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CT police start week-long crackdown on distracted drivers
Posted by FrankZappa on 18 Feb, 2008 12:06 -
kids are out of school, crackdown on cell phone usage, eating putting on makeup, etc. Anything that distracts a driver. I\'m sure they\'ll be willing to get you for speeding also, and this is on all streets, not just the highways.
source
Branford (WTNH) _ When you get in your car this morning and hit the road put down the cell phone or that tube of lipstick. All this week state police will be watching and cracking down on distracted drivers.
Distracted drivers are everywhere. News Channel 8 saw a driver sipping coffee and another on their cell phone while driving in downtown New Haven.
"With all these accidents and innocent people dying and crashes you know, it\'s just irresponsible," said Nicole Simone of New Haven.
Nicole says she is happy to hear about the crackdown and admits that she used to be a distracted driver. "I used to text message while I drove, I\'ll be honest. I know it\'s a no, no. I don\'t do it anymore," she said.
The crackdown has been dubbed Operation Safe Driver and state troopers will be targeting anyone who is driving while distracted. That includes driving with a pet, using a cell phone, self-grooming and eating.
Here in Connecticut, talking on the phone without a hands-free device is against the law and it could cost you up to $100.
Mark Greenwald of Westport says he\'s almost been hit several times by drivers on the phone. He thinks police should be more consistent. "They ought to start fining people, every single one that does it," he said.
Even your children can be distraction.
"A pacifier drops...they want something to eat. You just have to be careful," Nicole said. -
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good to know thanks
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Quote from: FrankZappa;180324
That includes driving with a pet
my dog is always yelling at me, telling me where to go and how to get there, dancing and show-boating in the front seat, flailing his paws and making faces at the other cars. it\'s really distracting. -
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Quote from: FrankZappa;180324
Even your children can be distraction.
So...kids are illegal? -
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so do you get a ticket for all that other stuff or is it just a warning? i think talking on the phone even with a hands free device is more distracting than taking a sip while driving.
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Its ironic to me because the biggest offender that I know of all of those distractions is a police officer. Mark talks on his phone (without a headset) like every minute of the day while he drives. I have seen him make himself a PB and J while driving. No lie. With a knife and a loaf of bread.
Everybody does something while their driving......be it changing CDs...playing with their ipod.....navigation device........looking for a piece of gum..... I mean, seriously, what are they going to do, pull over everyone???
if i ever got pulled over for putting on lip gloss, id seriously be pissed. ridiculous. -
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yeah, so.. everyone be careful this week. next week, we can all go back to driving like ****. :thumbsup:
you know, they showed the list of various things on the news earlier, and i would love to know how the hell smoking isn\'t one of the distractions. why the **** is it so accepted? not to mention the fact that virtually every in-car smoker is also guilty of littering.. -
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Quote from: davepeck;180340
yeah, so.. everyone be careful this week. next week, we can all go back to driving like ****. :thumbsup:
you know, they showed the list of various things on the news earlier, and i would love to know how the hell smoking isn\'t one of the distractions. why the **** is it so accepted? not to mention the fact that virtually every in-car smoker is also guilty of littering..
Freaking good point, dave.
damn smokers. -
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Quote from: davepeck;180340
you know, they showed the list of various things on the news earlier, and i would love to know how the hell smoking isn\'t one of the distractions. why the **** is it so accepted? not to mention the fact that virtually every in-car smoker is also guilty of littering..
I hate when they flick the butts out at night and they spark on the highway...I\'m never quiet sure that there is not something seriously wrong with the car in front of me -
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Evdn as a smoker, I definitely feel the urge to rear-end drivers who throw their butts out the window.
As far as driving with pets goes, I am assuming a quiet pet in the back seat is fine? I mean, my dog lays comatose in the back seat from the moment she gets in the car until the moment she gets out.
Also, sipping a drink doesn\'t seem that dangerous to me. Trying to eat a hoagie, on the other hand....
I\'m into building model ships in bottles while I\'m driving. -
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Quote from: jocelyn;180350
I\'m into building model ships in bottles while I\'m driving.
:lol: -
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Just more excuses for cops to pull you over and search etc.
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*sigh*
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Quote from: davepeck;180340
yeah, so.. everyone be careful this week. next week, we can all go back to driving like ****. :thumbsup:
you know, they showed the list of various things on the news earlier, and i would love to know how the hell smoking isn\'t one of the distractions. why the **** is it so accepted? not to mention the fact that virtually every in-car smoker is also guilty of littering..
i take exception to that....i smoke in my car all the time and never litter.....cept that when time i tapped my bowl right out the window....but that was an accident.
(btw....cig butts out the window is my pet peeve. the one thing that can lead to me confronting another driver)
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Quote from: davepeck;180340
yeah, so.. everyone be careful this week. next week, we can all go back to driving like ****. :thumbsup:
I knew someone would make a comment like this. I wont lie, I\'ve definetly done stuff like fumbling for cds, ipod scrolling, or looking for my headset while driving. I\'m not condoning it at all. Hopefully people will actually use getting a warning or a ticket as motivation to change their ways with some of those things.
And maybe it\'s just me, but I still see taking a sip while driving as a bad thing. That said chris, they can\'t ticket you for something unless it\'s against the law so unless there is a law for being destraced while driving they can\'t fine you for any of those things other than the cell phone without a hands free device. And even if there was a destraced while driving law, it would have to be so loosy written in order for them to get you on one of these that you could get it thrown out of court pretty easily. -