Bring it on!!!!!!!! http://www.theprovince.com/police+w...racted+drivers+report+says/8069132/story.html
YES I agree ......but here are a few observations about how difficult this law is to police: 1) outside of stop signs/signals and very slow driving areas, it is very difficult to actual see a cell phone in use. 2) long hair obscures everything......................"just scratching my ear officer." 3) on the highway you may see a vehicle swerve, but did you actually see a phone being used? 4) see a cop.....drop the phone and scratch your ear. Cell phone use on the road is a problem, but I feel for cops trying to police it........next to impossible to catch the stealthy ones ...........they only can get the real dumb ones. I completely support the "idea", but ultimately I think the only solution will be a technological one .......one where the car-tech will only allow a hands-free device to be used while at car is in motion. People are addicted to cell phones and are not about self regulate. If we can mandate seat belt in cars for safety, surely we can mandate some type of cell phone blocker?
I think the deer cause far more accidents. They should cut all the trees down to make it easier to see the dang deer. Makes about as much sense... Bikes should have "jammers" on them to shut the cell phones down when they are near us....
Take the vehicle as well. "Wipe" the phone before returning it on the third offense. Crush the vehicle on the 10th offense. I'm kidding or am I?
In this area the cops will set up what looks like a speed trap, only it is actually a cop with a telescope watching you while you drive towards him/her. Officer sees you on the phone, sends his buddy in the waiting cruiser off to chase you down and give you your prize. And I say bring it on, too. Around here we could have ten times as many cops on the highways and they would all pay for themselves many times over.
If I could waste a wish it would be to un-invent cell phones. I have almost been hit three times (twice on my bike) with people talking on their stupid phones.
If the government, through their traffic revenue collector division [the police] really want to increase revenue [Oh yes they do!!!!] and, increase safety, this seems like a no brainer. The level of close calls while driving my pu, and riding my bikes over the last 5 yrs, witnessing of errant car drivers veering all over the place, red light running, green light non-movement, slowing down for no apparent reason,,,,ALL easily observed text related divertions from driving by other drivers,,,,, I simply cannot see why traffic police cannot make this a financial windfall with minimal effort.
Would not be a waste of a wish. It would make the world a MUCH better place if cell phones were to disappear. IMHO
Yabutt... How many times have I seen one of our finest on the cell or texting :ddog Lead by example. No personal comms when on duty. OT
For some reason police and other emergency workers were exempted from BC's "no cell use while driving" law. :huh The two-way radios they already have are much simpler to operate aren't they?
Its the same in Ontario, It pisses me off too. I'm presuming its supposed to be for emergency's. But one day I was filling up with gas, when i watched a cop pull in beside me to get gas, He was talking on the cell when he pulled in and i could hear him when he got out of the car. He was discussing with his wife what to pick up for groceries on the way home.
I work part time for BC ambulance. I was in the back with a patient while my partner swerved into the other lane cause he was texting. We have a radio to talk to dispatch. However too much of our communication is still by cell phone in that medical taxi. If I a driving I throw it back to my partner.
I believe this isn't the first post where you equated in one form or another that the police are "Revenue Collectors". I would like to present a retort to why this is not actually the case. Take for example the minor penalty awarded to you for your indiscretion. From the onset of that officers shift to the time of your REWARD, there are his/her wages, vehicle costs, data entry clerks, and the list goes on. The costs associated for writing that one minor ticket far exceeds the amount of your penalty. Therefore rather than revenue collection is has to be deemed as a deficit and the only way a windfall can be obtained is to raise the ticket premium to cover all costs. I would probably have to give up riding/driving altogether to avoid the risk if I had to foot the bill on the ACTUAL cost. So can you imagine what the actual cost is when some pissant fights a ticket in the hopes of having it dimished on a technicality. I have paid my fines and points, I considered them as as track days back then as in BC there is no real track since Westwood gave way to realtors. From a logical and fiscal standpoint, issuing tickets serves no purpose other than penalizing the financially troubled. Those that can afford tickets continue to drive/ride in the same manner. At the end of the day the taxpayer/insuree pays a percentage of everyone elses indiscretions. The alternative would be to up the ante, again not feasible or logical. Keeping in mind the deficit costs of the many recent high profile deficit sentences awarded to drunk drivers in this province. I can only imagine the frustration that the families and relatives of the many victims have to endure as a result of lenient sentencing. Lastly, for those out or province posters/riders that are dissuaded to travel to BC, I hope that you will reconsider. It's Beautiful BC as the plates state, great riding and can easily be enjoyed by adjusting the air/fuel ratio rotator and enjoying the scenery. Remember that you have already commited to a high risk lifestyle for just being a motorcyclist, the same associated risks and costs are prevalent wherever you choose to travel. Paying a penalty surely is far better than the less desirable outcome.
I appreciate your opinion. Unfortunately, you have not succeeded in changing my mind. The way you word it, you make it sound like the revenue collector,,,,,,sorry, traffic police officer, goes out and gets one ticket dispersal per shift. I'm not sure that's the case. No, they usually always set up shop by hiding at the bottom of a hill, in an area quite notable and widely recognized as being speed posted inacurately slower that it would be anywhere else in the world. Safety is not enhanced in these classic cases, it's all about the money. And there they sit and line them up. And don't get me started about the 40km/hr instant impound roadside judgement in BC, based on police officer visual judgement alone without speed detection device confirmation!!! WTF? You're point about the rich continuing to be able to drive is also inacurate. Even rich people who easily can pay off huge fines, still have their license taken away if they are unable to understand the characteristically conservative speed postings in this province. I, and most all of my riding friends have chosen over the last few years to do most of their extended riding holidays in the western United States. Not just the silly speed postings within BC, but the main reason is the vastly more entertaining roads found south of the '49th', and the sheer number of them, and the relative thin use of other traffic compared to the minimal, and clogged roads here. And of course, the better weather. And the cheaper fuel, and hotels,,,,food. Rant over. On the other hand, drivers who text offer a clear danger to me as a motorcyclist, as well as a car driver, so I give full support to the traffic patrol in this regard pressing down on this habit [addiction] among the car driving crowd. Just to let you know, My last speeding infraction was in BC, in 1994.
I too hate cell phones and all that is related to them. If people would consider for a mili-second the possible outcome of their need to text or talk while driving etc on these must have machines now a days then maybe they wouldn't do it. BUT, the fines are far too cheap and undamaging to your driving capabilities that none of the cell phone users think about getting caught. IMHO. The police need the power to be able to demand that you hand over your cell when stopped and if it has been on in the past 5 minutes from the time you were stopped then you get the fine and I would love to see you loose the phone until fine paid. Make this a full time carreer for officers to be able to do......the idea of allowing the officer to determine what fine or adjust the fine to suit the amount you show of cleavage is wrong......no sweet talking nothing full pop everytime no mater what. Also bring back speed cameras and enforce them to the limit and have zero avenue to fight it in the courts.....if you are caught on camera or your licience plate was caught.....you are guilty.....even if you weren't driving. You gave permission to that driver hoping they would obey the laws. It's your responsibility to judge who will obey and who will not, so it's your responsibilty to decide who uses your vehicle at all times......making the fine your problem also. Like it or lump it! Plain and simple....now just enforce it and give the powers to be the power to do just that. No questions....a pic is worth a thousand words and also proof of guilt. Once again plain and simple. Same goes for cell phone charges......as said above, stake out a oocation with a camera and shoot a pic of them on the phone while driving....done. guilty pay up! And here's your sign and points! The only way you hurt people is in their wallet. If the penalty is steep enough we will sooner or later get in line. Look at seat belts.....we all whined and complained....but after a few either close calls or fines we all started buckling up.......we had to.....now it's second nature to buckle up before starting the car. Just do the same for other issues....stop the mamby pamby attitude to giving out fines and sentences. IF the cops need a secretary sitting shotgun in the squad car, put one it to get through the amount of paperwork needed to deal with the fines.....so be it! Just stop this mentality of.....cry baby way of dealing with issues....start dropping the hammer and ghet the country back on track to strong morral standards once again. It will make the whole place a better place to live in the end. People in the fifties still had bags of fun.......before we gave in to all mannor of BULLSHIT!
These are all fixed costs the government has elected to absorb whether the cop hands out tickets or not. Not true. The marginal cost of the cop handing out the next ticket is the paper the ticket is printed on. I think most police departments are computerized now (a fixed cost) so there is very little data entry that goes on now. So the government has so much investment in fixed costs that it needs to hand out many tickets (at close to zero marginal cost) to recover the fixed cost. the more tickets handed out, the more tickets to spread the fixed cost over and each ticket absorbs less fixed cost. Basic economics. Therefore rather than revenue collection is has to be deemed as a deficit and the only way a windfall can be obtained is to raise the ticket premium to cover all costs. I would probably have to give up riding/driving altogether to avoid the risk if I had to foot the bill on the ACTUAL cost. Valid point here. But the government should discourage this by adding a costs charge to every failed defense. Even $50 - a small portion of the cost of the government's actual cost in enforcing tickets in court - would discourage "hail Mary" defenses. Especially absolute charges (like speeding) vs. judgement charges (careless driving). I'm sure many roads in BC have conservative speed limits, but I doubt they are 40 kmh conservative. Remember - not every rider may be as skilled as you are or have the same reaction as you. The speed limits are most likely determined based on someone below the median speed/reaction time and not above the median. Here in Ontario they brought in no-cellphone laws a couple of years ago where talking with your mobile was only permitted in a hands-free mode. You still see people talking on their phones, even though 95% have speakerphones nowadays. All the law does is provide a charge for the police to give you after an accident. I once interviewed an ex-RCMP beat officer in northern Alberta for a position and over dinner he was mentioning that he laughed at all the people he would see panic and start attaching their seatbelt once they see him on the road. He said the BS involved in pulling someone over for such a minor infraction discouraged cops from doing so. I suspect it is the same here in Ottawa with police not pulling over people using cell phones. Too much hassle.
I love it! Couldn't agree more. Couldn't agree less. It is not my responsibility to dictate how anyone else drives. The driver should be insured, not the vehicle.
This or my comment was for offences caused by someone driving your vehicle......if you can't trust the person who you lend the vehicle to to drive according to the law....then perhaps you need to not give your permission to use your vehicle. This goes for all offences such as speeding or if they bring into law the great idea of taking your pic on the phone while driving same as speed cameras. Just send the owner of the vehicle a copy of the pic and it's up to you then to pay up and stop the driver from using your vehicle again. Poor judgement on your behalf and a loss of a vehicle on thier after you stop them from using it again. Also to get the funds etc from them to pay for the fine. They could do it on a no point fine the first time and points on the second and more offences. I'm sure you will learn not to let others who don't drive accordingly use your vehicle. Sure it's nice of you to allow someone else to use your vehicle if they don't own one, but......on the other hand it's not fair they don't obey the laws while doing so causing you to get the fines......no? Seems like a fair way to deal with it......that is unless you are one who doesn't follow the laws also.....no offense to each their own. Here's another pet peeve of mine now I have started driving very close to the speed limit......people who flash their lights to warn of a cop hiding. Sure it also reduces your speed until you find said cop and altimately slows the traffic down.....but it also just enforces the lets beat the system mentality. Yes I was a speeder also in my younger days and drove similar to being in a ralley car....old habits die hard.....but after time.....it really doesn't get you there that much sooner.