New Distracted Driving Laws Jan 1 2019? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

New Distracted Driving Laws Jan 1 2019?

The driverless car is more and more the reality to be.
Then the government better start laying down tracks instead of building & maintaining roads.
Driverless trains are a realistic concept, autonomous driven cars are a technical abomination.
 
Then the government better start laying down tracks instead of building & maintaining roads.
Driverless trains are a realistic concept, autonomous driven cars are a technical abomination.

Driverless trains are more than a concept. I was designing and testing them in operation back in the '80s. Think Vancouver Skytrain, and The SRT. The SRT only has drivers because the union was so strong; all they need to do is press the big green (at the time) button that closes the doors.
 
Driverless trains are more than a concept...

;) putting cars on track is an old idea too:

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All these are fine ideas (including thought but not mentioned hovercrafts)

On a side note, would love a German style legislation

1. While driving, you cannot have food, drink, phone or anything that would take your eyes off the road. Once in the car, it is meant for you to commute to the destination as fast and efficiently as possible.
2. Stricter exams. Canada is multicultural, however, that brings different driving styles, no uniformity and understanding of the law. Tougher driving rules and tests would make sure everyone understands "the right of way" or what to do when they reach a roundabout. It would also help with the 60kph on a 400 series highway.
3. Better traffic management. Implementing a minimum traffic management system could have tremendous impact (hopefully beneficial) to the am amount of traffic on the road. Improving gridlock and lowering the time people spend on the road would help the environment, lower travel time and allowing people to spend more time with family or recreational.
4. Better roads.This goes without saying. All the money going to bureaucrats, can be better used to improve the safety and status of our current roadways. 400 series has become a God forsaken land of some post war European country.
 
All these are fine ideas (including thought but not mentioned hovercrafts)

On a side note, would love a German style legislation

1. While driving, you cannot have food, drink, phone or anything that would take your eyes off the road. Once in the car, it is meant for you to commute to the destination as fast and efficiently as possible.
2. Stricter exams. Canada is multicultural, however, that brings different driving styles, no uniformity and understanding of the law. Tougher driving rules and tests would make sure everyone understands "the right of way" or what to do when they reach a roundabout. It would also help with the 60kph on a 400 series highway.
3. Better traffic management. Implementing a minimum traffic management system could have tremendous impact (hopefully beneficial) to the am amount of traffic on the road. Improving gridlock and lowering the time people spend on the road would help the environment, lower travel time and allowing people to spend more time with family or recreational.
4. Better roads.This goes without saying. All the money going to bureaucrats, can be better used to improve the safety and status of our current roadways. 400 series has become a God forsaken land of some post war European country.

I pretty much agree but no politician will stick his / her head out to do any of the above.

Distractions? Do they still have all the animated billboards on the Gardiner?
 
You know, I really like all the distractions...away from the real problem: CELL PHONES They could end this very, very quickly with phones that shut down once they start moving. But they won't, because too many people want to do it. It's not the eating. It's not the smoking. It's not the coffee drinking. It's the TEXTING. That's not going to stop unless the phones shut down. And penalties? How about a lifetime ban on cell phone ownership for those caught driving and using a cell phone? Won't happen either. The interests won't allow it. We're just going to pretend everything else is a problem where before it wasn't. Create. A. CRISIS. Take away more freedoms.
 
You know, I really like all the distractions...away from the real problem: CELL PHONES They could end this very, very quickly with phones that shut down once they start moving. But they won't, because too many people want to do it. It's not the eating. It's not the smoking. It's not the coffee drinking. It's the TEXTING. That's not going to stop unless the phones shut down. And penalties? How about a lifetime ban on cell phone ownership for those caught driving and using a cell phone? Won't happen either. The interests won't allow it. We're just going to pretend everything else is a problem where before it wasn't. Create. A. CRISIS. Take away more freedoms.

The insanity of the current laws is VW added texting to the in-dash system. Yes, bleeping texting on an on-screen keyboard built into a car. And that's legal. wtf.
 
You know, I really like all the distractions...away from the real problem: CELL PHONES They could end this very, very quickly with phones that shut down once they start moving. But they won't, because too many people want to do it. It's not the eating. It's not the smoking. It's not the coffee drinking. It's the TEXTING. That's not going to stop unless the phones shut down. And penalties? How about a lifetime ban on cell phone ownership for those caught driving and using a cell phone? Won't happen either. The interests won't allow it. We're just going to pretend everything else is a problem where before it wasn't. Create. A. CRISIS. Take away more freedoms.

Argument: A passenger can't text either.

OK So we never get into a vehicle with a drunk driver but do we tell a driver to stop texting or let us out?
 
The insanity of the current laws is VW added texting to the in-dash system. Yes, bleeping texting on an on-screen keyboard built into a car. And that's legal. wtf.

Unless it recently changed. I have a GTI and yes the dash does show texts. It actually reads them out loud. Nice feature. No more driver involvement compared to adjusting the volume on the radio. No keyboard to respond.
 
Honestly I don't think texting and driving is ever going away...it should, but it won't.

This is one of the few reasons I do welcome autonomous cars...let those who would rather play with their phone have the car do the driving. I just hope when that day comes, we are still offered the choice to drive for ourselves if we want to (maybe with a requirement being the phone must be off), and without insurance companies charging us 100x what they do now for the privilege to do so.
 
Just buy a Tesla and use auto pilot for when u feel distracted from diving.

[video=youtube;sXls4cdEv7c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXls4cdEv7c[/video]
 
You know, I really like all the distractions...away from the real problem: CELL PHONES They could end this very, very quickly with phones that shut down once they start moving. But they won't, because too many people want to do it. It's not the eating. It's not the smoking. It's not the coffee drinking. It's the TEXTING. That's not going to stop unless the phones shut down. And penalties? How about a lifetime ban on cell phone ownership for those caught driving and using a cell phone? Won't happen either. The interests won't allow it. We're just going to pretend everything else is a problem where before it wasn't. Create. A. CRISIS. Take away more freedoms.

To come back to this point, my phone has a "driving mode" in which all hands-on interaction is disabled while in a moving vehicle. It doesn't have any effect on Cortana voice controls and my phone connects to the Bluetooth in my car pretty seamlessly. With "driving mode" on I figure that I have a pretty good argument against such tickets while moving, especially since my phone is generally on my belt, not in the car bracket.
 
Manufacturer's don't "regionalize" their vehicles, just because texting and driving here is illegal, it isn't in all places that VW sells their vehicles in. Same as before the government made 2 up ATV's legal here most manufacturer's produced and sold 2 up machines, here, (you could ride 2 up on your own property, before the law changed). Wouldn't be be cost effective to make one vehicle with X accessories for area A, and then make vehicles with Y accessories for area B.

The insanity of the current laws is VW added texting to the in-dash system. Yes, bleeping texting on an on-screen keyboard built into a car. And that's legal. wtf.
 
^ That's not entirely true. In a good many late model cars, the car's onboard software includes the capability of managing every conceivable option or configuration, and there is a configuration file downloaded to the car at the assembly plant which indicates which ones it actually has. Daytime running lights? That check-box is on in Canadian-market cars, off in US-market cars. Automatic 4-way flashers that automatically come on beyond a certain braking threshold? That check-box is off in all North-American-spec cars, on in European-spec cars. Didn't order cruise control? You get the steering column assembly without that switch, and without that check-box in the software.

My van doesn't have satellite radio because I didn't order it ... but it's the same radio. And somewhere there is a software configuration which disables satellite radio because I didn't buy that.

* * *

People will only stop texting and driving if they are physically prevented from doing so. That's only going to happen with changes to regulations that apply to mobile phones (and infotainment in motor vehicles). "Disable all physical interaction if the phone detects motion above (let's say) 20 km/h unless it can be proven that the phone is not in the hands of someone at the control of a motor vehicle" and let the geeks in both the phone industry and the auto industry figure out how to do that. I'm sure they would find a way. If they can't ... tough beans. If you want to yap on the phone, stop. It'll never happen; regardless of legality, the general public wants to yap on the phone while driving, and a good many of them want to text while driving.
 
I have a suction cup GPS. Is it clearly OK to touch the screen to get a detour route or check traffic?
 
A friend received a distracted driving ticket in Toronto . She was stopped at a light and looked at her phone on the seat beside her . She said she did pick it up not realizing it`s still breaking the law . She didn`t notice the police car beside her? . She was pulled over on the other side of the intersection . The cop had a body cam on him and told her he was recording the stop . She has a trial date in January . Is there any way to fight this ? Is there a way to plea and get the fine reduced ?

Big lesson learned .
 

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