California's unbelieveable cell phone tickets law and fines!

[panader0]

I was in San Diego from Arizona recently, and on the trip home I was pulled over about two miles from Az. A friend had called me on my cell and I was unaware of the California law against cell phone use. The cop had no sympathy, even though I was only on the phone for fifteen seconds or so. My buddy looked up the fine and I was relieved to learn that the ticket was $20 for the first offense.
Well the written court notice came today and the actual amount is $139. The other fees are court costs, DNA(?), and several other ridiculous things. I'd love to just tear it up, but I'm told that California will contact Az and I could lose my driver's license.
Anyone else get this bullshit ticket?

[mdmc]

1. thats how they keep pot smokers in jail

lots of cell phone driving tickets..

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. That's insane.

Seems like a warning ticket would suffice.

[Iggo]

29. We had warning tickets for like six months.

[msanthrope]

70. The OP proves a 'warning ticket' would not suffice.

The very fact that the OP is posting, bitching about a $139 fine, as opposed to writing about how the experience taught him something, indicates that a warning ticket would not have worked with him.

He isn't getting it....and apparently won't get it until he gets a stiff enough fine.

[FreakinDJ]

3. Welcome to the State of "We're Broke"

Now pay your fine and go home

[sandnsea]

4. That's why some vote Republican

I agree it's a crazy ticketing system. Oregon has a lot of this kind of thing too. The downside of Democrats, but at the same time Republicans vote for a lot of this stuff too. Let the bad people pay for things because Republicans are always so good. /sarcasm

[rocktivity]

5. You can't use them at ALL? Not even when pulled over? Not even hands-free?

:wow:
rocktivity

[NV Whino]

8. Pulled over and hands free are fine

Just don't drive and hold the thing up to your ear.

[Richard D]

6. Here's the details

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/

[high density]

9. Interesting loopholes

Q: What if my phone has a push-to-talk feature, can I use that?
A: No. However, the law does provide an exception for those operating a commercial motor truck or truck tractor (excluding pickups), implements of husbandry, farm vehicle or tow truck, to use a two-way radio operated by a “push-to-talk” feature. A push-to-talk feature attached to a hands-free ear piece or other hands-free device is acceptable.

Drivers of huge trucks that take forever to stop can continue to use CB radios. Seems like quite an exception.

Q: Does the “hands-free” law prohibit you from dialing a wireless telephone while driving or just talking on it?
A: The law does not prohibit dialing, but drivers are strongly urged not to dial while driving.

So what if I'm dialing my phone with it up to my ear?

[MindPilot]

76. Yes it is a very bizarrely-written law

The actual illegal act is holding the device to the side of your head. There is nothing that addresses any real effect on one's driving.

[itsrobert]

7. Were you on I-8? They run a speed trap near Winterhaven, CA

Do not speed or do anything not lawful in that area. They are out to make some money. The court is right there, so the officer will show up if you contest.

[NV Whino]

10. It makes up for all the speeding tickets

given by your "hide behind the billboard" cops on all those nice straight long (empty) highways in AZ.

[whistler162]

11. Good for the officer!

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article42280.ece

[marybourg]

12. Actually I find YOUR attitude unbelievable. You find it

necessary to answer the phone on an interstate where people, including tandem truck drivers, routinely are driving 80 mph and more. Couldn't you just let the calls go to voicemail is such a dangerous situation? I'm sorry to find out you're driving like this in the state where I live and I hope our laws become more strict soon also.

[Fumesucker]

14. The funny thing is though that it's legal for the tandem truck driver to talk on his CB

As per a post upthread..

If talking on a phone is dangerous then why is it that talking on a CB is not?

[Jakes Progress]

31. You're right. They should ban the CBs.

[Taverner]

91. LET'S BAN EVERYTHING!!!!

Clothes, book, radios, CD players - all of them can be a distraction

So I propose we ban everything!!!

[panader0]

94. I'm with you

Hell, when I first drove a car, They didn't even have SEAT BELTS!!!
Obviously, many here can't walk and chew gum at the same time.
And, as I've tried to point out, cell phone usage in Az is NOT illegal. So two miles away I'm legal.
Like another poster said, it seems as if everyone here has had a friend killed by some crazed cell phone user.
A
Is cell phone usage while driving dangerous? Is coffee drinking while driving dangerous?
Is smoking while dring dangerous? One-handed driving? Where does it stop?
Driving is dangerous. Ban Driving!!

[demosincebirth]

17. +1

[ScreamingMeemie]

69. Having watched some horrific accidents happen, I have to agree with you.

It is a $500 fine in a school zone here in Texas, and rightfully so.

[mike_c]

13. easy solution-- turn your damned phone off and drive...

...or pull off the road and have phone conversations. Personally, I wish they'd fined you enough to make you reconsider doing one or the other ever again. It wouldn't bother me in the least if you only stood to harm yourself, but we both know that isn't true.

Hang up and drive, dammit!

on edit: I have places to go and things to do today, but I'm expecting an important phone call, so here I sit, waiting at home, specifically so I won't be behind the wheel when the call comes. If you weren't expecting something pretty important, why didn't you just let it go to voicemail?

[Darth_Kitten]

33. ^5

:D

[Stevenmarc]

15. That's why we have Bluetooth, there's no f'ing reason to hold a phone and drive.

[panader0]

16. You and other posts above are missing the point of my post

I do not contest the 20 dollar fin, or the law against using your cell phone while driving. I DO contest the raising of the fine from 20 to 139 bucks. That's BS

[LostinVA]

19. The fine is still $20, the administrative costs are the rest of it

I wish the fine was $200.

And, your OP does complain about the law and the ticket -- you were "only" on teh phone for 15 seconds.

[Stevenmarc]

24. Sorry but I didn't miss the point at all,

I'm just not overly concerned with your point. Both the fine and the rather large bit of tacked on administrative costs could have easily been avoided by using a hands free device or simply not answering and letting voicemail deal with it. If you are looking for sympathy, try the dictionary.

[petronius]

39. I think his point is quite important - court fees and charges are severely overused,

and very often they don't go to the real costs or to the stated purpose of the fee. They're simply backdoor methods to raise revenue, and create uneven fine structures across the state. I wish the legislature would put a stop to it, actually...

(That said, I also think $20 is much too low a fine for the cell-phone while driving citation.)

[underseasurveyor]

36. It's been that way for a long time

On any fine you get here. Hell back in the early 80's in Colorado a Judge ordered me to pay a fifty dollar fine and after all the extras and add-ins the total fine I paid was $185.00. So it's nothing new.

No texting and hands free here in California. I have no problems with that. And just so you know the second and third offense fines grow exponentially larger. I think around $150.00 or $200.00 for the second. Imagine the total of that fine after all the extras are tacked on. Yikes.

[LostinVA]

18. Good -- you deserved the ticket

See that car driving erratically? Not paying attention? Weaving? Cell phone at the ear.

A hands-free ear piece costs $10 at Target. A Bluetooth is either free with your phone or about $30.

I am so glad most states have made this against the law, and also that they are enforcing it.

[Ron Green]

37. Hands-free is a bullshit solution.

It's not where your hands are, it's where your mind is.

[NeedleCast]

80. So do you insist on silence from passengers in your car?

Are you seriously trying to say that one can't have a conversation and effectively drive a car at the same time?

[Ron Green]

113. No, I'm saying that one's conversation within the car is a very different thing from

a conversation with someone in another place. I'm sure there are several studies that bear this out.

[hobbit709]

20. Yakking and driving is more dangerous than drinking and driving.

Next time don't answer until you pull over.

[LooseWilly]

114. And if the phone rings, have a pull on your flask rather than answering?

Actually... I'm ok with that...

[fishbulb703]

21. Hand-free is just as bad. Its about the mental distraction, not the lost hand.nt

[NeedleCast]

81. Same Question

Do you insist on silence from any passengers in your car while you drive? Are you claiming on can not hold a conversation and effectively drive at the same time?

[earth mom]

22. Sorry but...

:nopity:

I can't stand it when people use their cells while driving! It's dangerous!

[Lagomorph]

23. $124 here in Washington State....

unless it's hands free. Intermediate drivers (kids) can't use one at all...

[GoneOffShore]

25. Pay the fine and stop whining.

You didn't need to answer the phone.

You did need to concentrate on driving.

The fine should be higher, because it's DWD - Driving While Distracted.

[FreeState]

26. You'll get no sympathy from me - pull over to answer your phone

you broke the law - ignorance is no excuse.

[JI7]

27. those Traffic Cam Tickets are FAR worse, mines came out to like 500

fucking rip off motherfuckers. saying i didn't stop on the red light before making the right turn. it had jut turned red. and shit like that makes it more dangerioussince you are so fucking nervous about when the light will change that someone might suddenly stop and the car behind them migh thit them.

[Codeine]

87. Stop running red lights. Problem solved. nt

[JI7]

93. it was yellow and turned red right before i was already ready to make the turn

it's not like it had been red for a long time . it's a rip off. fuckers and it's private fucking cmopanies who get a lot of the money.

[Codeine]

96. "Not red for a long time" is still red, right? nt

[JI7]

99. i had already prepared to make the turn

still 500 dollars is way too much. and they will cause more accidents by doing this with people suddenly coming to a stop because they are afraid of the stupid cameras and people behind them hitting them.

[NutmegYankee]

28. Obviously not high enough!

I live along the I-95 corridor here in eastern Connecticut and I was nearly hit by some idiot texting on his phone last week. The guy never even looked up to notice he has nearly sideswiped me at 75 MPH. It's just unreal and all too common.

There should be a special tier - If you acknowledge you are irresponsible to drive while using a cell phone, the fine should stand at $100. But if you are found to be one of the many who proclaims "but I'm better than others, I drive just fine" you should be hit with a $10000 fine and have your license pulled for one year.

Only people who demonstrate a thorough grasp of common sense deserve a license!

[A-Schwarzenegger]

30. Not fair?

In our village they take your phone and grind it into the asphalt.
Then they give you a warning.

[Vickers]

32. No sympathy from me. I was almost nailed the other night walking on a

sidewalk when a guy on the phone ran into the curb about 20 feet in front of me.

[blondeatlast]

34. No sympathy here. You could not POSSIBLY have waited until you could pull over?

Really?

[Motown_Johnny]

35. $139 isn't a huge fine, it could be worse

How much did you pay for the phone and how much do you pay each month for the service?


and, as they say....


Ignorance of the law is no excuse




use the speaker phone

[pinniped]

38. This is just another lame excuse to pull people over and rake in the dough.

Some people drive leaning on their hand. So, the cop can pull you over and hassle you for 'allegedly' talking on an evil c-phone, when you're not. F that shit.

Some asshole CHP hassled my friend and accused him of talking on his c-phone when he wasn't. He offered to show the idiot the call history on his phone. Ya, he could've erased it quickly, but he didn't. Lame.

This is as stupid as the pull-you-over for not wearing a seat belt crap. When the seat belt law crap first came about, they couldn't issue you a ticket for that unless you allegedly committed some other traffic infraction first. Soon afterwards, it changed to "we can pull you over anytime for an alleged seat belt violation." Gimme your money!

And no, I never got a BS c-phone ticket. My car has bluetooth.

[panader0]

68. I wonder how many of my critics here

have ever had a cup of coffee while driving, or a hamburger, or a cigarette. How many change the channel on their radios while driving? Or, heaven forbid, sneeze! How many drive with just one hand on the wheel? Hypocrites if they have. Cell phone use is NOT illegal in Arizona, and I don't usually keep track of every other states traffic laws.

[ScreamingMeemie]

78. Well, I guess the time has come for you to do so.

:hi:

[panader0]

97. Do you know all of the traffic laws in every state?

Well, it's time for you to do so. The test is tomorrow.

[ScreamingMeemie]

101. Okay. If I am driving through or to another state, I look up seatbelt laws,

cellphone laws etc. I have since seatbelt laws became a fact. I suggest you do the same. It will save you the trouble next time. Why anyone wouldn't, when traveling, is a real headscratcher. As I said in this thread, if you got busted for it here in a school zone, you'd be out $500.

[REP]

40. Been the law here for a couple of years. You earned that ticket.

No, I haven't gotten this ticket because my car has Bluetooth - and I rarely answer the phone when I'm driving, anyway.

[WolverineDG]

41. Hang up & drive

if you want to talk, pull over.

dg

[nadinbrzezinski]

42. As a former medic you will get NO SYMPATHY from me

it is like driving drunk... period.

The CHP officer did the right thing.

Yes, we kept stats for three years on accidents, drunk driving and driving while cell phone... so no sympathy from me.

[MineralMan]

43. Sounds like you have a really crummy cell phone. On mine,

which is a really crappy Trakfone, if I don't answer the phone, the call goes to voice mail, and I can return it when I'm not driving. Actually, though, when I'm driving, I turn the phone off completely. Those calls still go to voice mail, so when I get somewhere where I'm stopping for a while, I turn it on and check to see if anyone called, then return the call.

Was this like a life or death sort of call? No? Then let it ring until it stops. Your caller can leave a message.

Personally, I'd like to see the fines much higher. I'm really tired of drifing behind someone drifting over the lane divider lines while they chat. Screw cell phones when you're driving. Just turn it off and check your voice mail when it's safe.

[Nye Bevan]

44. Try keeping two hands on the steering wheel.

You'll save money and be a safer driver.

[Posteritatis]

45. Sounds entirely deserved. (nt)

[Lindsey]

47. Sorry, but no sympathy from me. I have ear plugs if I have to

talk on my phone while driving. There have been so many accidents because people are holding their cells and don't have both hands on the wheel. This is a law I completely agree with.

[Odin2005]

46. Turn off the damn phone!

[TheWraith]

48. Here in New York the maximum is $180.

I did this accidentally once and got nailed with a ticket even though I'd forgotten I couldn't answer the phone when my girlfriend called. No court costs, no DNA, nothing like that, but they still popped me for $130.

[Roon]

49. Demand the biggest,most expensive trial you can get

they will probably drop it.

[Book Lover]

50. I sometimes have to wonder how we could possibly have a fiscal crisis here with fines like these

As for the nannies in the thread here giving you shit for daring to do something legal two miles away from where you actually were: fuck 'em.

[Politicalboi]

51. LOL!

I got the same shit when I got a red light camera ticket for 500.00. Nobody else here breaks the law, damn it so why should you. LOL! And the costs of the fines are ridiculous.

[Touchdown]

83. Yeah! And I should be able to throw cigarette butts out my window without a fine.

Funny how everybody else is a nanny until you disapprove of something. Then it's reasonable judgment.:crazy:

[smalll]

52. Driving on a cell is as dangerous as driving while drunk --

Of course the drunk drivers tend to be lower-than-middle-class proletarians who, if they get lucky, end up on Cops, while you are just a perfectly respectable latte-liberal upper-than-middle-class phone user (perhaps with an iPhone, which just makes it even MORE respectable) --

sure, it's bullshit! What the fuck they fining YOU for? You probably have equity, a 401K, and know how to appreciate heirloom, locally-sourced sustainable organic arugula. It's an injustice, I tell ya!

[msanthrope]

65. Thread win!! Possibly the best frackin' post I will read here today n/t

[slackmaster]

53. I had a coworker killed by a cell-phone talking driver a few years ago

Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel.

[smalll]

54. This thread didn't go exactly as you expected, did it?

That's one thing that DU is good for -- calling out oblivious assholery.

You just got called out.

Sorry! :shrug:

[proteus_lives]

55. Don't answer your phone when you're behind the wheel.

Pay the fine.

[SoCalDem]

56. or have your passenger answer it

or just turn it OFF when driving:)

I am waiting for the device that blocks cell signals when the ignition is on.. That would solve a lot of problems

[xchrom]

57. Sorry it's a good law.

And if the tickets were cheap - people would still break those
Laws.

[Skittles]

58. why do you talk on the phone while you drive?

really, WHY is that necessary?

[ThomWV]

59. I think you got off cheap and should quit bitching

Be happy you didn't kill someone in your few seconds of lawlessness; something that happens every day when people try to drive and talk on those damnable things.

[onenote]

60. so if the ticket had been for $139 with no costs you wouldn't be bitching?

I doubt it. You're not complaining about the "fees", you're complaining that it cost you $139 to answer a call you shouldn't have answered.

[Obamanaut]

61. My cell phone stays in the saddlebag (motorcycle). nt

[MadHound]

62. As many times as I've almost been hit by an idiot on a phone,

Frankly I'd like to see the fine itself to be over a hundred dollars, in addition to fees, etc.

Put the damn phone away and drive. Those of us on two wheels would especially appreciate it.

[MadHound]

63. As many times as I've almost been hit by an idiot on a phone,

Frankly I'd like to see the fine itself to be over a hundred dollars, in addition to fees, etc.

Put the damn phone away and drive. Those of us on two wheels would especially appreciate it.

[we can do it]

64. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[msanthrope]

66. Hang Up and Drive.

Yes, AZ and CA have MOU--Memos of Understanding with each other regarding traffic offenses.

Which means that AZ LEOs will have your CA info.

Your $139 fine was your warning.

[Statistical]

67. Honest question.

If instead you had received a bill for $139 fine (court costs & administrative fees = $0.00) would that have been any better?

On one hand I agree it is kinda stupid to have something "cost" $20 and then have final price be 6x as much. Just like those $1 auctions on ebay with $24.95 S&H.

On the other hand I suspect if you received say a $200 flat fine (no extra fees) you would have been equally pissed. Am I right?

Talking on cellphones while driving kills people. I have little remorse. Personally I think CA should
a) drop all the extra fees
b) triple total cost

[pipi_k]

72. I would like to see similar laws and fines here in MA

The past few years it's gotten scary to see more and more people walking and driving while talking or texting on their cellphones.

I know lots of people make the argument that it's no more dangerous than having a passenger in the car while talking to him/her, but I think that's different.

For one thing, if there's another person in the car, that's also another pair of eyes watching the road while they're chatting.

For another thing, there's like this discomfort factor with being on a phone and NOT talking. Because that's what a phone is for - talking.

But with another person in the car, the discomfort factor isn't as much because there's nothing at all strange about having someone there and not talking for a while.


More laws and larger fines...oh, and maybe some cooperation between states on standarization. On the laws, anyway.

[begin_within]

71. I'm glad you got the ticket.

I see an average of 8 to 10 people per day holding their cell phones while driving in San Diego. It pisses me off not only because it's illegal to use a hand-held cell phone while driving in California but also dangerous as it takes your attention away from driving. I'm happy to hear that someone got ticketed for it. It's not a "bullshit ticket" by any means.

[MindPilot]

73. You'll get no sympathy from the nanny-state do-gooders here.

Yes the exclusions make the California law bullshit. Driving while talking on a cellphone cannot be drunk-driving dangerous for a guy in an SUV, but perfectly safe and permissible for a tow-truck driver or an EMT. Nor can it be a completely irresponsible thing to do in California, but OK in Arizona.

And the really funny thing is in my hour or so per day I spend on a Socal freeway, I see dozens of people talking on their phones, eating, drinking, putting on make-up, even reading, and most of them are driving just fine.

A study done by the National Insurance Institute last year showed that accident rates were trending downward before wide scale cell phone use and continue to do so.

The cellphone ban is just another feel-good-tax-on-getting-there law enacted by politicians who have made a career out of avoiding addressing real issues.

[flamingdem]

90. It's annoying, bratty behavior to slow down traffic as they usually do..

,, usually they drive fat SUVs, know that they will kill rather than be killed in an accident, and mommy is paying for the cell phone.

[flamingdem]

74. Most Californians ignore this law

I hope they crack down more, and nab texters too, but $139 is too much to pay.

[QC]

75. I wish we had that law in Florida.

Many is the time I have nearly been killed by some idiot on the phone.

[cleanhippie]

77. Without snark or sarcasm...

perhaps you just shouldn't have used your phone while driving?

[Rabrrrrrr]

79. At least one state realizes the danger and assholery of talking while driving.

[panader0]

103. Some states allow gay marriage

Some think it wrong. How about your state? Laws vary from state to state, and cell phone use is not illegal where I live.
This thing about calling me an "asshole" for doing something legal in my state is stupid.

[Rabrrrrrr]

112. Just because something is legal doesn't make it moral.

Lots of evil things, bad things, unethical things, and unhealthy things have been and are legal.

The legality of something is not a legitimate foundation to argue that something's morality.

Also, I did not call you an asshole. I called the behavior of talking on a cell phone while driving to be an act of assholery. Big, huge, massive, whopping difference between the two. I have no idea what you are like in the sum total of your being; but putting one's selfish need to talk on a phone above the lives of innocent people is, to me, an act of incredible assholery. If you want to kill yourself, that's fine; but needlessly putting other people at risk is immorality at its highest.

[NeedleCast]

82. Wow, it seems like practically every other DU'er has "almost" been killed by someone on a cell phone

[slackmaster]

95. I don't have a long commute to work, but I use my horn almost every time I drive

Usually it's because some cell phone talking idiot isn't paying attention to traffic.

[pipi_k]

104. Well all I know is

that there have been multiple episodes where we've almost been hit by people driving and cell phoning/texting.

One of the scarier ones was when we pulled into a Walgreens parking lot and made our way to the parking spots near the door when a young woman in a jeep came whizzing down the aisle yakking away on a cellphone, not paying attention to what she was doing, nearly smashing into us on MY side of the car.

And the really screwed up thing?

Most of these people yell at, and give dirty looks to, the people they almost run into. Like we're in their way or something...

:eyes:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

84. I hear they're even charging for whaambulances these days.

[alcibiades_mystery]

85. It's not a bullshit ticket, and next time you're in CA

I suspect that you'll stop endangering the other people on the road with your selfish nonsense.

Deterrent WIN!

[panader0]

100. Once agaian I must ask

Have you EVER driven while smoking?
Eating a burger?
Sipping a soda? Changing channels on your radio?
One-handed?
HYPOCRITE!

[alcibiades_mystery]

110. Blah blah blah

The fucking law is the law. When you get sufficient studies up to outlaw those things - not your intuition, or general beliefs, but studies - I'll stop doing those as well. As it stands, your imaginary argument that changing radio channels is as dangerous as cell phone use is just that, a little precious piece of your imagination.

[panader0]

111. In my "precious piece of imagination"

you must avert your eyes from the road to change the radio. I don't have to do that to talk on the cell. Which is NOT ileegal where I live. Get real.
Pot is illegal
Gay marriage is illegal
You support the law on those too?

[Xithras]

86. California tickets have worked that way for decades.

You have the fines, processing fees, and assorted state and local fees tacked on. When I got a speeding ticket last year, there was even a fee for the upcoming replacement of my county courthouse.

Most states fund these things out of general fund revenues. Because California can't, it funds these things with fees.

As for the cellphone ticket itself, the LEO's have been running a low-tolerance campaign at the direction of Sacramento for months. Tomorrow they're actually going to be doing a "zero tolerance" day, hunting for cellphone users as rabidly as they normally look for drunk drivers.

The solution is simple. Don't talk on the phone while driving. Most Californian's support the law.

[AtomicKitten]

88. I think driving while yakking on the phone is dangerous. I support the ticketing. nt

[hardluck]

89. I don't think the ticket is bullshit but the way the fees are imposed is.

This is the case with all infractions in California. As part of my pro bono work, I represent homeless that get quality of life citations (jaywalking, littering, etc.) in the skid row area. $20 tickets that have $100 in Court fees. The homeless cannot afford the $120 tickets, they go to warrant, then its arrest and loss of the ability to get low income housing. Crappy situation.

[Taverner]

92. Now that I can agree with

[county worker]

98. We don't have a law against tex ting while diving yet, why not try that next time.

People with cell phones up to their ear while driving are a menace to everyone else.

[Codeine]

106. Yes we do have a texting law in CA.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/

[krabigirl]

102. Ugh, i live in california, and i wish it was more enforced!

Where i live, all i see are people driving while checking their email on a blackberry or on their phones. Especially when they have a MADD sticker on their car....

[leeroysphitz]

105. Those bastards. n/t

[brettjv]

107. I support these laws ...

I hope this doesn't come off wrong, but lemme tell ya, I drove loaded/high on every drug in the book when I was younger (got my license in the mid 80's). Booze, pot, coke, crank, ecstasy, acid, mushrooms, and opioids (not all at once, but sometimes more than one) ... I've driven on EVERYthing.

Now, I am not proud of this irresponsibility, but the fact is, I was known among my friends as 'the dude that can ALWAYS drive'. I've probably driven 'dirty' like 1000 different times in my life, where technically I was breaking the law. Altogether I'm talking about thousands of miles of driving. And back when I was addicted to opioids for a time, I was pretty always 'on' the equivalent of 15-20 percocets ... at all times. On my way to work, home, to see 'the man', etc.

Yet ... I have NEVER been pulled over for bad driving, never gotten a DWI, and never gotten into an accident. I've been pulled over while loaded for other things like tail-lights or registration ... and always walked. One time I even blew a .12 on the side of the road (bad tags is why I got pulled over) when the legal limit was .08 ... and they just LET ME WALK HOME. Why? Because I passed their roadside tests with flying colors.

Bottom-line is ... by a certain (admittedly somewhat twisted) measure, I am an exceptional 'driver'. Not many people out there could've done what I've done w/o getting into serious trouble.

Now, why do I bring all this up?

Because despite my absolute confidence in my ability to drive safely under just about any circumstances (pause to vehemently advise against others 'doing what I did') ... I do NOT FEEL SAFE driving with a cell-phone to my friggin ear. I hate doing it, it totally scares me.

There is absolutely no question in my mind that it's dangerously distracting. And it's NOTHING LIKE driving while smoking a cigarette or one hand on the wheel or sipping a coke while you drive or casually talking w/someone else who's in the car.

Because of this, and the fact that the vast majority of people are not as 'good' of drivers as myself, I honestly think driving with the phone to your ear should be punished EQUALLY to drunk-driving. I'm talking THOUSANDS of dollars in fines, 6 month suspended license, massively raised insurance, weeks of 'driver education' classes, probation, work detail, the whole friggin nine yards. Just like what they do to you for POSSIBLY hurting someone else by driving with BAC of .08 or above.

By the way, I'm over 3 years sober now ... so those days are over ;)

[Exilednight]

108. Sorry. I have no sympathy for you. Talking on a cell phone is just ..........

as dangerous as drinking and driving.

[Freetradesucks]

109. I don't get your opposition to paying

a fine to a liberal state for breaking their very reasonable law.

Drive, don't talk on your freaking cell phone. Get it?