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2600 Deaths? wow... 300 million people and we are going to focus on 2600 deaths.. and we are not really going to focus on the because all that will happen with more laws is that people will use hands free phones, and still kill people.
No matter how hard you try, you are not going to stop people from dieing one way or another...
After you make it so that a driver is in a sound proof bubble and is wired up so that the car will know if they are not paying attention... are you going to start on the fact that pedestrians walking along side the roads is very dangerous? Or crossing the road... maybe we need to make walking illegal.
it looks to my like the total number of accidents and deaths in the USA are going down, not up... so I assume you are shooting for that magic number of "0". good luck with that.
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I do not believe that America is better than everybody else...
America "IS" everybody else.
HBAT
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I do not believe that America is better than everybody else...
America "IS" everybody else.
The Wilder Side Of Hawaii
Posts: 859
Threads: 10
Joined: May 2008
Greg..
you are correct... I don't drive much anymore and never was one to use the a phone while driving. But more laws are not going to fix the problem.
centipede.. no problem with any assumptions, thats half the fun of debating online, getting to know people.
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I do not believe that America is better than everybody else...
America "IS" everybody else.
HBAT
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I do not believe that America is better than everybody else...
America "IS" everybody else.
The Wilder Side Of Hawaii
Posts: 8,462
Threads: 1,032
Joined: May 2003
I kinda disagree with you Jon.
Another law will not solve the problem but it may well reduce the problem.
Believe it or not there are people who obey laws and will discontinue driving and yapping on the phone.
The intended result - reduced death and injury could well happen.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
Posts: 859
Threads: 10
Joined: May 2008
And I expect you to disagree Rob...
They will never make talking on the phone illegal... they might make using hand held phones illegal but not talking. The thing is, if they do, the numbers are not going to drop. The numbers have stayed about the same for 10 years or more and Cell Phones are just 3000 out of 50000 or so deaths. Use the effort and have people pass a driving test every 5 years, that would make a difference. Passing laws that will not be enforced wont.
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I do not believe that America is better than everybody else...
America "IS" everybody else.
HBAT
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I do not believe that America is better than everybody else...
America "IS" everybody else.
The Wilder Side Of Hawaii
Posts: 1,273
Threads: 41
Joined: Oct 2007
There needs to be a law called "distracted driving" or some such.
Which involves being drunk and driving.
Driving with a dog in your lap.
Driving with stupid tires that can't turn or brake.
Driving talking on the phone.
Driving while "on" anything.
And the penalties should be extreme. There were 120-130 fatalities on roads on this island last year. Most were directly attributable to stupid driving.
I've gone out and retrieved fatalities of people killed in their HOUSE when a drunk ran through their bedroom wall. It's a big problem, and an unnecessary one.
I've also seen the major of a town I lived in--in an event I won't mention, crush 3 cars in a parking lot with cops looking on, and got an escort home--I wouldn't care, except a friend of mind got a DUI that same night on a BICYCLE.
Well, there you go.
Posts: 5,640
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Yes, let's keep the laws vague so a cop can pull you over for anything, even wearing sunglasses, if he feels like it.
And vague enough so the rich can get off with a good lawyer.
Cell phone use while driving is a deadly epidemic. Even if it's not enforced, many people won't do it once it's illegal.
Posts: 1,595
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Inattentive driving is a deadly epidemic. I'm all for banning cell phone use, but I would agree with Jay that all other forms of carelessness should be included. Think of the ordinance as "flexible", instead of vague.
If some dweeb killed a family because he was trimming his nose hairs while driving, he shouldn't escape accountability because there isn't a "nose hair" ordinance.
As far as the police profilling, or whatever, I'm personally amazed at how little I think about it since I quit drinking and smoking twelve years ago. It's just another example of the empowerment that comes with complete sobriety.
punatoons
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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 51 percent of Hawaii’s traffic deaths in 2005 were alcohol-related.
(http://www.lyslaw.com/html/drunk-driving.html)
... the other 49% were ... sober....?
Isn't almost every one of that 49% of accidents a distracted driver, really? (Save driver heart attacks and such.)
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I'm fairly sure it isn't almost everyone, Kapohocat, because you didn't include speeding or other forms of reckless driving (going too fast in the rain etc.), and youngsters or others who have just learned to drive.
Thanks for pointing out that 51% were caused by alcohol abuse.
