Cellphones On The Road

Have you ever went to call your mom back or text a friend on the long drive home from school/work? I suggest waiting till you get home.

According to Boston Globe, Secretary Stephanie Pollack says we need to enforce our laws against phone use in the car. Police Officers are saying its hard to enforce these Texting ban laws due to not being able to tell if drivers are texting and not just changing their music (Vaccaro).

Massachusetts just recently joined 20 other states (including the rest of New England) in banning cellphones behind the wheel. Starting in late February, drivers will be not allowed to use their cellphones unless they use hands-free technology and Bluetooth systems (Vaccaro).

What happens if I do use a phone behind the wheel?

  • For your first time offense there is a fine of $100.
  • $250 for your second offense.
  • $500 for any offense after that. 
What about music or maps?

Drivers will still be allowed to use navigation apps such as Waze or Google Maps if their phone is mounted on a dashboard. Drivers will also be allowed to make a "single tap or swipe" (Vaccaro).

According to Daily Mail, The United Kingdom is taking serious measures to prevent drivers from using hand held devices while driving. 

The UK has put in hi-tech cameras that will be used to catch drivers using phones. The high-definition cameras take pictures anytime a driver is on the phone. The images are then sent to the police and notices "of intended prosecution posted to vehicle's owner in the same way as speeding penalties" (Payne).

AI cameras that snap drivers using their mobile phones catch 100,000 Australian offenders in six months. A trial using new technology to catch drivers using their mobile phones illegally will be rolled out in time for the new year
Tom Payne 
Australia also has high-definition cameras and caught more than 100,000 drivers in six months. 
The cameras use 'sophisticated algorithms' and 'artificial intelligence' to get quality pictures which are then sent to the police. (Payne)

The penalty for using cellphones in the UK is a 200 (262.71 USD) fine. 

The idea of banning cellphone use was introduced in 2017. Only calling or texting was banned so Police Officers found it difficult to tell what someone is doing on their phone. After an accident, killing many, the UK decided to enforce the cellphone ban more (Payne).

Why should we not text and drive: 

When using your phone and driving you are 4 times more likely to get into a car crash. Some see the law as unfair or ridiculous to go as far as putting in cameras, but the government enforces these laws to protect us and others from getting hurt and or dying. Imagine killing someone over a snap chat that you just "had to reply to". 

"When a driver on an electronic device hits something or someone, that's not an accident," Baker said."It's a crash that was avoidable"(Bostonglobe.com).


Works Cited:

“GHSA.” Home, www.ghsa.org/state-laws/issues/distracted%20driving.
Payne, Tom. “HD Traffic Cameras: UK Drivers Face Fines for TOUCHING Phones.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 1 Nov. 2019, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7637497/Now-offence-TOUCH-phone-driving.html.
Vaccaro, Adam. “New Cell Phone Ban Changes Rules for Drivers - The Boston Globe.” BostonGlobe.com, The Boston Globe, 26 Nov. 2019, www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/11/25/new-law-changes-rules-for-drivers/Cgzf1h95irZc7reCa2kQCJ/story.html.







Comments

  1. Anonymous12/6/19, 10:22 AM

    I agree with waiting until you get to your destination before texting or calling someone. Not being on your phone while driving could save someones life. It just takes 2 seconds with having your eyes off of the road for something bad to happen. The law's should be strictly enforced, and like what the UK is doing with adding cameras, I think that that would be a really convenient thing to do.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ms. LaClair12/8/19, 7:28 PM

    Strong quote to end your post. Do you think this is more of an issue with younger drivers, or is this a widespread problem at this point?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12/9/19, 8:02 AM

      I believe this is a wide spread problem. Although young drivers do use cellular devices while driving, adults also use their phones. I have witnessed my friends parents, my parents, and other drivers on the road who are on their phone. That's why the UK is putting in these cameras to prevent this problem.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous12/8/19, 9:34 PM

    What applications are these people most commonly using? what solutions are there to stop this from happening in the moment? is that possible?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous12/9/19, 8:32 AM

    Audrey this blog is super interesting! I personally feel like if you need to text someone you should pull over and respond. Also do you think you can elaborate on the "single tap or swipe"? how would they monitor that?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous12/9/19, 8:33 AM

    I agree strongly with this blog. Having someone in my family die from someone on there phone while driving I think that being on the phone while driving is dumb. The points you made are very strong and well thought out.

    ReplyDelete

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