|
Post by distantshores on Jun 14, 2009 15:49:19 GMT
siduri...
In the US it's called politics and getting re-elected! Read kimby's situation above! It seems that if one person feels they would be even slightly disadvantaged, the safety and concerns of the masses are completely ignored. We do need a national ban on texting while driving for sure and I would also support a ban on hand held phones 100%, if not all cell phones usage including Blue Tooth while driving. People are down right dangerous when they are distracted and don't have both hands available to drive with. But now even police officers drive around all day talking away while holding a cell phone to their ear. What if their quick observation made for a winess as to whether someone caused the accident, or was the victim??? But it's our custom in this country to cuss and discuss things for eternity until we'll use common sense and act! Disturbing for sure!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 9:43:30 GMT
In France, the fine is something like 90€ when the police spot a driver with a phone to the ear.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 10:24:21 GMT
Suffolk County,NY was the first in the country to ban cell phones from driving in 2000 or so,the fine then was $ 150.00USD. My first trip up there after the law was enacted,I couldn't figure out why all these cars were parked on the shoulders.
|
|
|
Post by distantshores on Jun 17, 2009 13:40:20 GMT
This weekend we had a young girl with a small car lose control while texting and ended up going thru the ditch and out into a field, all the while driving on the left two wheels until she hit a fence and then the car fell over on the drivers side. A witness behind her said it was like watching the Joey Chitwood stunt drivers drive on two wheels in front of the crowd! He was laughing after he found out that the only injury was her pride! And the car had only minor damage due to the tall grass.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 17, 2009 15:47:38 GMT
This happened long before there was such a thing as texting ........
I used to drive the interstate between Mandeville and Slidell, Louisiana. This was a completely unpatrolled stretch, and everyone went as fast as their cars would travel. I was zipping along there one day and noticed the car in front of me was only going the speed limit (65 mph), but not evenly, rather slowing and speeding up. I got in the left lane to pass, and thinking the driver might be impaired, glanced over into his car. He was reading a book.
|
|
|
Post by distantshores on Jun 18, 2009 0:28:23 GMT
Ha Ha Ha! People haven't changed a bit, have they Bixa!!!
|
|
|
Post by traveler63 on Jun 18, 2009 2:14:46 GMT
Texting while driving certainly dangerous!!! However, so is reading, shaving, applying makeup, smoking a cigarette with one hand while drinking a soda with the other. Also, looking for an address and then slamming on the brakes. Oh, here is one; brushing your teeth, combing your hair, looking for something in your purse. Guys; clipping your fingernails. I kid you not, when I was an outside salesperson, I saw every one of these and not just every so often. Just yesterday, there was a pickup in front of me, driven by a young gir. I watched her very carefully, putting her hair into a pony tail, look Ma, driving with no hands!!!! Yikes.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2009 14:11:45 GMT
I can barely keep a car on the road just looking for the volume control of the radio.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2009 15:04:50 GMT
And in the U.S. our insurance rates keep going up because of these idiots. The idiot who ran a stop sign and hit my husband head on was on a cell phone and drinking a beverage. Thankfully, no one was hurt but, as a result of the accident my husband lost several weeks of work while the insurance companies dithered back and forth and then there was the time lost while in the shop being repaired. Then, his rate got increased! How does this work in other countries? Are motorists insured,required to be so?
|
|
|
Post by distantshores on Jun 18, 2009 15:21:30 GMT
It stinks doesn't it casi! Talking about insurance rates... I would love to know the number of cars that get ruined by floods each year in just the US alone. Whenever you see arial footage of flood areas, I am always impressed by the number of cars sitting all but submerged in water. Can you imagine what it must cost to replace them all? You certainly can't fix them. Not correctly anyway. The very last thing I would want is a flood car due to the computer and electronic circuitry. Then add in all the drunk drivers! Didn't mean to take the thread off course!
|
|
|
Post by hwinpp on Jun 19, 2009 4:20:01 GMT
And in the U.S. our insurance rates keep going up because of these idiots. The idiot who ran a stop sign and hit my husband head on was on a cell phone and drinking a beverage. Thankfully, no one was hurt but, as a result of the accident my husband lost several weeks of work while the insurance companies dithered back and forth and then there was the time lost while in the shop being repaired. Then, his rate got increased! How does this work in other countries? Are motorists insured,required to be so? I see it just like you. Courts in Germany like to give each party a portion of guilt. Only in really clear cut cases does one party only need to cough up. Yes, the insurance company will pay but they might claim it back (if he's been drinking definitely) and/or raise the premiums.
|
|
|
Post by gringalais on Jun 19, 2009 13:27:07 GMT
casimira - Here everyone renews their car registration in March and you have to show proof of liability insurance to do the renewal. You can buy it through a lot of different places during this month, supermarkets, or in my case through my husband's bank. It is not expensive, around US$20 for the year. Other insurance like theft, collision is optional and purchased separately. When I first bought my car and it was relatively new, I bought extra insurance, but now that it is 11 years old it's not really worth it so I don't any more.
Talking on a cell phone, unless you are using a hands-free device is illegal, but you see people doing it all the time.
|
|
|
Post by traveler63 on Jun 19, 2009 23:08:16 GMT
Arizona has some really peculiar insurance laws. Yes, you have to have it in order to purchase a car. However, so many have minimum insurance and of course, sorry to say the illegals, well. In addition, we have winter visitors. Lots of wrecks, and we are the red light runner capitol of the US. So bad in fact that the city and county have installed cameras for the catching of these people. I cannot tell you how many fatal car, motorcycle and roll over accidents have happened in and around Tucson We had nine of 27!!!!!, no mistake, that were killed a couple of weeks ago. They were illegals packed into a standard van (like some churches use). No insurance, there are I think 12 maybe in the hospitals around town. Oh boy, you already know how I feel about insurance. !!!! (If you have seen my Rant US Insurance Sucks). Actually, they get better treatment that most people with insurance. I think at last count; rollovers are 15 or 16 just this year alone. State legislature is looking at banning cell phone and texting while driving, cell phone with hands free only.
|
|
|
Post by hwinpp on Jun 20, 2009 3:47:16 GMT
I just had to smile. Talking/texting on the phone is standard in Phnom Penh... on a motorbike!
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 25, 2012 15:59:25 GMT
Just found this on my facebook page, in response to a poster urging the adoption of mutts, rather than buying purebred dogs: ezo ez verdad ñ.ñ mi mami tiene a 4 perritoz ke rekogio de la kaye... zon muy kariñozoz ñ.ñBelow it, Google Chrome helpfully suggests "See Translation". This is not text-speak in service of efficiency. It's pure-D cutesy-pieness designed to put me around the bend.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2012 17:03:31 GMT
I just need a laser disintegrator to use on all of the people who can't walk up the subway steps or cross a street without texting.
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Jun 25, 2012 19:50:04 GMT
On the weekend when on our wagon ride we were rear ended by a tractor. The tractor driver was texting! Our wagon driver stopped suddenly (to jump off to have a pee behind a bush ) and the tractor behind us was following to closely, talking with us in the wagon, when he got a text and looked down to read it when the wagon driver stopped... Wham! right into the wagon!
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 25, 2012 22:05:50 GMT
Okay, that's WAY more annoying than the other things we've listed! Was anyone hurt? Were the horses & the wagon okay?
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Jun 25, 2012 22:42:42 GMT
No one was hurt at the time but a few people had sore necks and backs later on in the evening. The horses were fine, a good thing the driver had his hands on the reins tightly though. Just before he hit two people had their legs hanging off the back of the wagon but had just moved back in to sit sideways before this happened. Could have been a serious situation if they had not moved...
|
|
|
Post by rikita on Jun 26, 2012 20:23:51 GMT
that is scary...
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 26, 2012 22:50:42 GMT
Is the tractor driver part of the group that takes out the horses & the wagons? It is SO lucky that it wasn't worse. Of course a sore neck is certainly enough to spoil the pleasure in any other activities planned for that evening.
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Jun 27, 2012 2:17:15 GMT
The tractor driver was the cousin/staff of the man who was leading the horses on the wagon. That is why he was up so close and talking with everyone, he knew most of the people in the wagon, except for us tourists, and was making our acquaintances. Thankfully, later our only activity was sitting in lawn chairs around a camp fire been catered too by our gracious hosts.
Modern day farmers, texting while tractor driving!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2012 4:20:14 GMT
Next, it'll be the Amish.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 27, 2012 5:28:34 GMT
I think they have to send up tiny little smoke signals or something.
|
|