What’s with people being rude when I point out that it is illegal to drive and text/talk on your cell phone/hold the phone in front of your face on speaker phone while driving? I’m just trying to help you and everyone around you. I’m not trying to be a jerk, it’s just that you truly scare me. I see people on their phones driving at least a few times a day. When I can I will inform the drivers that it is illegal. I get many similar responses, most of which attempting to defend their actions. I get sour contorted faces. I get the one finger salute. I get “Mind your own business.” I get “I’m at a red light.” Don’t worry, I get it, you are special. Distracted driving is only a hazard when OTHER people do it. But not you. Riiiiight. Do the city a favour and turn off your phone please! Or I may tap on your window next! —TXTNDRIVELOL
This article appears in Nov 1-7, 2012.
Mind your business is correct. Unless you are a cop you’ll just get negative responses. Do you go up to people eating burgers and point out they might get high cholesterol. Do you tell smokers they are gonna get cancer?
What is it with people going up to cars who could run them over and telling them it is illegal to text/talk on their cell.
Well first of all secretagent, someone who eats burgers or smokes does me no potential harm or annoyance. Texting drivers, however, are probably the biggest menaces on the roads and deserve to be told that they are the thoughtless fucktars that they are. Keep doing what you’re doing OP, the idiots deserve it!
If OP gets stabbed, punched, run over, then he or she too deserves it.
You NEVER know who you are confronting so it is best to mind your business! I saw a man in fairview yell at a guy crossing the road against the light and the man jumped on his hood and kicked the windshield in. He got what he asked for.
People who text/talk on their cell phone (without a hands free device) and drive bug me because they KNOW it’s against the rules but they obv. feel so entitled that they don’t have to do what everyone else does because they’re special flowers.
Fuckers.
That and I know two young people who DIED while driving because they were texting and driving. They didn’t kill anyone else, but what a waste of life, and their families are not the same and never will be the same.
I’ve had some text convos that I was engrossed in, but not engrossed in enough to risk my life and the lives of others to continue.
Secretagent: Eating a burger is not against the law, smoking a cigarette is also not against the law. The OB said that he/she will confront people using their phones while operating a motor vehicle which IS against the law. Your examples don’t make sense. Then to say the person got what they askied for, they admitted that point in the Bitch and are completely comfortable with it. Now, what exactly was your point? That the person should mind their own business I would assume? Its everyones business when someone breaks the law, we’re all effected by it. Now your right that you never know who your dealing with, but that part is really none of “your business”. Text and drive, drink and drive, they both could have the same horrible results. But you seem to imply that one of those actions is fine. Now I must ask, if a person is impaired and gets behind the wheel and is confronted by a samaritan, does “mind your own business still apply?”
Read Pretty Kitty’s post, maybe that will change your opinion for the better.
I love that arguement, “Mind your own business.” I’m sorry, if I’m sharing road space with you, whether it be walking, cycling, driving my car or riding my motorcycle, and you are yakking on your cell or texting your BFF, (proven to be actually WORSE than if you were legally drunk btw! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texting_while…
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/texti…), potentially putting my life at greater, unnecessary risk, then it is VERY MUCH MY BUSINESS, TYVM! Nothing is that important that it can’t wait until you either get to your destination or can safely pull over. NOTHING.
Regardless of whether they think it’s none of my business or not, it’s ILLEGAL. They shouldn’t be doing it anyway. Full stop. You mean to tell me you wouldn’t say anything to a driver you just saw guzzle a beer, secretagent?
take photos and/or video showing them talking on the phone while driving along with the license plate and call the police. Only a ticket or two will stop some people from placing their lives (and the lives of others) at risk.
Pushing yourself in their face will only get you a fist in yours one of these days.
secret agent that’s the coward’s way of life. you cannot agree with that…..i understand it’s putting yourself at risk, but that cannot be the reason to not step up when something so dangerous is happening.
if that is your reason, would you turn away if someone was beating their dog, or their child or wife if that person was bigger than you? at what point do you draw your line of ‘minding your own business’.
evil triumphs when good men do nothing, and all that.
and to say that someone ‘deserves it’…..come on.
pk no i wouldnt. if i thought someone was drunk and driving id call the cops, not go up to their window and wag my finger at them.
Talking on the phone and beating a person? Apples and oranges.
soo, “funnygirl” is a RAT. no one likes those 🙂 BEING A RODENT will get ya killed cuz EVERYONE hates them 🙂
secretagent, apples and oranges yes, but at what point along the journey from apples to oranges do you step in?
you could say ‘i would be too scared to confront someone who was texting’ but to offer ‘mind your own business’ as a reasonable and ETHICAL choice? uh uh
even if ‘mind your own business’ was your belief as a laissez faire approach to others’ behaviours. say you didn’t believe in traffic laws….
Seeing as talking through a handfree is just as distracting as a hand held unit.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25379642/ns/bu…
So I don’t understand how ANSWERING one way is legal & one way is not !
Please note I said answering, having to look up a number & then call someone is IMO also too distracting for drivers.
Texting, emailing etc while driving is just fuckin’ stupid & I understand why that is illegal.
But 2 different sets of rules/laws for the same thing aka “talking on the phone” just rings the bell to pieces on my Bullshit-0-Meter.
I’d just like to note that I completely believe the fairview incident.
I’m also willing to bet he was wearing outdated sports team jacket that in no way matches either his hammer pants or sweatpants.
My only guess as to why hands-free is allowed over standard hands-on is because they’d (legislators), probably have a small revolution on their hands if they banned ALL usage out-right and not allowed some “reasonable” concession. (Notice reasonable is in quotes cuz I agree with you, More. One IS just as distracting as the other, IMO, although I’m sure if I looked hard enough, I could probably find a study or two that says otherwise)
Technology is coming around, though and getting better all the time, as we now have voice recognition and in certain newer vehicles, you can “link” your cell through your car’s comm system. This allows you to essentially make/take calls without taking your eyes off the road, just like you were talking to someone sitting in the passenger seat.
Taking a page from More’s book, (and I know I’ll get flamed hard for this one), I don’t understand how someone caught for driving drunk legally gets their ass hammered to the wall, (and rightfully so), yet all you get is a $250-ish fine, (can’t remember the exact amount), if you’re caught texting/talking on your cell. And that’s provided you even get stopped. I see wayyyyy too many people on their GD phones when they’re driving and I think that’s because this law as it stands, has no teeth. There’s no real deterrent. And you can quote accident stats till you’re blue in the face for a lot of people, (not all), and it just doesn’t sink in. The convenience outweighs the risk. The attitude is, “I’m a fantastic driver. I do it all the time and it will never happen to me.” But from what I read, you are just as impaired, if not MORE so, while texting/talking then if you blew a .08 on the breathalyzer (legally drunk). So why the fuck doesn’t the punishment match the crime? It should be the same as if you were caught DUI, IMO.
Flame away.
wrong bitch, zZz
coastreviewer – I’d rather be a rat than dead but I didn’t say I would do it, rather if it bothers the OB so much then do something other than putting themselves at risk.
I’ve been hit by a car when it was their fault. It hurts. Don’t want to do it again thanks.
regardless, taking pictures and videos of people is also illegal LOL so in the while you’re ‘ratting’ activities to avoid getting punched in the mouth ( you’d rather get shot if you do that to the wrong person) LOL.. you’re doing something illegal yourself. Ratting on people is just bad, worse than texting.
it wasn’t the wrong bitch…
I was referring to secretagent’s little story above about the windshield.
I too see people doing it all the time, friends included, and shame them every opportunity i get for it.
http://www.halifax.ca/police/DistractedDri…
“Hand-held cell phone use and text messaging while driving is prohibited in Nova Scotia and carries a fine starting at $169.91”
http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/rmv/safe/alcoho…
Penalties in Nova Scotia
Penalties in Nova Scotia for driving while impaired are outlined below, and all fines and assessment fees must be paid by the driver. The judge’s decision and sentencing is based upon the specific facts of each case. Fines and jail terms can also be affected by whether any deaths, bodily harm or dangerous driving resulted from the motorist’s actions.
1st offence:
a fine of $600 to $2000
revocation of driving privileges for one year from the date of conviction (not the date of being charged)
completion of an Addiction/Drug Dependency Services assessment program ($417.52, your cost)
licence reinstatement fee of $114.33 (your cost)
you might also be required to be re-take any and all of your driver’s tests, including written, road, and vision tests.
2nd offence, within a 10-year period:
a fine of $600 to $2000
possible prison term of at least 14 days*
revocation of driving privileges for three years from the date of conviction (not the date of being charged)
completion of an Addiction/Drug Dependency Services assessment program ($417.52)
licence reinstatement fee ($114.33)
you must re-take your driver’s tests: written, road, and vision tests.
3rd offence, within a 10-year period:
a fine of $600 to $2000
prison term of at least 90 days*
revocation of driving privileges is indefinite (minimum of ten years) from the date of conviction (not the date you were charged)
completion of an Addiction/Drug Dependency Services assessment program ($417.52)
licence reinstatement fee ($114.33)
you must re-take your driver’s tests: written, road, and vision tests.
4th offence, within a 10-year period:
permanent revocation in addition to all of the penalties provided under the Criminal Code of Canada
yep,they get indignant because they have been caught. and what about the drunk drivers that get all hissy, if and when you call john law on them? i would love to see all cars banned from all streets, and nothing, but bikes allowed. can you just imagine the road rage then?
the way it’s going with gas, insurance, repairs and shit, that just might happen sooner than later. but hey o.p., according to the mayan people, we only have a month or so to go, before the world, or their calendar ends.
would love to have first hnnd seats for the great apocalypse that is sposed to come.
coastreviewer …where do you get yer info ?
IT isn’t illegal to photograph anyone in public.
simplist site I could find
http://ambientlight.ca/laws/overview/what-…
Look under Canadian Law in particular our charter on rights & freedoms as citizens.
When in public, you have a right to take photo’s even if it is of the police beating the shit out of someone. THey do not have the right to take any of yer property …just cause ….. T H E Y WANNA !
http://www.efc.ca/pages/law/charter/charte…
on the above link
Check out # 2 B & C
Check out # 8 .
Because OP, people like this are and always will be dumb and igorant fucktards.
What’s really scary is that we’ve got a generation coming up that is so attached to their cellphones it’s beyond ridiculous.
In the work that I do, I see it all the time – they can’t even put their phones away for a few minutes or an hour because, y’know, what if there’s an “emergency?” (ie. my bff tells me she saw my bf at the mall with another girl?)
Anyway, hopefully hands-free and other technology will become more prolific (and cheaper) soon, otherwise it’s gonna be that much riskier to be on the roads.
Sorry zZz. I thought you were commenting on TJ’s post about his run in with the law at the ice cream shop drive thru in fairview. My bad.
And thanks for posting the fines and penalties. Really puts it all in perspective when you compare the two.
I don’t know where you’re coming from coastreviewer. If someone is doing something stupid and/or illegal, they should be “ratted” on. This whole code of silence culture is simply moronic. I understand a bit of Secretagent is talking about in the sense that is scary to confront people but people do not ‘deserve what they get’ so to speak for calling someone out on an illegal act. They should be commended.
You know with all we’ve heard about texting and cell phone use while driving I can’t even imagine why some people think they are above the law. Same story as drunk driving. Some people feel they can handle their booze and drive same way some think they are overly intelligent and can text and drive. I lost a good friend who texted and drove to a head on collision and instant death. I guess she figured she was overly intelligent as well. So sad for her family when it could all have been prevented by just FOLLOWING THE LAW!~!! I wish I could report people I see texting but I don’t own a cell phone. I give them the evil eye though and shake my head. I can’t believe some people are still that friggen stupid to text and drive.
LOL @ “RAT.” Such a wigger term.
Op. You need to get laid. You’re obviously having some trouble getting laid though. I bet it’s the nagging.
i agree with you op. I agree with your point. But you just strike me as an obnoxious and boring human being if this is really what you choose to do with your time and energy.
Texting and or talking on your cell phone is equivalent to driving around with a 40 of vodka in your hand, drinking while you drive…………..Efff offfff, can’t wait until you are parked………..?
Help save a ticket, an accident, a life. Stop texting and driving. Install a text blocker. Available in Canada. http://www.stoptexting.ca