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Do you check your phone at traffic lights?

smallcoffee said:
I'm not trolling.

Again, having a different opinion doesn't make me a troll.

And yeah it's tragic that people have died from other's inability to drive properly. But that's just an emotional appeal and it won't get you anywhere.
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Nah, not trolling….. just riding a high hobby horse, and texting at traffic lights. Careful now, it might get spooked and buck you off.
 
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Bawstun said:
Honestly, some people just can't multi-task but believe they can. Pretty sure it's been proven that most people tend to think more of themselves than their peers. But anyway, I've *always* checked my phone at red lights, why not? I'm not in motion!

And all you have to do is type, check email, do whatever you're doing, while keeping an eye (pun intended) on your peripheral vision. If you see the car ahead of you moving, or cars on the sides of you in the other lane moving, or brake lights easing off, then DUH, the light has turned, and you immediately put your phone down and continue on driving.

How is that difficult? Well, for many it is. A whole lot of the human population are ding dongs. The people speeding up, veering off, are the same people who cannot talk to someone in a passenger seat and drive, or chew gum and walk, or anything else that requires awareness while doing something else. No way to stop/enforce them from trying though.
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If you move when the light turns, no problem. It's the people who are unaware or just trying to finish that text who get the honk. ;)
My impression which may be incorrect is that some police departments check cell phone usage after the accident to determine if it was a factor. That would be after-the-fact enforcement.
 
Huntn said:
If you move when the light turns, no problem. It's the people who are unaware or just trying to finish that text who get the honk. ;)
My impression which may be incorrect is that some police departments check cell phone usage after the accident to determine if it was a factor. That would be after-the-fact enforcement.
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Checking cell phone records to see if the driver/operator was distracted by a text or call is pretty much standard procedure for common carrier accidents these days. I don't know how often this happens when private vehicles are involved, but it wouldn't surprise me to hear that these records are sometimes obtained by attorneys, especially in incidents that result in serious injury or death.

I don't have a major problem with people who quickly check their phone when their car is stopped at a traffic light, though it's annoying if they don't get going when the light changes. As for usage while the vehicle is underway, it comes down to exercising appropriate personal responsibility for an activity that's a privilege, not a right. That applies to all types of distractions, whether or not they're prohibited by law, and to reckless driving. It also applies to other forms of impairment, including fatigue, drugs, and alcohol.
 
I finally put mine in my messenger bag and sealed it.

Problem solved.
 
Bawstun said:
Honestly, some people just can't multi-task but believe they can. Pretty sure it's been proven that most people tend to think more of themselves than their peers. But anyway, I've *always* checked my phone at red lights, why not? I'm not in motion!
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You're not paying attention while driving. Yes, sitting at a red light is driving and the highway code says pay attention, but it doesn't say play with your electronic gadget. The few seconds it takes for you to wake up to your surroundings impacts drivers around you. That adds up and the knock on effect impacts all drivers due to your selfish act. If you want to play with your cellphone then pull off the road and park where it's safe, and you ain't driving.
 
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dogslobber said:
Looks like this state is the latest to criminalize smallcoffee:

http://www.whdh.com/story/30190456/mass-legislators-to-discuss-implementing-hands-free-law

14 and counting according to that link with is 28% of the states in the USA.
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I live in a state where it's illegal. Personally never heard of anybody getting pulled over for it. I know it definitely doesn't stop anybody from doing it. They either make that decision because they're incapable of texting and driving and they know it, or decide it's worth the risk.
 
Not going to lie, but I do, even if it's illegal here in Canada. But as soon as the light turns green, I lock the phone and put it down even if I'm one character away from finishing my text message.
 
321estrellas said:
Not going to lie, but I do, even if it's illegal here in Canada. But as soon as the light turns green, I lock the phone and put it down even if I'm one character away from finishing my text message.
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Oh no not acceptable you can't possibly do that without driving into 300 people. Don't you see? You can't be sensible about it!?!? BAN IT WITH FIRE

Ugh
 
smallcoffee said:
I live in a state where it's illegal. Personally never heard of anybody getting pulled over for it. I know it definitely doesn't stop anybody from doing it. They either make that decision because they're incapable of texting and driving and they know it, or decide it's worth the risk.
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Are you capable of riding a high hobby donkey and and texting? Is it worth the risk?
 
If you aren't in motion it doesn't really matter. Any law to the contrary, is just another way for your police state state (gotta love the English language) to collect money should they actually opt to enforce it.
 
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Bawstun said:
If you aren't in motion it doesn't really matter. Any law to the contrary, is just another way for your police state state (gotta love the English language) to collect money should they actually opt to enforce it.
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Actually it does matter. Being alert of your surroundings is a key part of being a driver.
 
Bawstun said:
If you aren't in motion it doesn't really matter. Any law to the contrary, is just another way for your police state state (gotta love the English language) to collect money should they actually opt to enforce it.
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Josh125 said:
Actually it does matter. Being alert of your surroundings is a key part of being a driver.
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Of course it matters to be alert and aware to what is going on around you. Here's why…..

Micky Do said:
How many road accidents have you been involved in?

Two for me, over the past 40 years, both minor; neither my fault.

The first, about 40 years ago was a SMIDSY (sorry mate, I didn't see you), when a car passed another at high speed, then cut in and knocked me off my motorcycle…… just a broken thumb and bent handle bars, but could have been worse. It was the other driver's fault, but I realised than that, had I been more aware of what was going on around me, and better positioned on the road, I could have avoided it.

The second was about 25 years ago, when I had been stopped at lights. I became aware of a car full of drunken yobbos coming up behind me, and realised that it would hit me. I released the brakes and moved off, against the red light, but steering away from traffic entering the intersection on green, thus minimising the impact when it did occur…… just a small dent on the rear.

Now, had I been busy checking a phone when stopped at the traffic light, I would not have been aware of what was coming from behind.
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Check phone as in look up something or read text, rarely.

Check traffic further up my commute, or possibly change music I'm listening to. All the time.

Depends on the situation though.
 
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