MnGCA

Pear Head

This link will probably only work for a few days:

http://www.startribune.com/19416769.html

LucidOndine · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 8:53 pm Post subject:

Thankfully this doesn't affect thumbing coords into a GPSr Wink

(I hope)
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Pear Head · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:05 pm Post subject:

LucidOndine · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:21 pm Post subject:

http://wcco.com/local/texting.driving.ban.2.731211.html

"Texting while driving will become a petty misdemeanor as of August 1. The new law will deal with just texting, meaning talking on your cell phone and using your GPS while driving will still be legal."

Phew.
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Marsha and Silent Bob · Past MnGCA President Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 6261

That law is poorly created and not enforceable at all. They would have to subpoena your phone records and prove that you were actually utilizing SMS when you were driving instead of say, surfing the web or using instant messaging.

It's nothing but pandering to parents. Boo.
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Sad state of affairs.

LucidOndine · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 10:06 pm Post subject:

You're right... it is not enforceable. How can you tell the difference between someone dialing a phone number and someone typing a message?

Also, my phone sends and receives "messages" all the time without any effort. In the event I were to be pulled over, technically I could get slapped with this, too. Of course, they'd never know.

I smell senseless bullpoo and in some sense or another discrimination targeted at a select age group. I think the closest parallel goes back to when they outlawed using headphones while driving. Of course, now its OK to use a bluetooth headset when driving because its easy to make laws that affect those whom don't have as much say in the situation. I guess that generation just grew up and got along by turning their stereos up and conveniently ignored the striking similarities between the two.

I happen to agree that texting while driving isn't a good idea, but come on-- there are better things that they can be doing with their time.

Another opinion: http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2008/05/minnesota_to_ban_driving_while_texting/
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LucidOndine · Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 10:16 pm Post subject:

Here is par for the course:

The studies they're using are referencing cell phone usage and crash data from 2000. You can read this report here: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/cellphdrvg.pdf

No where in this article is texting ever mentioned. Let's be fair about this-- the article says cell phone usage while specifically referencing phone calls are to blame-- and even then the figures are astronomically low but were on a slow but steady increase. Well, guess what? More people are going to have access to cell phones as time progresses. Of course, they won't make a law that outlaws cell phone calls now, will they? Wink

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