Texting While Driving Now Legal in Colorado, in Some Cases

Megalith

Megalith

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Colorado lawmakers think that texting while driving is perfectly acceptable, so long as you aren’t doing it in “a careless or imprudent manner.” I don’t know what that actually means, or how cops will determine what is careless and what isn’t. The article reiterates the fact that cellphone use is still banned for drivers younger than 18, though some other guy in the state wants to ban kids entirely from using smartphones.

Tim Lane of the Colorado District Attorney’s Office confirmed the softening crackdown on all texting and driving. “The simple fact is that if you are texting while driving but not being careless, it’s no longer illegal,” he said. What constitutes “careless” driving is up to the discretion of each individual law enforcement officer. Cellphone use of any kind is still banned for drivers younger than 18. Teens caught with a phone in hand while driving will be slapped with a $50 fine.
 
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Seems like a nice trap for cops, Oh so you admit you were texting cool, cool cool cool.
 
I'm rather curious if texting is really the issue. 1/4 wrecks are supposedly caused by drivers distracted by phones, yet accident/fatality rates have not increased meaningfully since smartphones became popular. Bad drivers will find a way to wreck, cell phone or not.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
I'm rather curious if texting is really the issue. 1/4 wrecks are supposedly caused by drivers distracted by phones, yet accident/fatality rates have not increased meaningfully since smartphones became popular. Bad drivers will find a way to wreck, cell phone or not.
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Deaths and injuries haven't increased mainly due to much higher safety standards for cars but ionno about number of accidents, results oriented thinking is pretty dangerous.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
In the last 10 years? :/
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If you take a look at car safety in the last 10 years you don't see much but if you look at late 90's early 00's you see a trend in car safety with number of air bars, thicker car pillars etc. Cars are a long lived product and take a while to trickle though the majority of the population.

Also if you're look at texting while driving or distracted phone driving in general you're looking at the late 90's pretty sure 2001-02 you started to see a major push from state legislators concerning cellphones and driving. At Least i remember those campaigns. Texting while driving has been a thing since T9 went on phones in the mid 90's?

TBH it's difficult to tell. Not all accidents end in fatalities and the trend has been decreasing for a long time. Cars have become safer and safer while we drive more than we ever have and yet our fatality rate has been declining. Not because we've become better drivers but rather because cars have been improved upon time and time again.

Want the start of latest era of car safety, look at car pillar sizes, look at door bulk with how much thicker doors are now, how overall cars have become bulker while interior space has stayed the same, airbags outside of driver and passenger are now commonplace, there's a sharp change to meet standards which isn't hidden, styling cues become more obvious. There is a reason why every Crossover pretty much look the same and have very similar dimensions because it's very difficult to meet safety standards for such large cars, although now in the past couple years companies have taken radical facelifts to sorta hide that face, think nissan and toyota with their weird ass grills and lights.

But the vast vast vast majority of accidents are minor accidents that don't end in much injury which is why it's probably difficult to track as only insurance companies really care at that point.
 
They could mean it in a manner of someone is stopped at a red light and then text someone / use phone, but once green put it down and continue driving...

Example for me I get curious about is I use my phone to stream music in my car. What difference is there in me looking at my stereo dash to change a channel vs looking at my phone to press a new station..essentially the same thing but one could be considered illegal in many places..
 
gigaxtreme1 said:
Yeah Colorado! Stoned to the bone and texting while driving. Win-win.
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HeadRusch said:
I was cool with the whole "legalize weed" thing..........gotta be honest, this sounds a little fucked up :) "Legislators..please put down the blunt..."
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Yeah. I agree. The legalization of weed must have influenced the vote. "IN NO WAY" can looking away from the road while occupying your attention to a device in your hands be considered safe. Not ever. Legislators have become too much the voice of folks that want more things to be legal. Regular folks have a way of speeding then blaming the officer that pulled them over and ticketed them. Legislators are placed into office to slap the hands of the babies that want to touch fire or put their hands into the ac socket. They are there to tell the folks - NO! Thats bad for you even though you want to do it. When the folks that want to get away with laws, make the laws anarchy is formed. The "purge" allowed laws to be overlooked for a day. This is a law that will persist for........untill it is overturned as "not created for human consumption". Well, being a healthy human.
 
D4rkn3ss said:
well cool, i also like driving drunk so what the hell
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DeathFromBelow said:
In the last 10 years? :/
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Well, it so happens I researched a bit the topic regarding where I live some time ago (I was tired of the bullshit the gvt claimed: "less deaths because of what we do"). You are right, that in the last 10 years cars aren't that much safer... BUT, if you simply consider the average years a car will function... the current cars in curculation and much newer than 10 years ago, which means that we now have less older cars (older = not as safe), which means that the average security on the road is well higher.

Which is exactly what happened here: we had more or less the same number of accidents but a lot less deaths. Good government action? My ass. Increased car safety was the answer.
 
What is so hard about putting the phone down until you come to a light or your destination? I have absolutely no problem ignoring the phone while I drive, I don't even bother with the hands free earpiece I have (hasn't been out of the glove box for about 4 years now!).
 
MrGuvernment said:
They could mean it in a manner of someone is stopped at a red light and then text someone / use phone, but once green put it down and continue driving...

Example for me I get curious about is I use my phone to stream music in my car. What difference is there in me looking at my stereo dash to change a channel vs looking at my phone to press a new station..essentially the same thing but one could be considered illegal in many places..
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In California if the Cop sees you with the phone in your hand, you can get a ticket, even if you are not texting.
Even if you are sitting at a read light and simply pick the phone up to see why it beeped, you can get a ticket.

They even closed the GPS loophole. You can only touch your phone while using it as a GPS IF you have it mounted to the dash.
If I need to use my phone for directions, I have to set it up to give voice directions while still parked. Then I don't touch the phone until I get to where I'm going and park the car. Only way to avoid a ticket.
 
sadsteve said:
What is so hard about putting the phone down until you come to a light or your destination? I have absolutely no problem ignoring the phone while I drive, I don't even bother with the hands free earpiece I have (hasn't been out of the glove box for about 4 years now!).
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People are impatient idiots who feel they are the center of the universe, so clearly they must be reachable at will by anyone because their texts and calls are so vitally important.
 
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"While driving" in some places even means when stopped at a red light and while in a complete standstill hours long traffic jam. So maybe that's what's being relaxed?
 
Fair enough, Colorado. There's already a law on the books in most states called referring to reckless driving. Cops can use their discretion. No need for such a specific set of laws when they're covered in general. Oh, you saw someone swerving all over the road but they weren't drunk or texting? Free to go then! ... that's not how it works but some people don't get that.
 
People been driving distracted for decades. Either by playing with their radio, eating, talking to the passenger or what ever else. I seen people eating off a dish with a knife and fork while driving. The common denominator is humans. They do stupid shit phone or not.
 
vegeta535 said:
People been driving distracted for decades. Either by playing with their radio, eating, talking to the passenger or what ever else. I seen people eating off a dish with a knife and fork while driving. The common denominator is humans. They do stupid shit phone or not.
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At least in my case, there is something uniquely distracting about trying to use a phone compared to those other things you list. I've done all those things listed—minus eating with a fork—and texting is the only activity where even my subconscious attention was pulled away from my driving. I think I would be a safer driver if I were driving drunk.

Needless to say, I've long since quit using my phone while driving. A couple of near misses scared my ass straight about that.
 
vegeta535 said:
People been driving distracted for decades. Either by playing with their radio, eating, talking to the passenger or what ever else. I seen people eating off a dish with a knife and fork while driving. The common denominator is humans. They do stupid shit phone or not.
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Smashing Young Man said:
At least in my case, there is something uniquely distracting about trying to use a phone compared to those other things you list. I've done all those things listed—minus eating with a fork—and texting is the only activity where even my subconscious attention was pulled away from my driving. I think I would be a safer driver if I were driving drunk.

Needless to say, I've long since quit using my phone while driving. A couple of near misses scared my ass straight about that.
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As an example of what common sense is up against, I remember a ole Dr.Phill episode where the young teenage girl said its not about multitasking concerning other folks. They are bad at it, she was good. She was "really" good at it. As a matter of fact, she knew that she was a better multitasker than "a-n-y-b-o-d-y" else.

The reason she was on the show was that she was thought to be a troubled driver because since she got her license she was in multiple accidents and fender benders.
Oh yeah, she was on her phone everyone of the times she got in an accident. "EVERYONE" of the times.

Somehow she was able to convince herself that the distraction of using a phone while she was supposed to be watching the road was not the problem. She was "still" an able multitasker and using her phone while driving was not the problem. The cause was 'this' or 'that' or she had already put the phone down.

WOW..........

This could be a public service commercial. "This is you on distracted driving". Are you also in denial??
 
vegeta535 said:
People been driving distracted for decades. Either by playing with their radio, eating, talking to the passenger or what ever else. I seen people eating off a dish with a knife and fork while driving. The common denominator is humans. They do stupid shit phone or not.
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Totally agree ,except that 'distracted driving' needs to be contained/constrained to where something diverts your attention from what is going on the road. Reflexes are slightly lessened, 'maybe', except that some things take your eyes off the road. Radio and talking - grabbing a bite from a mac sandwitch, are things that dont necessitate - eyes off the road. Texting does. Its a diference.

Distracted means <imho> is when something takes "all" of your concentration away from driving. I can listen to the radio and forget what songs I heard. I cant text while driving and not be aware of what I just texted, expecting an answer, and what I may want to text on the reply, without being distracted.

The text took (@60mph & 5 seconds) 400 feet...........eyes off of the road.

My way of looking at it is to imagine someone taking their drivers test. Someone has a learners permit and wants to show that they are a capable and worthy driver. "I" know the rules! Imagine them taking the test and every minute or so, they look at the floor of the car that they are in for 5 seconds. Throughout the test, at 30 mph. What are the chances that the driving instructor will pass them?

NONE.

True story:

After passing a driving test, the instructor told of an amazing test, perfection. He wished that every test he had done, had gone as well.

Test taker: you mean that I passed?

Instructor: Yes! With flying colors. Please tell your teacher how well you were taught.

Test taker: I passed?

Instructor: YES!

Test taker: Glad I dont have to drive like that again!



Make up your own conclusions.
 
Smoke weed and text......and I thought Florida was the most F'd up state.
 
Grew up in CO, that place has turned into a liberal crack house. People get involved in text to the point they are not paying attention.
A text can wait, put the fucking phone down and look out your window and drive.

I had some bimbo teenager driving 70 in a 80 zone in the left lane because she was not paying attention and through traffic was backing up.
 
Apparently the lawmakers in Colorado are smoking too much of their own product. Bunch of idiots.
 
Texting isnt the problem. Distracted driving is. If you can text and maintain your attention sufficiently to control your vehicle there shouldnt be an issue. That being said 99% of all people cant control their vehicle properly even when not distracted....hence the nanny states...
 
I live in CO. They ban the sale of high capacity magazines for my firearms, but allow folks to distractedly drive a 2,000 projectile. WTF?
 
People will still text and drive no matter what the law is.

People will still smoke weed no matter what the law is.

Maybe Colorado is the first to figure it out?
 
Krenum said:
Good, maybe it will thin out the herd.
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The problem with this mentality is if they thin the wrong heard...ie..the people texting aren't the ones being thinned.

This is a fucking stupid idea.
 
doz said:
What about the 400lb fat man driving with his Chihuahua on his lap while eating a double cheeseburger?
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I am calling bullshit on your example... People don't have that small of a dog in their laps. ;)
 
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