Comments on: Minnesota: Cell phone laws, legislation

By: Jeny

Jeny — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:43:41 +0000

I feel that talking on a Hands Free system installed directly into my car and/or a bluetooth type system is perfectly safe. It is NO different than talking to a person sitting inside of your car. Or, are they going to make driving with passengers illegal? Seriously, phone companies and automobile makers have adopted options for drivers to be hands free. I will be Pissed off if I cannot use my Hands Free system that was Installed in my vehicle by the manufacturer.

Quit Blaming Technology for peoples Faulty driving. Before the state worries about the ones on the phone, they should look into how DUMB people are who are passing the states required (EASY) Behind The Wheel courses! Might just rule out some of those talkers and texters who can’t drive for S#$% to begin with!

By: Byron

Byron — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:05:00 +0000

The dept of public safety didn’t care about distractions when the interlocking device was passed, I’ve seen people blowing in that device and are taking there eyes of the road. The dept of public safety is all about money nothing else. They can’t take away one distraction then add another.

By: Emar

Emar — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:45:52 +0000

Anyone who says they can carry on a cell phone conversation while driving a motor vehicle and not be distracted is being dishonest with themselves.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:08:49 +0000

I think this law is just another infringement on our rights of freedom. If someone takes the risk of talking on the cell phone and gets into an accident and injury’s someone than they should pay. This is just another example of government taking something that some people can not and should not do and wrecking it for others that are able to talk and drive at the same time or do pull over and talk on the cell phone. I have had people do stupid things in front of me on the highway and some where on the cell phone and some where just driving along. Lets face the simple truth, there are people out there that should have never been allowed to drive. That is why government set up drivers testing stations, so that only qualified and safe drivers where on the road. WOW obviously that worked well. This is just one more way for them to control our daily lives and make money, as if taking the crap out of us isn’t enough.

By: John

John — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:56:32 +0000

Our elected officials propose and pass laws that continue to infringe upon our freedoms. Constitutional rights are being tossed aside at an exponential rate in America. We will soon get to a place where the only right we have is the right to remain silent and the only freedom we have is to go to work and have the government redistribute our earnings to ensure the continued growth of Government. You can’t legislate and it is not the job of government to attempt to legislate “common sense”.

Interestingly enough, I got ticketed for using my cell phone while driving. I pulled over onto a McDonalds parking lot and excercised my right to remain silent while the trooper began to write my ticket. A woman nicely dressed but wearing a very short skirt walked across the parking lot towards her car when I heard a crash. Two drivers , having been distracted by this attractive woman in her skirt and heels had hit each other head on. Obviously in a bit of a hurry to get out of the parking lot now congested by the trooper issuing my ticket and the two car accident the woman was a bit fast heading off the lot and onto the street. At the end of the driveway as she attempted to apply her brakes the 4 inch heel of her shoe snagged the carpet of her car and she was t-boned by a driver who didn’t see her. It was reported that the other driver was not on a cell phone but had one hand on a double cheesburger purchased at the Burger King only a block away.

Although no one had been seriously injured I could hear the siren of the Ambulance racing towards the McDonalds lot which by now began to look more like a demolition derby. Well sure enough, as the ambulance approached the lot another vehicle with a bitchin sound system entered the intersection under a full green light. Unfortunately, not being able to hear the siren of the ambulance the four young men in the vehicle with the bitchin sound system were plowed over by the ambulance. Having completed my ticket the officer handed it to me for my signature. I signed it as the officer told me to remember that cell phone use while driving was dangerous.

By: Chinonye

Chinonye — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:58:08 +0000

A careless driver is a careless driver whether on cell phone or not. The should also ban tight pants because people who wear tight pants may not be able to move their legs free on pedals. I think, this law will not stop accidents. Before the existence of cell phone, there were accidents. I think this is not freedom…it is living in chains. People in third world countries have more freedom than us. We only make noise about freedom while people in Africa and Asia enjoy the damn freedom.

By: Barry Svee

Barry Svee — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:21:31 +0000

Please make a distinction between hands-free devices that are built into the vehicle and accessories that are slapped onto a phone in order to call it hands-free. In my car I press a single large button to place or receive a call that is no less of a distraction than pressing a radio station preset button. My eyes are still down the road and hands are at ten and two. Cell phone accessories may still require the user to fiddle with the phone to some degree and are loosely placed in the vehicle and not installed in a stationary location. Devices built into the vehicle, such as in NAV systems or bluetooth integration, do not deserve to be banned.

By: Joyce C dixon

Joyce C dixon — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:20:07 +0000

To me if anyone uses there phone should get a $ 4,000.00 fine… People old or young can not drive and talk on the phone. I have been cut off so many times or a driver is all over the road, I have had people drive right straight to me and I am the one who has to get out of there way, I have seen people not stop at stop signs or lights, I have seen people go through the flashing lights on a school BUS. so I say NO ONE BUT NO ONE should be on the phone.. If I can pull to the side to use my cellphone so should everyone else. If anyone has a accident because of the cell phone they should have to pay a LARGE fine and insurance should go up big time!!!!! I know I am sick of these bad drivers and there phones!!!!!

By: J.M.

J.M. — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:29:46 +0000

I’ve been writing a paper in my College Writing class about Distracted Driving. I think it’s a HUGE topic that people should think about EVERY time they go onto the road. Many things bother me about texting and driving, but the same goes out to underage people talking on the phone. No matter who you are, you think you’re “good” at doing it. It’s not the idea that you are gonna kill or hurt someone, but also the idea that someone else could swerve over into you while you’re distracted. Everyone should put there own little rules out to kids about distarcted driving. Maybe it will save a life or 2.

By: Roger

Roger — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:17:23 +0000

Just the other day, I had to make a superhuman maneuver to avoid a young gal that was tooling along at about 72 mph and had her gaze glued on her cell phone. She was paying ZERO attention to road and just wandered into my lane and gave me the “squeeze play” and I had to avoid not only her, but the car that was already in the lane that she shoved me into.

My million dollar idea is some sort of “jamming mechanism” that does not allow a cell phone to work from the driver’s location. Just some sort of electronic signal that creates a “no cell phone zone” within the car itself!

I am not a techie, so I don’t know what this would involve, but, if the jammer made it so a cell phone doesn’t even work from the driver’s side, people would cease driving and texting.