NE3: Distracted Drivers Act

[Blair]

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Sponsor: Winfield, you have 36 hours to advocate this bill

[Lincoln Republican]

Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Some sobering statistics that have been published by the CDC as to deaths and injuries due to distracted driving in Atlasia:

In 2012, 3,328 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 3,360 in 2011. An additional, 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver in 2012, a 9% increase from the 387,000 people injured in 2011.
In 2011, nearly one in five crashes (17%) in which someone was injured involved distracted driving.
In December 2012, more than 171 billion text messages were sent or received in the US.

http://www.cdc.gov/Motorvehiclesafety/Distracted_Driving/index.html

We simply must get control of this situation and start getting serious about putting into place some tough distracted driving laws for the safety of our people.

This carnage on our roads and highways cannot be allowed to continue.  

Distracted driving has caused untold misery, hardship, and grief among our people, with the death and injury of loved ones.

We cannot simply stand by and let this carnage on our roads and highways continue.

We have a responsibility to act, and to act now.

Let us, as a law making institution, get behind this initiative in order to decrease these terrifying numbers.    

[free my dawg]

While I understand that distracted driving is a problem, I (once again) have trouble seeing how it would be enforced. And if it is enforced, it's hard to prove in a court of law unless there are witnesses or there's video evidence - and even then most "witnesses" are too focused on the road to care about some distracted driver.

[Lincoln Republican]

It does absolutely no good for anybody to simply sit back and say

Oh, how will we enforce it?

It does no good to  simply ignore the problem and using age old lame excuses.

We need to act, and we need to act now.

Once drivers know and understand there is a tough distracted drivers law in effect, they will pay more attention to their driving.

As an example, in one Canadian city there were 415 tickets issued in a one year period.  It is a start.

Quit with the excuses. 

Let's act and let's act now. 

 

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

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As a legislator, this is a pretty important question. Laws aren't very effective (and can possibly be detrimental) if there isn't an efficient enforcement mechanism. What happened to good government?

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It's best not to let impulsion get the best of you. This is not a strawman; people literally did consider banning car radios at one point. Let's keep this in perspective.

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Not necessarily true, and this is perhaps the biggest reason why texting-while-driving laws have been a bugbear for me.

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citation

In other words, laws such as these potentially lead to more accidents.

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Pardon me for being petty, but an increase in the issuance of tickets does not necessarily conclude that law enforcement is doing its job.

Several years ago there was a scandal in Cranston, RI where police officers issued an excessive amount of parking tickets due to conflicts over contracts.

And of course, ticket quotas don't exist in today's Atlasia! *wink nudge*

More specifically to your example of a Canadian city, this problem isn't unique to Atlasia.

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[Lincoln Republican]

IRL all 50 states, DC, and the territories have some sort of distracted driving legislation on the books.

I do not believe any one of us have more knowledge in this matter than all 50 state governments combined.

I am sure these states had hearings and the testimony of expert witnesses during the course of drafting this legislation.

My bill is based on IRL legislation.

If this initiative was of no use, then all 50 states would not have implemented such legislation.

So leave the excuses and the do nothing past behind us, and let's get on with the business of saving lives.

[free my dawg]

Once drivers know and understand there is a tough distracted drivers law in effect, they will pay more attention to their driving.

Of course, tough laws will help deter people from doing illegal things. That must by why Sinaloa is drug free.

[Blair]

Largely mixed feelings on this. On one hand we need to put in place legislation, because the whole point is to show that it's harmful to drive and not be 100% concentrating. However there's issues whether said legislation would actually work

[Lincoln Republican]

These lame excuses are really annoying.

Let's get on with it.

Let's make our roads and highways safer and let's save lives.

[pikachu]

I'm with Blair on this. Distracted driving really is something that we discourage, because unlike, say, drugs, there's a high societal risk posed. OTOH, effectiveness and enforcement is important. Do we have a ban on ticket quotas or expecting a certain amount of revenue from tickets? That could help discourage officers from giving out meaningless tickets...

[Clyde1998]

I think I'll support the bill as it is - however my only issue is that it might not be easy to enforce it. However, the deterrent should be enough for people to comply with this bill, if passed.

[DKrol]

Per the former Speaker's decision to allocate 36 hours to debate on this bill, I declare the period of debate over.

 We will now move to 48 hours for a vote, or until all Representatives have cast a vote - which ever may come first. Appropriate votes are Aye, Nay, or Abstain.

[Lincoln Republican]

Aye

[pikachu]

Aye

[Clyde1998]

Aye

[DKrol]

Aye

[DKrol]

By a vote of 4 Ayes with 1 Representative not voting, the bill is passed and will be be sent to the Governor.

[Lincoln Republican]

Governor Sawx has vetoed this bill.

Mr. Speaker, please call for a veto override vote.

I ask all who have supported this bill, Lt. Gov. Pikachu, Clyde1988, NE Speaker DKrol,  to stand with me,  united, to override this veto, so that, finally, the Northeast can have strong, sensible, effective distracted drivers legislation.

This legislation is effective, it does cut down on deaths and injuries on roads and highways.

Stand with me in taking action to, finally, cut down on deaths and injuries caused by distracted driving.

The age old excuses cannot be allowed to continue to endanger the lives of our people. 

Let us, as legislators, start saving lives, not continue to endanger them.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

This legislation is effective, it does cut down on deaths and injuries on roads and highways.

No it isn't.

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citation

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Indeed. Let us vote down this legislation that is proven to increase traffic fatalities. We don't want more traffic fatalities, do we?

[Lincoln Republican]

B.C.’s distracted driving law saves lives

VICTORIA – B.C.’s comprehensive distracted driving law is estimated to have saved 16 lives and brought about a 12 per cent reduction in the number of serious injuries since the law was introduced two years ago.

http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2012PSSG0002-000007.htm

Yes, distracted driving laws save lives.

Were these 16 lives worth saving?  You bet they were.  Is it worth having a distracted driving law to save lives?  You bet it is.

These 16 could be mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, a one year old baby.

Are their lives worth saving?  You bet they are.

Is a distracted driving law worth it to bring about a 12 per cent reduction in the number of serious injuries?  You bet it is.

My fellow Northeast Representatives, 4 of us voted in favor of a distracted drivers law.  I ask all of you to stay united with me and vote to override this veto.

Is it worth it to have a distracted drivers law to save lives?  You bet it is.  These laws do save lives.

Please, stand with me.  Let all 4 of us stand together and vote to override this veto, so that we can save lives and reduce injuries.

We owe this to the people of the Northeast.

I can't do this without you.  Please, let all 4 of us do the right thing and start saving lives, and override this veto.

Between Feb. 1, 2010 and Sept. 30, 2011, police issued 46,008 tickets to drivers for using a hand-held electronic device while driving. During the same time period, another 1,372 tickets were issued to drivers for emailing or texting while driving. Police have issued over 34 per cent more tickets for distracted driving in 2011 than in the previous year.

It is enforceable.

http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2012PSSG0002-000007.htm

[Clyde1998]

The number of deaths on Scottish roads have reduced by 49% [based on 2013 figure] since the introduction of a bill outlawing the usage of handheld phones in cars in December 2003.

Additionally, in the same time, the number of deaths of those under the age of 20 has reduced by 52% - this is a huge amount of people who may have died previously, who haven't.

While this can't solely be attributed to the reduction of those using mobile phones when driving - the outlawing of this must play a major role in the reduction of deaths across the country.

The outlawing of a huge amount of distractions when using a motor vehicle would help reduce deaths on our roads.

[Lincoln Republican]

Mr. Speaker DKrol, the Governor has vetoed this bill.

Please call for a veto override vote.

Thank you.

[free my dawg]

It's not necessary for DKrol to do it. You've already called for it - he just has to open it up to a vote.

[Lincoln Republican]

It's not necessary for DKrol to do it. You've already called for it - he just has to open it up to a vote.

Okay.  Thank you.

[Lincoln Republican]

Mr. Speaker, as pointed out by Governor Sawx, I have already called for a veto override vote.

What you have to do now is to open the veto override vote.