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Distracted driving and other road safety issues


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#41 stormy

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Posted 12 February 2014 - 11:07 PM

I don't know why HB wants horrific collisions.  Nobody wants to be in a crash, especially one that could have been prevented by not being distracted in the first place.

He wants proof I guess.  But why the emphasis has to be on horrific I don't know.  Even a minor accident is one too many when it is because of a cell phone.



#42 HB

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Posted 12 February 2014 - 11:10 PM

I dont want it but there are individulas here saying that talking on cell phones is so dangerous and many accidents have resulted. I call BS and am still waiting for someone to post 1 single accident where a person talking on a cell phone was to blame.

 

The law in my opinion is a tax grab.

 

Not the texting part the part that says you arent allowed to talk on a phone while holding it.

many people making claims but not one single BC or Canadian accident listed here Im calling the bluff.

 

ok forget horrific just show where a cell phone conversation cause an accident. Our Government claims it is so dangerous.

 

Show me something and that will be the end of my ranting . Not form some far off country but from here where the law is "saving lives".


Edited by History Buff, 12 February 2014 - 11:15 PM.


#43 stormy

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Posted 12 February 2014 - 11:12 PM

I dont want it but there are individulas here saying that talking on cell phones is so dangerous and many accidents have resulted. I call BS and am still waiting for someone to post 1 single accident where a person talking on a cell phone was to blame.

 

The law in my opinion is a tax grab.

 

Not the texting part the part that says you arent allowed to talk on a phone while holding it.

 

lits of people making claims but not one single BC or Canadian accident listed here Im calling the bluff.

I just did.  Go back to 2.


Edited by stormy, 12 February 2014 - 11:13 PM.


#44 Bingo

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 06:19 AM

This thread is becoming tedious.

Lets hope that those who think that cellphones don't cause accidents don't become the victim of cellphone distracted driver. 

 



#45 jonny

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 09:30 AM

The issue with proof is that you can get a blood or tissue sample from a corpse which proves the driver was drunk or high, therefore demonstrating that a fatal vehicle accident was the result of a DUI.

 

You can't take a blood or tissue sample that demonstrates a corpse was using a smartphone at the time of the accident.

 

Is an at fault driver going to admit they ran over your kid because they were too busy yakking on the phone? Not bloody likely.

 

Vehicular accidents caused by driver distraction due to the use of mobile devices are likely significantly under reported. You will need a witness who can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that at the moment of collision the driver was distracted while on their phone, which is going to be hard to get in most instances.


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#46 lanforod

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 09:42 AM

The issue with proof is that you can get a blood or tissue sample from a corpse which proves the driver was drunk or high, therefore demonstrating that a fatal vehicle accident was the result of a DUI.

 

You can't take a blood or tissue sample that demonstrates a corpse was using a smartphone at the time of the accident.

 

Is an at fault driver going to admit they ran over your kid because they were too busy yakking on the phone? Not bloody likely.

 

Vehicular accidents caused by driver distraction due to the use of mobile devices are likely significantly under reported. You will need a witness who can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that at the moment of collision the driver was distracted while on their phone, which is going to be hard to get in most instances.

Cell phone records???



#47 jonny

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 09:57 AM

Cell phone records???

 

Would those prove conclusively, without a reasonable doubt, that the driver was distracted in that one instant the accident occurred? I'm not sure.

 

I mean distraction is a momentary thing, whereas being intoxicated is something that occurs over time. Hard to prove IMO.


Edited by jonny, 13 February 2014 - 09:58 AM.


#48 HB

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 11:25 AM

This argument is an endless one my point is and has been that it is not by any means illegal to have a telephone conversation whe driving
The government obviously doesn't think it it worthy of banning
However if you touch you phone while talking I to it that is illegal
If you are driving and your passenger has a phone to your ear so can can converse that is not illegal because you are not touching the phone

How is it that it is not distracting if the phone is minuted somewhere on your car but it is if even one of your fingers touches it while you are talking


It's a regulated tax grab

#49 sebberry

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 11:30 AM

How is it that it is not distracting if the phone is minuted somewhere on your car but it is if even one of your fingers touches it while you are talking


It's a regulated tax grab

 

No doubt that the regulation needs a little refining.  Should I be ticketed for hitting the button on the side of my phone to skip a song while I'm stopped at a light?  I don't think that's in the interest of public safety, but the police officer dressed as a bunny at the side of the road doesn't seem to agree. 

 

 

HB, you still haven't answered my question:  Can you say without a doubt that having a conversation with someone doesn't take your attention away from driving?


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#50 Mike K.

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 11:58 AM

Police will seek access to phone records if they are lead to believe the driver was talking on the phone or engaged in a text message.

Remember, vehicles have black boxes just like aircraft. Police can seek a warrant to access the box along with phone records. They'll easily correlate whether or not texts were sent or calls received while the vehicle was running, proving beyond a reasonable doubt the driver was using their phone (especially if a witness saw the driver using the phone; the receiver of the call will also be questioned under oath of course, if need be).

I didn't know about these black boxes until someone sitting on a local traffic committee confirmed that this was not urban myth. In the event of a deadly accident in particular police heavily rely on them.

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#51 stormy

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 12:18 PM

HB this may not be 'horrific' enough for you but......

A few years ago my client and his parents were in an accident where a woman on a cell phone went through the red at a major intersection and they had no way of avoiding her. The father's back was injured so badly he had to go on disability then retire early and has been in pain every day since the accident. The mother broke two ribs and her ankle. My client, who uses a wheelchair, had a broken sternum and two broken ribs. Seeing as he cannot bear weight you can only imagine the agony it was for him to be assisted in transfers. The car was written off.
The woman and her kids were unhurt.

My client's mother reported that she had seen the woman talking on the cell phone just as they were approaching the intersection and then the woman did admit that she had been on the cell phone.

My client's parents future was permanently changed that day, both medically and financially. For them it was quite horrific.



I doubt this person who caused this accident would have mentioned phone unless my client's mother had reported it.
HB you wanted one, just one, incident and here it is, it happened in Vancouver.

Edited by sebberry, 13 February 2014 - 12:30 PM.


#52 stormy

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 12:30 PM

I was trying to click on original post of accident to add response, but for some reason it wouldn't let me, I had to add response as a second post. I am on my iPhone instead of comp.

#53 sebberry

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 12:31 PM

I merged the post for you.


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#54 stormy

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 12:38 PM

Thank you Sebberry, is that an iPhone issue or is there a specific way to do it. Wouldn't work at all for me.

#55 sebberry

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Posted 13 February 2014 - 01:21 PM

Thank you Sebberry, is that an iPhone issue or is there a specific way to do it. Wouldn't work at all for me.

On my phone I can't seem to quote a post using the forum's desktop skin.

On mobile, tap the post you want to quote and you should see the quote button appear. Tap that, then the post should be quoted in the reply box.

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#56 Bingo

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Posted 14 February 2014 - 03:09 PM

Police in Greater Victoria are cracking down on the dangerous driving habit with a month-long campaign targeting cellphone-use behind the wheel. In the first five days of February, Saanich police issued 57 tickets for using an electronic device while driving. More than 100 tickets have been issued in Saanich so far this month.

 

B.C. banned drivers from using electronic devices in January 2010, but even four years later officers are still hearing excuses.

 

One person was hit with the $167 fine twice in the first six days of the campaign.

 

Last week, officers from the Victoria Police Department caught distracted drivers in a variety of ways, including being in unmarked cars and being passengers on B.C. Transit buses. Cops on the bus would radio their counterparts on the road if they saw drivers displaying behaviour consistent with distracted driving.

 

more: http://www.vicnews.c.../245416081.html

 

 



#57 Baro

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Posted 14 February 2014 - 04:14 PM

Was almost hit again by someone turning right while I'm on the crosswalk,  like 90% of the time they were chatting away on a cell phone.


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#58 Bingo

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Posted 14 February 2014 - 04:18 PM

Was almost hit again by someone turning right while I'm on the crosswalk,  like 90% of the time they were chatting away on a cell phone.

 

While "palming" the steering wheel with one hand, while turning through the crosswalk?    Yikes!



#59 sebberry

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Posted 14 February 2014 - 04:25 PM

For the second time now I've had someone stop in the middle of Fort street with cars behind them and a green light ahead and honk at me to move from the center lane to the right lane:  http://goo.gl/maps/tww8a

 

No, I will not take the right of way, and the line of cars behind you who now missed the green light don't appreciate you stopping in the middle of the road either. 


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#60 pherthyl

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Posted 14 February 2014 - 05:59 PM

I dont want it but there are individulas here saying that talking on cell phones is so dangerous and many accidents have resulted. I call BS and am still waiting for someone to post 1 single accident where a person talking on a cell phone was to blame.
 
The law in my opinion is a tax grab.
 
Not the texting part the part that says you arent allowed to talk on a phone while holding it.
many people making claims but not one single BC or Canadian accident listed here Im calling the bluff.
 
ok forget horrific just show where a cell phone conversation cause an accident. Our Government claims it is so dangerous.
 
Show me something and that will be the end of my ranting . Not form some far off country but from here where the law is "saving lives".


Given how much you've written on this topic you'd think you would have taken 5 minutes for a google search.

http://www.worksafeb...leaccidents.pdf

"In 2003, ICBC conducted a review of its claims data to determine the role of cell phones in motor vehicle crashes. The review documented approximately 523 incidents (0.5% of total claims for that year) which occurred as a direct result of driver cell phone use. Of these 523 claims, 124 involved an injury and 399 were property damage claims."

They don't break it down by texting vs phoning, but in 2003 no one had a smartphone so it was probably mostly phoning.

And of course as was already said, statistics very likely underreport the problem

"Statistics on cell phone involvement in motor vehicle collisions are controversial, because cell phone use is difficult to detect. Existing statistics, which indicate that cell phone use is a factor in less than 1% of collisions, are not considered to be truly indicative of the problem.15 The actual contribution of cell phone use in motor vehicle collisions is difficult to quantify as drivers are not likely to report they were using a cell phone to investigators."


Of course this is separate from the issue of whether the law is effective or not. It might be ineffective, but that doesn't change the danger from using a cell phone while driving.

Edited by pherthyl, 14 February 2014 - 06:00 PM.


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