile phone was a “contributing factor” in a collision causing death, injury or damage. Source: WTVM
We Say: The AP story doesn’t say if it matters if you are on a hands-free or not. Naturally, a spokesman for the wireless industry said drivers had worse distractions like objects moving around the car (?). Note that this is only in the unincorporated portions of Dekalb County. However, about 80% of the county is unincorporated.
Mikey says:
Wonder what will happen when they incorporate a built-in cellphone “killer” into motor vehicles. Automatically puts your calls into VoiceMail while the car is running, and cannot be defeated, BY LAW. You could also have the cellphone report itself to the local police dept (along with GPS data) if it see’s the car’s RFID chip active (in use) AND it’s making outgoing calls.
Just a thought or two….
August 27th, 2006 at 7:30 am
MissingFrame says:
Hmm, I’m not sure how this will help. Sounds nice, but if you thought your cell phone was going to cause an accident, wouldn’t the accident be deterrent enough? If you know you’re not going to get in an accident while using it, then why would you care about the fine? And we all KNOW we aren’t going to get in an accident while using our phone, right?
August 27th, 2006 at 9:03 am
Mike says:
#1 - PERFECT!!
This is a small step, but Mikey hit it on the head. If the car diables the cell phone, problem solved. Then they can do an accurate determination of how many accidents were truly caused by cell phones.
Mike
Damn good name too Mikey
August 28th, 2006 at 2:41 am
ed3 says:
Using a cell phone in the car does not automatically cause an accident. If it truly was a problem, the insurance industry would have caught on long ago… “Under 25 male, unmarried, and a cell phone user”
Now if you insist on supporing such a fine, then in my opinion the same fine needs to be placed on those applying makeup, eating, or shuffling around the passenger seat floor for a music CD while driving. The list of distractions is endless and could be a potential cash cow for police departments. “He was sneezing when he got in the accident, $500″… “She was having an asthma attach, $500″… “He blinked, $500″… “She passed gas, $500″
August 28th, 2006 at 4:35 am
Alice says:
Good points. Back when I was a teen smoker (Sorry Mom and Dad, but I did quit!) I almost crashed the car trying to light a cigarette. It took some practice and then it was not an issue, but the fact remains - everything you do in a car that does not involve focused driving is a serious risk.
August 28th, 2006 at 11:33 am
Dave says:
In Dallas, TX if you have a wreck while talking on your phone the wreck is your fault. Period. If there is third party property damage or an injury the police will check your cell phone records to see if you were on the phone at the time of the acccient.
August 28th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Bill says:
I recently saw the results of a study that found that talking on the phone, even handsfree, reduces reaction times to those of a 70 year old. Talking to people in the car with you is not as dangerous because they will often alert you to dangers you don’t see. You often see people on cell phones in cars who are totally oblivious to what’s going on around them. Drive up beside them and honk your horn they would probably drive off the road.
August 29th, 2006 at 12:26 pm