"Distraction" law - what do you think?

[Lanius]

A Chinese international student on a learners licence, with no insurance, crashed into my flatmates Primera parked on the road outside our house just the other night. Hit the car so hard that it was pushed back into my mates car right behind it. He was driving the opposite way to the way the cars he hit were facing, so he would have had to have had his eyes off the road for some time.

He told us he had dropped his ciggie and was looking for it, but when his friend showed up, I just kept heard the word "phone" (they were talking in Chinese) so I don't know if he was talking on the phone, or if he dropped it, or if he really was looking for his ciggie that he dropped.

Regardless, he straight away wanted to settle with cash.

"I don't think so buddy, the cops are on their way now."
*grabs his car keys*

[Muzzie]

Single or stacker?

Both


I think it could be too easily abused as people have said, but in theory it's a good idea. Although I'm not sure how they would prove the driver is being distracted.

I can change a CD in the van without looking I'm doing anything

[99gtt]

I think the talking on the phone isn't the problem, its texting or dialing the number that is distracting. So they should also fine you for smoking , eating etc,if this is the case. The police themselves use cb radio this is no different than talking on a phone. But once the government see's this revenue gathering idea, i'm sure they will impose it.

[bad20v]

WTF does it matter , If you know your cd player well enough you dont even have to look at it when changing a cd. And most modern front stakers you just load em in like you do a single stacker.

You obiviously don't live in Auckland and have to deal with rush hour traffic then do you. With the amount of traffic up here, it doesn't take more than two seconds of distraction and your either on the other side of the road or have just crashed into the person in front of you. I know travelling distance between cars comes into this but the average person doesn't exactly know where their slot for the CD is all the time and will glance down at it and fumble a bit putting it in, all the while their eyes are off the road ahead.

[Alex B]

IF your in a rush hour you stop lots yes??? So do it when your stoped it not exactly a difficult task. And we do have mini rush hour ie 10 mins to go about 1k down portsmouth drive at 8am...

But sucks to like in aucks then dont it

[gordon77]

the cellphone one is good idea too. very distracting. however hands-free should be ok.

i dissagree - its not holding the cell phone thats the problem - its getting involved in the conversation, when your mind is thinking about the conversation and not processing potential hazards ahead. in studies overseas (done by crash investigaters - not insurance companys) handsfree makes no difference.

[wde_bdy]

the cellphone one is good idea too. very distracting. however hands-free should be ok.

i dissagree - its not holding the cell phone thats the problem - its getting involved in the conversation, when your mind is thinking about the conversation and not processing potential hazards ahead. in studies overseas (done by crash investigaters - not insurance companys) handsfree makes no difference.

If you take it to that extreme though, talking to a passenger, or screaming kids in the back seat would be just as much of a distraction.

Callum

[bad20v]

IF your in a rush hour you stop lots yes??? So do it when your stoped it not exactly a difficult task. And we do have mini rush hour ie 10 mins to go about 1k down portsmouth drive at 8am...

But sucks to like in aucks then dont it

Yeah but at least we learn to spell properly aye.


Its not just motorway traffic I'm talking about its the traffic you get in the industrial area's when everyone is in a hurry to get to work on time and don't think twice about cutting other people off or pulling out in front of another person and expecting them to stop and give way.

[pervert]

IF your in a rush hour you stop lots yes??? So do it when your stoped it not exactly a difficult task. And we do have mini rush hour ie 10 mins to go about 1k down portsmouth drive at 8am...

But sucks to like in aucks then dont it

Yeah but at least we learn to spell properly aye.

There's a difference between an obvious typo, and an inability to spell...

[gordon77]

the cellphone one is good idea too. very distracting. however hands-free should be ok.

i dissagree - its not holding the cell phone thats the problem - its getting involved in the conversation, when your mind is thinking about the conversation and not processing potential hazards ahead. in studies overseas (done by crash investigaters - not insurance companys) handsfree makes no difference.

If you take it to that extreme though, talking to a passenger, or screaming kids in the back seat would be just as much of a distraction.

Callum

yeah i suppose but that is extreme. talking to someone who is in the car is easyier because you can read thier body language which makes it easier to understand. that doesnt mean you looking at them the whole time, just out of the corner of you eye type thing...

[B1NZ]

I think smoking in cars would be more of an issue....
I had a mate who dropped his smoke whilst driving and almost crashed whilst trying to find it while the smoke was burning into his leg.....

does anyone find it dumb that stupid smokers have an ashtray, but yet they all still seem to throw them out the window?

If i ever see one at the lights do that while im walking near thier car i swear ill throw the fukker back in their window


I remeber once quite a while ago, i was talking on my cell phone and i nearly rear ended a car, so from then on i never answer a call when im driving - thats what voicemail is for! And idiots that txt and drive ..... dont even get me started

[BlakJak]

driving + txting == idiocy

driving + talking on the phone ?= stupid depending on how engrossed you get. When i'm on the phone and driving I let my phone conversation suffer - ala I often have to get people to repeat things. I'm concentrating on the road.

A shame most everyone else doesnt seem capable of the same thing.

[Spannergal]

yeah, gurutasker, Matt Dryden from hibs, yeah she got convicted, still doesnt make at any less stupid, a conviction doesnt bring someone back from the dead does it.

that's so true. that said, the sentence that she received isn't exactly going to make some people think twice about taking their eyes off the road. my flatmate is a close friend of their family, so i know that they weren't too happy with the sentence that was handed down.

I think that rather than adding in another law, since people can already be charged with careless driving or dangerous driving etc, the sentencing needs to be made more appropriate to the crime. After all, commonsense demands that you should be aware of your surroundings at all times when at the wheel.

[KinLoud]

Driving when you are sick should be illegal!
If you have the flu your reaction time can be slower than if you are over the legal alcohol driving limit!!!

To be honest I am sure that there are suitable laws already that will deal with all of these problems.

Ken
Hamilton
021 408 863

[Si]

careless driving.
reckless driving.
dangerous driving.
opperating a vehicle in such a way to cause annoyance.(not sure if this is a law yet?)


Pick One.

Next time i see a cop, im going to drive with my knees, txt with one hand, and wank with the other.

[Lloyd]

Funny I see more potential risk in a CD Change than I do in talking on a cellphone - for some people anyway...

Thats the problem, for some people. A lot of people could probably quite happily change the CD and have the concentration still fairly well on the driving where as others would probably crash just trying to skip to the next track.

As for the oral sex thing, that'll just take all the fun out of the harbour bridge now wont it?

[Si]

looking at the latest statistics i can find (im bored...)

in 2002, there were

44 accidents involving cell phone use,
178 involving smoking/radio/glovebox use.
113 involving passengers.
147 involving other traffic (ie watching them)
70 involving emotionaly upset people.
46 while racing.
29 for illness related (not sudden ie flu/cold)
155 for illness with no warning (ie heart attack)
14 due to unsucessful suicide.
64 impared due to old age.
34 intentional collisions.
6 for leaving a vehicle....whilst moving...

[vvega]

careless driving.
reckless driving.
dangerous driving.
opperating a vehicle in such a way to cause annoyance.(not sure if this is a law yet?)


Pick One.

Next time i see a cop, im going to drive with my knees, txt with one hand, and wank with the other.

lol im surprised you havent been caught already
i mean that one hell of a nasty habit you have there si

[BlakJak]

careless driving.
reckless driving.
dangerous driving.
opperating a vehicle in such a way to cause annoyance.(not sure if this is a law yet?)


Pick One.

Next time i see a cop, im going to drive with my knees, txt with one hand, and wank with the other.

Sigh

Reckless and Dangerous Driving are the same charge.

Careless driving is a lesser charge.

See http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/legisl ... ml#driving

See also http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/legisl ... riving.rtf for a comparitive table showing the various levels of punishment

For information theres a list of the various laws and recent changes etc,

http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/legisl ... tions.html


Of interest may be
Land Transport (Offenses and Penalties) Regulations 1999.

[fivebob]

Sigh

Reckless and Dangerous Driving are the same charge.

Not quite, while they have the same maximum penalty, reckless driving is considered the more serious charge as it's defined as doing a dangerous act deliberately.