Alberta passes distracted driving law

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

I always understood it to be "using" or "touching" a device. But the following line in the footnotes of the article is interesting :



That basically makes any mounted phone, GPS, and even most modern cars with built-in navigation systems illegal.

I just can't believe that would be true.

I'm fine with demerits in general though. The number of people I see still talking on the phone is surprising. Even if they think it is somehow better to put it on speaker phone and hold it in front of their face instead of at their ear.

Nobody will ever convince me talking on the phones are the problem, Dialing out, Texting, Twitter, Facebook...etc. are the real problem. these apps should automatically disable once you go over walking speed. People completely freak about drunk driving but yet Texting while driving is 5 times more dangerous. Social networking is not worth more than lives.

[Fuzz]

I'd like to see it made legal and encouraged to rear end anyone who doesn't go at a green light because their head is in their crotch. Light goes green, count to 2, then its fair game.

[Cyclops]

Never really understood why they created a new law for texting or screwing around with your phone while driving. They have Driving With Undue Care and Attention which is a severe enough penalty to get people to stop.

Like the fact that they increased the penalty though.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Cyclops

Never really understood why they created a new law for texting or screwing around with your phone while driving. They have Driving With Undue Care and Attention which is a severe enough penalty to get people to stop.

Like the fact that they increased the penalty though.

If your texting while driving and get into an accident in all likelihood you'll get the both tickets.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by T@T

Nobody will ever convince me talking on the phones are the problem, Dialing out, Texting, Twitter, Facebook...etc. are the real problem. these apps should automatically disable once you go over walking speed. People completely freak about drunk driving but yet Texting while driving is 5 times more dangerous. Social networking is not worth more than lives.

I wonder how close we are to cars having systems that disable all phone functions outside of Bluetooth based on proximity to the driver seat and the car in drive/gear.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by T@T

Nobody will ever convince me talking on the phones are the problem, Dialing out, Texting, Twitter, Facebook...etc. are the real problem. these apps should automatically disable once you go over walking speed. People completely freak about drunk driving but yet Texting while driving is 5 times more dangerous. Social networking is not worth more than lives.

I agree that texting and similar things are worse than talking because it also takes your vision off of the road, but I have seen some pretty horrible examples of driving by people with a phone to their ear. The biggest problems are not being able to hold a lane and driving dangerously under the speed limit. Like the lady on Stoney a few weeks ago going 80 in the middle lane while having a good old chat.

Either way, bring on the demerit points! I use my phone in the car as a GPS, radio/podcast device, and occasionally even as a phone in a pinch. Thanks to voice commands, I don't even have to touch it. I can even listen to and respond verbally to text messages if the need arises, though usually I can't be bothered. Nothing is ever that important.

[GirlySports]

yeah. nothing is ever that important. Get to destination first than figure it out.

or if phone is going crazy pull into a parking lot.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I wonder how close we are to cars having systems that disable all phone functions outside of Bluetooth based on proximity to the driver seat and the car in drive/gear.

I think that's the only measure that will work. Addiction to micro-communications is turning out to more intractable than even alcohol. What really changed behaviour around drunk driving was vilifying drunk drivers, not the punishments. Making it socially unacceptable. But that doesn't seem to be happening with using devices while driving. It might take a really high profile death of a major celebrity to make using phones will driving socially unacceptable. That seems to be about the only thing that reaches people these days.

What's really sad is it's looking it will take many years to changes peoples' behaviour, and many thousands will die in the meantime. This is what it must have felt like to be helplessly watching commonplace drunk driving in 1973.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by darklord700

I hope the distracted driving law could be tougher. Similar to excessive speeding in BC, I would go for impounding your car on the spot. In city driving, texting is worse than speeding and there's no reason to do it.

We should just summarily execute them by the roadside.

The Police should have the authority to double-tap them right there.

Keep them in the car though, no need to subject road cleanup crews to that type of detritus. Unless its snowing, then the plow guys can just keep right on going.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by Locke

We should just summarily execute them by the roadside.

The Police should have the authority to double-tap them right there.

Sometimes when I see people texting in a car beside me on the roads, this thought has come to my mind.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Cyclops

Never really understood why they created a new law for texting or screwing around with your phone while driving. They have Driving With Undue Care and Attention which is a severe enough penalty to get people to stop.

Like the fact that they increased the penalty though.

Agreed. We already had a law that covered texting and driving, I don't know why we needed another one. I'd prefer to see the new law abolished completely and start enforcing the existing one.

I just hope the police use common sense when handing out tickets however I am not holding out hope based on the track record so far.

[Ryan Coke]

Can I clarify, I can use my phone as a GPS for nav, but does it have to somehow attached to the car with a mount? I can't just have it sitting in a convenient spot? Or does the law not want the phone used for nav at all?

It is the 'affixed to the vehicle' wording I'm trying to clarify.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

...

What's really sad is it's looking it will take many years to changes peoples' behaviour, and many thousands will die in the meantime. This is what it must have felt like to be helplessly watching commonplace drunk driving in 1973.

Totally agree. Part of me wonders if it's a problem that society will be able to solve itself before driverless cars become more commonplace.

[speede5]

Undue care was too debatable in a court room, these laws target a specific action and are a better tool for law enforcement.

These laws are going to require frequent review, technology changes so fast and cars are becoming more interactive every year. It's nice to see them amend to consider the different screens in a modern vehicle, I hope SK gets on that as well.

[Reaper]

As someone who has been rear ended twice by people that were texting I wish there was an easy way to act as a witness to texting and driving.

The first time I was rear ended it was a matter of "I saw the other cars going so I went too without looking up." It was a minor bump without damage so we let it go because the guy was so apologetic.

The second time I was rear ended was at an intersection where the light had just turned green. I had started to drive ahead when an ambulance with lights on approached the intersection from the right. I stopped to allow them passage and was cranked by a woman that was staring at her lap (I saw in the rear view mirror) when she hit me. I told the attending officer what I saw and he said that without an electronic stamp from a message or email to corroborate that there was nothing he could do. The woman didn't even bother to see if I was okay even though she hit me hard enough to push me halfway through the intersection. That pissed me off as she just leaned on her car and cried. No regard for any injury I may have sustained.

[Northendzone]

i have been waiting at controlled intersections behind people who are looking in their laps/phones and i admit i have really wanted to lean on my horn to see if they would just go - but i then think how i would feel like the horses @$$ if they went and caused an accident that hurt an innocent person.....

i am glad they are introducing demerit points; however, i would guess that we will still see lots fo people who don't care and will risk it.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by Ryan Coke

Can I clarify, I can use my phone as a GPS for nav, but does it have to somehow attached to the car with a mount? I can't just have it sitting in a convenient spot? Or does the law not want the phone used for nav at all?

It is the 'affixed to the vehicle' wording I'm trying to clarify.

My understanding is that if you're not going to have it mounted, then said spot of convenience has to be a place where you can see the screen without having to pick up the phone to hold it.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

i am glad they are introducing demerit points; however, i would guess that we will still see lots fo people who don't care and will risk it.

Does anyone know if this will now be in the same vein as a speeding ticket? Demerits are a good step in the right direction but I think if people start seeing an increase in insurance rates, that would get the message across a whole lot faster.

[Voodooman]

I couldn't agree more with the idea of demerits for distracted driving. In fact, I'd be all in favour of insurance companies asking if you've been convicted of distracted driving, and increasing your premiums in the same manner that a DUI would if you have. Distracted driving is far more dangerous than speeding, and needs to be dealt with harshly.

In fact, for those still under the Graduated Licensing System (so in the first 2-4 years of driving), I think that a conviction for distracted driving should result in an automatic 1 year license suspension, and then you get to start your GDL period again from scratch. New drivers are already bad enough, and there needs to be harsh consequences for texting and driving.

In a perfect world, when you got pulled over, the cop should be able to impound your car for 48 hours, or destroy your device on the spot.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by Swarly

I assume he would assume that because if you don't assume that it becomes a completely ridiculous and asinine law/addition to the law.

Originally Posted by Acey

Honestly, I don't see how you could interpret it that way. If I change tracks on the digital radio display by pressing up or down, a one click action, am I manually entering information into the radio? Zooming in and out is not entering information... in terms of a GPS they're referring to the input of address or some other destination via a virtual keyboard or selection menu.

I've been in vehicles with people messing around on GPS "zooming in and out and what have you" without "entering information" (although I strongly believe you won't find that your definition of entering information the same as the law) and it has to be just as dangerous. I believe comparing it to changing tracks on a digital radio display is disingenuous given the far more information required to absorb.

If you need to mess with the GPS during driving you either didn't enter the information properly, can't follow direction or have a #### GPS. In any case, I wouldn't expect the officer to be able to distinguish the difference between touching the GPS to zoom or scroll or what have you and entering an address.