SMS death driver gets her licence back

Peter McCallum said:

I told my kids not to phone me on my mobile unless there was an
emergency. I'm riding home carrying a bottle of milk and a newspaper
when the phone rings. In my attempt to stop prior to answering the
phone I managed to overbalance and land on the bitumen, sraping my
knee and palm and smashing my light.

It turns out that they'd found a sick bird.

And caused you to scrape a wing. :-)

Theo

On 2005-12-28, Peter McCallum (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

I was sitting on the footpath beside a broken-down Kombi in Fortitude
Valley one Friday evening, waiting patiently for the RACQ to arrive. I
had the tailgate open, the engine compartment open and the hazard lights
flashing.

A driver pulled up behind the Kombi, talking on a mobile. This was prior
to the law that banned non-handsfree phone use. She sat there for about
two minutes waiting for me to proceed while chatting and staring at my
car. Finally I had to walk over to the car and tell her that I wasn't
going anywhere.

"Oh, sorry, I hadn't noticed" she says.

I would have just let her sit there -- safer for all, and hopefully
she would realise her stupidity if she noticed "hey! I've been
sitting here for 30 minutes! The traffic must be real bad!".

--
TimC
In the beginning, there was nothing, which exploded.
-- Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies

On 2005-12-29, Peter Signorini (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Plodder said:

I think a hands free kit is the lesser of two evils.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Having had a hands-free, I'd rate it as no more distracting than having a
conversation with a passenger while driving. Not ideal, but a helluva lot
better than someone looking at their lap to send a text!

Agree with the last part of your statement, but a number of studies over the
past few years have assessed the use of mobile phones with a hands free kit
as being comparable to driving with a .05 blood alcohol level.

I don't have this month's BV ride-on mag yet (damn them), but I read
justin's in the train. The article about handsfree in it cited 0.1,
IIRC.

--
TimC
If my head were spinning at relativistic speeds,
it would appear to everyone else that my brane had slowed down.
-- Dan E. Macs on RHOD

On 2005-12-29, coowoowoo (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So I
personally think that any use of mobile phones by the driver of a
vehicle
should be outlawed.
Cheers
Peter

....

Quoted message said:

I dont care if people are long distance driving.. pull over and stop.

I personally think that it should be even illegal for the driver to
have his mobile on at all in the car, if it is not parked already.
The amount of times I have seen someone think "oh, urgent call for
most-important me! I better pull over really suddenly and unsafely
because I am more important than everyone else!". If the phone is
off, they won't answer those urgent calls.

--
TimC
It's written GNU/Linux, and pronounced "Linux". Or, "Linux, with a
silent GNU/" -- Kubric on /.

On 2005-12-29, Stuart Lamble (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Euan said:

This last bit is so true. One of the things my colleagues have been
crying out for is a hands free kit for their private cars. I've given
up pointing out to them the dangers associated with mobile 'phone use
while driving. It's legal, the company to a certain extent encourages
it and all this from an emergency services organisation.

Yeah ... mobile use, with or without a hands free kit, is as serious a
risk as drink driving.

On the subject of texting: I have, at times, sent text messages from the
driver's seat ... whilst stopped at the lights. Any other time? Nuh uh.

Um. http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17679678%255E2862,00.html

"He said many started sending messages while stationary at traffic
lights but kept on transmitting when they were given a green signal."

Not that you did this, but you're still not paying attention to any
impending dangers, like a cow-orker of mine who hand a 4WD roll into
his driver door while he was stopped at the lights, because the idiot
in the service station forgot to put on his hand-brake.

--
TimC
I hate mornings. I know they hate me back, too. -- Joel Gluth

On 2005-12-29, Theo Bekkers (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

monsterman said:

I am aware of a major company that has a strict policy regarding use
of mobile phones by their employees while driving - so strict in fact
that it bans the use of hands free kits. I have been on road trips
with employees from that company - they take the policy seriosuly and
turn their mobile phones off when driving. The company in question
was Caltex.

I saw a police officer in a marked car answer his nonH-F mobile whilst
waiting to turn right across busy traffic.

Very tempting to report those ones to the ombudsman -- it would be
easy enough to prove in court -- mobile logs and police driver logs.
I rarely am at a good angle to see the number plate though.

Quoted message said:

His partner was sitting in the
passenger seat. I never make a call from the car even though I have a H-F
kit. I do answer calls but that doesn't require me to touch or look at the
phone. The phone asks me if I want to take this call. If I respond yes, it
connects me.

That could be embarassing if you have sex in the car. "yes, yes, yes, yes!" 🙂

--
TimC
'It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity and incumbency.'
-- George W. Bush. June 14, 2001, to Swedish PM Goran Perrson,
unaware that a live television camera was still rolling.

TimC said:

On 2005-12-29, Stuart Lamble (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

On the subject of texting: I have, at times, sent text messages from the
driver's seat ... whilst stopped at the lights. Any other time? Nuh uh.

Um. http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,
17679678%255E2862,00.html

"He said many started sending messages while stationary at traffic
lights but kept on transmitting when they were given a green signal."

Easy to see how it can happen, but I do take care not to do this.

Quoted message said:

Not that you did this, but you're still not paying attention to any
impending dangers, like a cow-orker of mine who hand a 4WD roll into
his driver door while he was stopped at the lights, because the idiot
in the service station forgot to put on his hand-brake.

Fair point, and one that I hadn't fully considered. Against that,
though, if you're stopped at traffic lights, with cars in front of,
behind, and beside you (on both sides), there's not exactly much you can
do about things that are going on around you in any case. If you're at
the front of the queue, about all you can do is proceed into the
intersection against the red light, with all that that entails ...

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@ to usenet".

"David M" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Euan said:

The theory is that as emergency services personnel are trained in the
use of radio whilst driving, using a mobile 'phone is little different.
I'm not saying I agree, just saying that the officer wasn't breaking the
law.

Does this theory apply to taxi drivers, couriers, tow truck drivers,
truckies and others who've attained proficiency in 2-way use?

Cheers
David M

As a Bus operator for STA- Sydney Buses we have strict policies for the use
of Mobile Phones and the use of UHF radio hand phones which are fixed to the
buses for communication to Radio Control.

While using these devices, the bus must be stopped, vehicle secured (hand
brake applied) before we can pick up the device to commmnicate.
With Mobile Phones, we are actually required now to get out of the driving
seat to answer but only if we are not in service.

If any driver is caught, reported on using the mobile while driving and it
can be proved with the use of CCTV in the buses, then it will be instant
dismissal of that driver. No if's or buts.....you get the boot!!

Anyway, most mobiles today will advise you of a 'missed call' and give you
details for you to call back later when it's safe unless it's from a private
number and if they want you bad enough they'll call again. I just tell
people if i don't answer the mobile, then it's because i'm driving..simple.

Mobiles are good technology for what they are but unfortunately it's become
an addiction worse than smoking for lots of people who can't LIVE without
it, jeez we all had a simple life 10 yrs ago before the mobile phones were a
must have.

Have a Happy New year folks and keep safe in 2006

DJ

Peter McCallum said:

Plodder (removeDAKStoreply) said:

I think a hands free kit is the lesser of two evils. I (and, no doubt, most
people - ask around) know many people who will compose and send a text while
driving, holding the phone low so as not to be caught using the phone while
driving. That means their eyes are off the road for a lot of the time. I
read an article sometime ago that claimed around 45% (from memory) of the
time a texter's eyes are on the phone, not on the road.

People compose and send a text instead of talking because they can hide the
phone. At least a hands-free kit enables people's eyes to stay on the road.
Having had a hands-free, I'd rate it as no more distracting than having a
conversation with a passenger while driving. Not ideal, but a helluva lot
better than someone looking at their lap to send a text!

Cheers,

Frank

I was sitting on the footpath beside a broken-down Kombi in Fortitude
Valley one Friday evening, waiting patiently for the RACQ to arrive. I
had the tailgate open, the engine compartment open and the hazard lights
flashing.

A driver pulled up behind the Kombi, talking on a mobile. This was prior
to the law that banned non-handsfree phone use. She sat there for about
two minutes waiting for me to proceed while chatting and staring at my
car. Finally I had to walk over to the car and tell her that I wasn't
going anywhere.

"Oh, sorry, I hadn't noticed" she says.

Obviously the mind is not focused on driving while using a mobile,
regardless of whether it is hands free or not.

Well yeah. For certain values of mind.

(Not in any sense condoning mobile use but this does seem a particulary
low value of mind)

Dave

Quoted message said:

Peter

cfsmtb said:

I left a job partially due to management being totally oblivious to their dangerous work practices. In car mobile use was regarded as a joke. Unfortunately I realised I couldn't do sweet FA about it. But self disgust, on my behalf, overrode any employee loyality or pay packet. Some [censored] you simply can't live with.

I recently worked in a job that required a lot of time on the road. My supervisor was a regularly mobile phone user while driving, and because she did it, expected us to follow suit, and would be quite cutting when she couldn't get us on our mobiles, even though we were driving. I used to turn mine off whilst in the car - "sorry, must have been out of range " 😉

TimC said:

That could be embarassing if you have sex in the car. "yes, yes,
yes, yes!" 🙂

More often, "no, no, no, no!"

Theo

TimC
'It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity and incumbency.'
-- George W. Bush. June 14, 2001, to Swedish PM Goran Perrson,
unaware that a live television camera was still rolling.

I was going to comment some more on this topic and esp the lady who pulled up behind the stationary car ... how stupid was she, but I am not wearing my McRanty pants today.. Too much xmas cheer still in the system.

Okay.. TimC.. this is for you... where on earth do you get your signature lines from? Are you one of these people that has a sponge like brain that retains loads of useless quotes or do you have some sort of general knowledge desk calendar thing happening. From Bush to Pratchett.. its killing me.. i have to know.

coowoowoo said:

TimC
'It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity and
incumbency.'
-- George W. Bush. June 14, 2001, to Swedish PM Goran Perrson,
unaware that a live television camera was still rolling.

[...]

Quoted message said:

Okay.. TimC.. this is for you... where on earth do you get your
signature lines from? Are you one of these people that has a sponge
like brain that retains loads of useless quotes or do you have some
sort of general knowledge desk calendar thing happening. From Bush to
Pratchett.. its killing me.. i have to know.

What generally happens is the likes of TimC have a large file of
quotations such as the one above. They also have a program that picks
out a quotation at random.

Thanks to the wonders of Unix, it is then trivial to set things up so
that the signature, stored in a file, is actually a pipe to this
program: every time the signature file is read, a random quote is piped
back. So it's not that Tim has a prodigious memory; it's more that he
has a large source of random quips and quotes that is drawn from with
every post.

I never really got around to writing myself a sigmonster, as they're
called. Probably should do that one of these days.

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@ to usenet".

On 2006-01-03, coowoowoo (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

TimC

Quoted message said:

'It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity and
incumbency.'
-- George W. Bush. June 14, 2001, to Swedish PM Goran Perrson,
unaware that a live television camera was still rolling.

....

Quoted message said:

Okay.. TimC.. this is for you... where on earth do you get your
signature lines from? Are you one of these people that has a sponge
like brain that retains loads of useless quotes or do you have some
sort of general knowledge desk calendar thing happening. From Bush to
Pratchett.. its killing me.. i have to know.

I have a file with about 350 entries so far -- I usually add another
one once a week or so. My sigmonster picks out a random selection,
each time it is called to add some desperately needed wisdom to my
posts 🙂

--
TimC
There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.

I have a file with about 350 entries so far -- I usually add another
one once a week or so. My sigmonster picks out a random selection,
each time it is called to add some desperately needed wisdom to my
posts 🙂

--
TimC
There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.[/QUOTE]

Aaahh.... i see... and here was me thinking that you were some kind of super nerd with a photographic memory. There is plenty of wisdom on these posts but I like the frivolous ones the best..You can learn a lot about a person from their frivolous musings.

"Plodder" <[email hidden] (remove DAKS to reply)> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

--
Frank
[email hidden]
Drop DACKS to reply
"Euan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>>> "cfsmtb" == cfsmtb <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

cfsmtb> SMS death driver gets her licence back
cfsmtb> http://tinyurl.com/d5pyn

cfsmtb> By Stephen Moynihan. December 29, 2005

<snip>

cfsmtb> "Phone use while driving has disturbingly now become a part
cfsmtb> of our culture and one hopes that it would be treated as the
cfsmtb> serious and stupid action that it is," Mr Marsh said.

This last bit is so true. One of the things my colleagues have been
crying out for is a hands free kit for their private cars. I've given
up pointing out to them the dangers associated with mobile 'phone use
while driving. It's legal, the company to a certain extent encourages
it and all this from an emergency services organisation.
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\<,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

I think a hands free kit is the lesser of two evils. I (and, no doubt,
most
people - ask around) know many people who will compose and send a text
while
driving, holding the phone low so as not to be caught using the phone
while
driving. That means their eyes are off the road for a lot of the time. I
read an article sometime ago that claimed around 45% (from memory) of the
time a texter's eyes are on the phone, not on the road.

People compose and send a text instead of talking because they can hide
the
phone. At least a hands-free kit enables people's eyes to stay on the
road.
Having had a hands-free, I'd rate it as no more distracting than having a
conversation with a passenger while driving. Not ideal, but a helluva lot
better than someone looking at their lap to send a text!

Cheers,

Frank

The reason talking with a hands free kit is worse than talking to a
passenger is because the person on the other phone cannot react to the
driving situation and will continue to carry on a conversation as normal
even if the driver is facing a hazerdous situation. The driver will often
place priority in the phone call and not react accordingly. As a passenger
myself, I will stop talking if I believe the driver should be concentrating
on the road and not me. If I'm talking to them on a phone, how am I know to
when to shut up? Not unless they tell me, and they never have.

Rod