Should Driving While Texting Bans include iPhone Touchscreens?
8:08 am, February 4th, 2009, Nicole Martinelli
The state of Maryland has proposed a ban on writing, sending or reading text messages while driving.
One lawmaker, however, is concerned if the bill becomes a law it will mean he can’t make any more calls using his iPhone touchscreen during commutes.
Saqib Ali, a delegate for Montgomery County, told a panel of colleagues yesterday that he uses his iPhone all the time.
He’s worried that tapping the touch screen to make calls would violate the ban proposed by delegate Frank Turner on writing, sending or reading a text message while operating a motor vehicle.
Turner’s bill doesn’t target talking on the phone. Just thumb jockeying instead of keeping your hands on ten and two.
Ali wonders how a police officer would know he was dialing his phone and not texting while driving.
Hmmm. Is this splitting hairs or should drivers be forced to keep their hands on the wheel and off their phones, period?
Image used with Creative Commons license, thanks to Mike Kline on flickr.
Via AP
Posted by Nicole Martinelli in News, iPhone, iPhone 3G | Comment on this article
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This is the whole purpose of hands-free headsets.
Embrace them.
Justin, on February 4th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Actually, this is the purpose of voice dialing. Dialing the iPhone while driving IS a hazardous act.
Apple, why the persistent LACK of voice dialing capability? It’s a safety issue.
Bill, on February 4th, 2009 at 8:40 am
the real problem is the actual taking your mind off driving by doing something else. Repeat studies of even hands free talking on the phone is just as disruptive as a phone on the ear.
The car is not the place for multi-tasking, it is for driving!
you, on February 4th, 2009 at 8:40 am
It’s been illegal to hold mobile phones while driving in the UK for a couple of years now.
Mind you, we have these things called gear sticks in many of our cars….
Sarcasm aside, using a phone while driving is a stupid but sadly often unavoidable situation.
Handsfree FTW!
Jib, on February 4th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Splitting hairs IMHO. If he’s worried that a cop will pull him over for texting, the cop is probably looking for an excuse to make the stop. If not texting, don’t worry, he’ll find some other reason to pull you over.
I’m not sure how I feel about this law personally – on the one hand, I like the idea that the guy next to me on the freeway won’t be texting while he’s passing me. On the other hand, I’m not a fan of anything that impacts personal liberties.
RickB, on February 4th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Seems like there are plenty of laws prohibiting people from crashing their cars into each other… sadly, crashes still happen. What exactly is this law going to do, other than a) generate ticket revenue b) serve as a pretext for more extensive police shake downs c) reduce overall safety, because instead of doing something hard like actual police work, they will instead be busy making a show of doing police work.
right answer: d) all of the above.
Mark Denovich, on February 4th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Is that guy serious?! [EEEeek] Anyone stupid enough to be dialing ANY cell phone, much less actually talking on one should be taken off the road for everyones protection! How many more studies do we need to remind every driver that driving while doing ANYTHING else (and that includes listening to another person, live or via any kind of transmission, is distracting from the main, important task of driving defensively! The “multi-tasking” myth has caused countless ‘accidents’ and even death because no one wants to admit they aren’t better than the idiots they see doing this kind of thing. Seriously! It’s people like the legislator that give us so many stupid laws and have helped create the monster we call “Tax Law!” How do these nitwits keep getting elected? Oh, I remember, too many of those stupid cell phone users are registered to vote…[head bash]
Jim, on February 4th, 2009 at 9:58 am
OK if talking on a cell phone is made illegal then so should ANY conversation in a car. What’s the difference if I am talking on a phone or to the person next to me – except that I am likely to look at the person next to me from time to time and take my eyes off the road.
Oh, and while we’re at it, all eating and drinking while driving should be illegal too (and smoking too if that’s still legal). And just for good measure we should shut down every drive through lane at fast food restaurants.
What a country!
Eric, on February 4th, 2009 at 10:28 am
RickB: I consider getting to my destination alive and unharmed a personal liberty. Another driver distracted by their cell phone could seriously infringe on that personal liberty.
Ken, on February 4th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Yes. Yes it should.
I’m sorry, but there is no call you are going to make that is worth killing someone over.
Peter, on February 4th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Distracted Driving is a serious issue now, whether texting, checking email, twittering, myspace, facebook, etc on the phone… check out this page:
http://www.distracteddriving.nsc.org
Ed, on February 4th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I hate the anti-phone laws because they are indirect and inaccurate. If you are trying to make people keep their hands on the wheel, then make it illegal to take your hands off the wheel. Targeting phones makes no sense. If there is a anti-phone law, why isn’t it illegal to steer with my knees and comb my hair while driving? Or any other combination of driving and …
Personally, I think the whole category of laws are unnecessary. What ought to be (and is already) illegal is driving recklessly. If you are driving safely, why does anyone care how much or little you are multitasking?
mick, on February 4th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
What about using the car radio or gps navigation unit? Is there a general safe driving law? Why are we just focusing on cell-phones? A good driver will make sure safety and awareness are his/her top priority behind the wheel. A bad driver causing a safety hazard for other drivers should be cited, but singling out cell-phones as the only distraction in a car is circumspect at best.
Sean, on February 4th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Whilst its very dangerous to do both texting and talking on the phone whilst driving, no one has picked up in the fact that in order to dial a number in the first place, iPhone or not, one still has to press the same buttons that would be pressed if composing a text.
This is one of those ‘only in America’ things.
Steve, on February 4th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
In a typical day, I drive 200+ miles. There is no way I could do what I do and be so successful, without my cell phone.
Here is a typical day:
Tomorrow afternoon, I will be driving 175+ miles to a hotel for a meeting on Friday morning. The entire time, as I do every single day, I will be using my cell phone. Phone calls, conference calls, checking and replying to email, texting and web surfing. All of the voice call operation is done hands-free, all of it.
Since it has a GPS built in, I will use it to find my hotel. Heck, all I know right now is the name of the hotel and the city it is in. On my way there, I will use the phone’s web browser to look up the address, put it into the phone’s GPS and use that to get me there. Simple.
Before I leave, I will send at least 20 web page links from my PC to my phone. These are sites that I need to review before my meeting. I will do this using the phone’s web browser. In the past, I would have done this in the hotel room.
Oh, and I listen to music on the phone too, of course, and sometimes even watch videos.
I, and nearly everyone I know, operate like this EVERY SINGLE DAY and we have PERFECT driving records. I drive well over 70,000 miles a year, using the phone for almost the ENTIRE time and have had NO issues whatsoever. We are not dangerous drivers and we are certainly not advocating dangerous driving. When weather or other driving conditions are bad, or traffic is really heavy, the phone goes down. Every other time, we are using it to its fullest potential, exactly as it was designed to be used.
Bottom line: There is no way we could be as productive and as successful as were are in this fast-paced. modern world, without our cell phones.
Go ahead an enact a silly law, it simply does not matter. My state did and I have NEVER gotten pulled over once, nor have any of my colleagues. And, if we do get pulled over, all we need to do is show that the phone has hands-free and all will be fine, since we never actually TALK on the phone. And, if we do get fined, the fine is so ridiculously small (I make $50 at a typical lunch meeting, before the main course is served) and there are zero points.
-Safe Driver
SAFE driver, on February 4th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Whether we want it or not this sort of thing is coming down the pipe and will be ubiquitous across the US in 5-6 years.
Just because the texting function goes through a touchscreen instead of a physical keypad means nothing.
Chris Peterson, on February 4th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
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