Don't Ring and Drive! Now in NJ!

[bobolito]

N.J., D.C. distracted-driving laws take effect today

by DAVID ILER
July 01, 2004 12:52 PM EST

New Jersey motorists should think twice before they reach for their cell phones while driving as a state law took effect July 1 banning the use of handheld phones and requiring hands-free devices. The law, signed by the New Jersey governor in January, is the second statewide ban in the United States on using a handheld phone while driving, following New York state’s 2001 legislation.

A law prohibiting so-called “distracted driving behavior,” including use of handheld cell phones in vehicles, also went into effect July 1 in Washington, D.C.

The hands-free-only laws again highlight the issue of distracted driving as efforts to legislate phone behavior in vehicles continue. The wireless industry has expressed mixed attitudes about efforts to legislate cell-phone use in vehicles. While Verizon Wireless lent its support to both the New York and New Jersey bills, with key caveats, Sprint Corp. is “opposed to any attempt to single out wireless-phone use as the only distraction in the automobile,” said spokesman Travis Sowders.

Verizon supported the New York and New Jersey legislation because they were applied uniformly statewide, exempted emergency calls and permitted hands-free devices to be used, according to David Samberg, public-relations manager for the New York metro area. Verizon also asked for phase-in periods for the laws to take effect.

Verizon adopted its stance mainly because local municipalities in New York were beginning to adopt their own, often disparate laws, making compliance difficult for drivers moving from one city to the next. Even before these laws began popping up, Samberg said the company saw the need to educate cell-phone users with the message: “When you’re behind the wheel, driving is your No. 1 priority.”

“Education is the only thing that can make people more responsible drivers,” said Kimberly Kuo, Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association spokeswoman. Legislation, she added, “is not a quick fix. ‘Hands-free’ is good, but the industry’s education effort goes much further.” The efforts include public-service announcements, ads and brochures included with new phones. Sowders said that Sprint is “doing what we can to help our customers comply with the (N.J.) law” and encourage voice dialing.

Sprint’s position about driver distraction highlights a key issue—cell-phone use is but one behavior falling under the category of distracted driving. In a June 2003 study, “Distractions in Everyday Driving,” funded by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, cell-phone use ranked eighth on a list of driver distractions linked to crashes. “Outside object, person or event” topped the list.

Responding to the broad behaviors grouped under the distracted-driving umbrella, the Washington, D.C., law also covers “reading, writing, performing personal grooming, interacting with pets or unsecured cargo” in addition to handheld cell-phone use. A 30-day warning period has been set for the law, ending Aug. 1.

According to N.J. Assemblyman Douglas Fisher, prime sponsor of the New Jersey legislation, the final language of the bill was a compromise and the law can only be applied as a secondary action when a driver is stopped for a traffic violation or other offense. Fines range from $100 to $250, and emergency use of handheld phones is permitted.

In addition, hands-free phones must not interfere with vehicle-safety equipment such as airbags.

http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=18711

[ZaphodB]

<BITTER><CATTY>
Yeah, talking on cell phones is what makes New Jersey drivers so incredibly ty... that must be it, not the fact that they all think they're Mario Andretti as soon as they get behind the wheels of their Camaros, without stopping to think that they're driving on what are essentially paved cowpaths.
</BITTER></CATTY>

[bobolito]

Actually, with so many traffic jams, it is hard to venture out speeding here unless it is 4:00 AM. Maybe in South Jersey that's possible, but not up here in the north.

I do see a lot of people yapping away on their cell phones while driving. It seems they can't be cautious enough to grab the hands-free.

[Critic]

I'd like to see a state trooper try to pluck one person out of the crappy 76/295/whatever the hell else merge in rush hour traffic. Honestly, Central/South Jersey is pretty ok, traffic wise - except for those pesky rush hours. (Especially around Princeton.)

[ZaphodB]

I dunno, I get around just fine... the Turnpike is usually smooth sailing when I'm on it, which is nearly always during daylight hours.

Anyone who thinks traffic in Central Jersey is fine has never been on Route 1 at 5:30 p.m., when it backs up from New Brunswick all the way into Rahway.

[Critic]

Well, I've never really thought of the New Brunswick-Rahway corridor as "central", for some reason, but I guess you're right. But 5:30 would fall in my rush-hour caveat.

The Turnpike is usually pretty good, except at the point where the roadways re-merge just after Exit 8A - on nice weekends, that spot can back up a good 10 miles.

[bobolito]

Route 1? Oh please! Who doesn't know about the famous Route 1 jams? That is the route to avoid. They're always talking about building an alternate route to ease Rt. 1 traffic, and to fix the mysterious Rt. 95 dissapearance from Trenton to the Turnpike, but that's still years away.

[MOTOhooligan]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Route 1? Oh please! Who doesn't know about the famous Route 1 jams? That is the route to avoid. They're always talking about building an alternate route to ease Rt. 1 traffic, and to fix the mysterious Rt. 95 dissapearance from Trenton to the Turnpike, but that's still years away.

I don't know about the famous Route 1 jams but I live in Kansas... we don't have a lot of traffic jams because combines move so slow they don't really have a tendency to "jam up."

[Critic]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Route 1? Oh please! Who doesn't know about the famous Route 1 jams? That is the route to avoid. They're always talking about building an alternate route to ease Rt. 1 traffic, and to fix the mysterious Rt. 95 dissapearance from Trenton to the Turnpike, but that's still years away.

There's not much mystery to why the missing section of 95 (from Ewing to I-287 in Edison) was never built - Hopewell Township NIMBYed it to death. You can read the details at PhillyRoads.com - it's actually pretty interesting.

Believe me, I know about the traffic on Route 1 - I've lived a stone's throw from Route 1 for the last 2 years. But it's much worse up north than it is by me.

[ZaphodB]

I detect a bunch of roadgeeks here... *cough*

Yes, Route 1 is the place to avoid... but let's face it, the alternatives suck. You can pay and take the Turnpike, you can take 27 which takes you through Highland Park which is just the world's biggest clusterf**k, or you can take 514 and hope to God that nothing happened along the way.

(Me, I used to take the long, long way around, because it ended up being faster -- 35 to the Victory Circle, may it rest in pieces, to 615 in South Amboy to 535, then either to 18 or all the way down through South Brunswick back to Exit 8A. And I never used to talk on the phone, either.)

I spent 18 years or so in Woodbridge...I *had* to learn all the alternate routes.

[ZaphodB]

Originally Posted by Critic

Well, I've never really thought of the New Brunswick-Rahway corridor as "central", for some reason, but I guess you're right. But 5:30 would fall in my rush-hour caveat.

The Turnpike is usually pretty good, except at the point where the roadways re-merge just after Exit 8A - on nice weekends, that spot can back up a good 10 miles.

...which is why those of us (you, me, etc.) who know better can get from 8A to 295 in just a few minutes and proceed to laugh our asses off at the idiots who are stuck in traffic.

[bobolito]

Glad I don't have to drive around that area anymore. I haven't been there in years. I didn't know the Victory circle was gone. My driving is normally in North NJ, I go as far south as I-78 only and into PA and also I do lots of driving along 287, the Parkway, 80, 95 into NYC.

[Critic]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Glad I don't have to drive around that area anymore. I haven't been there in years. I didn't know the Victory circle was gone.

Not really surprising, tho - NJDOT has been systematically killing off all of the existing circles (roundabouts, whatever) in favor of poorly designed intersections for the better part of 20 years. I'm still amazed the Pennington Circle hasn't been torn up yet.

Circles don't cause accidents. It's morons from out of state who don't know how to drive the circles that cause accidents. =)

[ZaphodB]

Originally Posted by Critic

Not really surprising, tho - NJDOT has been systematically killing off all of the existing circles (roundabouts, whatever) in favor of poorly designed intersections for the better part of 20 years. I'm still amazed the Pennington Circle hasn't been torn up yet.

Circles don't cause accidents. It's morons from out of state who don't know how to drive the circles that cause accidents. =)

The cardinal rule being "don't stop". It's one of those things that, in 10 years, will define someone who grew up there. The area near the Staples and Loman Kia and the Dunkin' Donuts on Route 1 is still referred to as "the Green Street circle" even though the Green Street circle hasn't existed for more than 20 years.

But now with the replacement of the Victory Bridge, what am I going to use for my excuse when I'm late?! ("Oh, sorry for being late... the bridge was open.")

[bobolito]

BTW, did you guys realize that about 93% of this thread should be in the off-topic forum?

[ZaphodB]

Um... so, uh, I wonder which provider has the best coverage in the Victory Circle.

[Fullstrength]

Originally Posted by ZaphodB

Um... so, uh, I wonder which provider has the best coverage in the Victory Circle.

The circle is supposed to gone very soon. Total nightmare no one would ever observe the stop signs or yield. I live where the original somerset freeway would have be built and boy the leadership in hopewell, and princeton is bad. They wouldnt build an expressway that was needed 20yrs ago, but they will build homes on everyone inch or land. Can you say paradox?

[Critic]

For the uninitiated, the "Somerset Freeway" is the infamous missing link of I-95.