New Cell Phone law Passed

[pickupkid]

No cell phones..no texting in a moving vehicle....not just school zones..everywhere.....oh no.



http://www.kens5.com/story/news/loca...ance/18592513/

How do I call my provider ? Guess I have to yell "Hey Baby"

[WestCoastWendii]

I heard someone say they got a $200-$250 ticket for using their phone... :/ Ouch!

[Dick Fitzenwell]

Welcome to the 21st century. This law was passes years ago up North.

[JohnnyYanks]

Is Siri not allowed too?

[CashmereLove]

Yep, I got a $210 fine for using my GPS-viewing a mobile device while the vehicle is moving I was on 35 headed to an outcall and the officer spotted it from the shoulder. I am from Dallas and we don't even have this law..we have the not using a mobile device in a school zone and not texting for anyone with only a learners permit. I was like what the hell..the Officer said he could tell I wasn't texting and only using my GPS and suggested that I explain to the Judge that I am from Dallas and possibly he would dismiss it, but no luck. So he dropped the fine from $250 to $210...woohoo But seriously how are you suppose to use GPS...I mean hell its better than back in RE days when we had to use mapscos while driving...lol

[oneman]

Wow. It doesn't matter what the law says, I am still going to use my cell phone, just like I have always used it. The law is for others, those that obey the law.

[pickupkid]

no gps...guess we will have use maps..gee ..were regressing.

[thewayne]

Damn. Next thing the law will tell me to stop hobbying. Oh, wait.

[Whispers]

hmmmm.......

So..... If you are On the phone.... which is committing a crime now..... they use other recent interpretations and cease the phone as evidence and find you were on your way to commit another crime, i.e. prostitution.....

Can they stack all that up?

Are we headed for felony Cell Phone use?..... What is the next charge to come from being on the phone and hitting someone? Tecnically you are hitting them while in the act of committing a crime..... Does the "accident" become something more?


Inquiring minds.....

[SA Angel]

Yeah.....I live by my GPS. I'm asian and female. I already have two strikes against me for driving. Now they want to add being lost to the things that hinder my driving ability?



Disclaimer: I'm joking. Just because I happen to fit the stereotype does not mean that the rest of my demographic does.

[NikkiWhite]

This has been law in cali for a long time. You will get used to it lol

[Precious_b]

Originally Posted by SAangel27

Yeah.....I live by my GPS. I'm asian and female. I already have two strikes against me for driving. Now they want to add being lost to the things that hinder my driving ability?



Disclaimer: I'm joking. Just because I happen to fit the stereotype does not mean that the rest of my demographic does.

LOL!

I never heard that stereotype until I went to California.
A big brusk Irish guy told me that.

I couldn't stop laughing.

[inspector farquar]

Originally Posted by Whispers

and cease the phone as evidence

Shouldn't they just ask you to seize and desist?

[Hottassamelia]

From KSAT this morning :

SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio City Council unanimously voted in favor of banning the use of hand-held devices while driving Thursday morning.The ordinance goes into effect Jan. 1, 2015.

"By strengthening this law, we're going to make San Antonio much safer," District 10 Councilman Mike Gallagher said in October, when the council's Public Safety Committee approved the proposal.
It is currently illegal to use a cellphone while driving in school zones. The new ordinance expands the law to include all parts of the city.

Drivers would not be allowed to talk, text, view email and pictures, or use smartphone apps while driving, even if the driver is at a stoplight or stuck in traffic.

San Antonio police Chief William McManus said the increase in safety is not the law’s only benefit.

"It makes it a lot easier to enforce (texting while driving laws) because typically what you hear when someone is stopped for texting is, 'I was just dialing a phone number.’ Well, now you can't do either," he said.

Hands-free devices are exempt from the ban. Drivers would also be allowed to use their smartphone for GPS navigation so long as it is affixed to their vehicle. Emergency calls would also be exempt.

The ordinance does not apply to a person who is: On private property or legally parked, operating an authorized emergency vehicle while acting in an official capacity, licensed by the Federal Communications Commission while operating a radio frequency device other than a wireless communication device, or preventing injury to a person or property.

A violation would cost a driver $200.

"Today, City Council approved a Distracted Driving Ordinance," said District 9 Councilman Joe Krier in a statement released Thursday. "With such widespread support, it is clear citizens have realized this is an issue that results in distracted driving. I've requested a study to determine the effectiveness of the law. At the end of 2015, the City will review and report on the statistics to see whether or not this law reduces the number of crashes in San Antonio."

The San Antonio Police Department plans to inform residents about the ordinance via a campaign called "Keep 'em on the Wheel, San Antonio." The campaign will be launched through social and mainstream media. You can view below a Public Service Announcement the department produced."


..........

Call me crazy but I think it's a really good idea.It was evident yesterday that San Antonio can't even drive in the rain...much less while emailing and text messaging...

[ck1942]

But it is still not illegal -- **specifically** -- to, while driving:

-- have a coffee mug in one hand (and maybe a doughnut in the other?)
-- drive while doing your eyebrows, makeup, eyelashes
-- sing along with the raydidio, CD player, 8-track tape deck
-- watch your DVD player
-- make out with your GF/BF/SO (assume center seat has a seat belt) - they still do have center seats, right?
-- get road head
-- eat your Big Mac
-- yell at other drivers
-- swig a Big Gulp, Budweiser in a paper bag, diet Coke or bottled RC or Mexican Coke
-- attempt to connect with the hot chick in the next lane

**specifically** of course, but other traffic ordinances/laws might apply in instances above, such as driving aggressively, unsafely, speeding, etc.

Facetious, I am, and of course, the accident that engendered the City Council's action was a horrendous death of a tyke run over by a teenager grasping to recover his dropped cellphone.

All of us need to drive safely and eventually most handheld phones will have some sort of application that recognizes when the user is actually driving the vehicle and will disable the unit's ability to function while in command (if not actually control) of the vehicle. Think probably California.

Of course, trying to use your handheld while driving to report dangerous drivers, forest fires, homicidal maniacs or wayward Legislators, might not only get you a medal, but a fine for violating the cellphone laws.