Council votes to ban use of cell phones while driving

[Dos Equis]

r u black?

I'm an American.  Why?  I'm not happy that I have to put that stupid Bluetooth in my ear.   

[ATHEIST]

well todays the day. if the concern was safety they should also ban applying makeup and eating in the car. i dont see how they can conclude that solely talking on the cell impares driving ability.
gas tax goes up, car registration goes up, click it or ticket, sounds to me like they need money and want to squeeze the people more.

[Dos Equis]

well todays the day. if the concern was safety they should also ban applying makeup and eating in the car. i dont see how they can conclude that solely talking on the cell impares driving ability.
gas tax goes up, car registration goes up, click it or ticket, sounds to me like they need money and want to squeeze the people more.

Tell me about it.  Bad law.

[ATHEIST]

Tell me about it.  Bad law.

what sucks is im friends with a city councilman who helped propose the law, he told me a few months ago it was going to be passed. Donavan Dela Cruz

[Dos Equis]

what sucks is im friends with a city councilman who helped propose the law, he told me a few months ago it was going to be passed. Donavan Dela Cruz

Tell him he sucks.  j/k.    This isn't going to improve public safety one bit IMO.   

[Dos Equis]

 

Posted on: Friday, July 3, 2009

38 Honolulu drivers ticketed on first day of cell phone ban 
By Katie Urbaszewski
Advertiser Staff Writer

Honolulu's new ban on the use of cell phones and other hand-held electronic devices while driving led to just 38 citations on its first day.

Police said it appears motorists changed their calling habits or bought hands-free accessories to comply with the new law.

"The majority are complying with the law," Maj. Clayton Kau said yesterday in announcing Wednesday's enforcement numbers.

Some motorists pulled over before or soon after they used their phones, and others just avoided making or taking calls on the road.

Most found that while it required some adjustment, it wasn't a major problem.

Teri Yanagi, who works in Chinatown, said it only cost her the time to dig out her old Bluetooth device, which is legal to use while driving.

The low citation numbers appeared to show that most residents were aware of the new law. That had been a major concern for police, who mounted a public awareness campaign over the past few weeks.

The law focuses on cell-phone use, but also bans drivers from operating any hand-held electronic communication or entertainment devices while their engines are running. Hands-free devices are allowed, but hand-held phones, texting devices, laptops, video games and personal digital assistants all fall under the ban.

The numbers weren't broken down, Kau said, so he didn't know which electronic devices drivers were cited for using. However, he said, HPD will continue tracking overall citation numbers.

Citations carry a $67 fine.

Officers also issued seven warnings Wednesday, Kau said.

HPD's traffic division issued 11 citations. Other non-traffic officers, mostly in East Honolulu and Windward O'ahu, issued the remaining 27.

Kau said there were not any officers solely patrolling for violators of the new law.

Drivers flocked to cell- phone stores over the past week to purchase hands-free accessories.

Wednesday at lunchtime, the Downtown Verizon Wireless store was filled with people looking for Bluetooth devices to use on their way home.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090703/NEWS01/907030370/38+Honolulu+drivers+ticketed+on+first+day+of+cell+phone+ban

[ATHEIST]

Posted on: Friday, July 3, 2009

38 Honolulu drivers ticketed on first day of cell phone ban 
By Katie Urbaszewski
Advertiser Staff Writer

Honolulu's new ban on the use of cell phones and other hand-held electronic devices while driving led to just 38 citations on its first day.

Police said it appears motorists changed their calling habits or bought hands-free accessories to comply with the new law.

"The majority are complying with the law," Maj. Clayton Kau said yesterday in announcing Wednesday's enforcement numbers.

Some motorists pulled over before or soon after they used their phones, and others just avoided making or taking calls on the road.

Most found that while it required some adjustment, it wasn't a major problem.

Teri Yanagi, who works in Chinatown, said it only cost her the time to dig out her old Bluetooth device, which is legal to use while driving.

The low citation numbers appeared to show that most residents were aware of the new law. That had been a major concern for police, who mounted a public awareness campaign over the past few weeks.

The law focuses on cell-phone use, but also bans drivers from operating any hand-held electronic communication or entertainment devices while their engines are running. Hands-free devices are allowed, but hand-held phones, texting devices, laptops, video games and personal digital assistants all fall under the ban.

The numbers weren't broken down, Kau said, so he didn't know which electronic devices drivers were cited for using. However, he said, HPD will continue tracking overall citation numbers.

Citations carry a $67 fine.

Officers also issued seven warnings Wednesday, Kau said.

HPD's traffic division issued 11 citations. Other non-traffic officers, mostly in East Honolulu and Windward O'ahu, issued the remaining 27.

Kau said there were not any officers solely patrolling for violators of the new law.

Drivers flocked to cell- phone stores over the past week to purchase hands-free accessories.

Wednesday at lunchtime, the Downtown Verizon Wireless store was filled with people looking for Bluetooth devices to use on their way home.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090703/NEWS01/907030370/38+Honolulu+drivers+ticketed+on+first+day+of+cell+phone+ban

its all about the $$$

[Dos Equis]

its all about the $$$

Yep.  It's much more about the Benjamins than public safety.  You suck Mufi! 

[Straw Man]

Jumpin Jeebus - 5 pages of bitching and moaning about having to use a ear piece.

wtf?

I've been using one for years and much prefer it to holding the phone to my ear and only having one hand on the wheel. 

[OzmO]

Jumpin Jeebus - 5 pages of bitching and moaning about having to use a ear piece.

wtf?

I've been using one for years and much prefer it to holding the phone to my ear and only having one hand on the wheel. 

It's a restriction of rights and gross over regulation dammit!   

[Dos Equis]

Honolulu drivers have tough time beating fines for cell phone use
Only 3% of 271 cases dismissed, rest found guilty or just paid up
By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer

Good luck challenging Honolulu's new ban on talking on a cell phone while driving because only 3 percent of ticketed drivers have gotten off so far.

Since the City Council's ordinance took effect on July 1, Honolulu police have issued 385 citations and given 71 warnings through Aug. 8.

Of 271 cases that have gone through the District Court system as of this week, 97 percent of the defendants either have been found guilty or simply paid the $67 fine, according to court records provided to The Advertiser yesterday.

Only nine of the 271 defendants have had their cases "dismissed with prejudice," meaning no verdict was rendered and the prosecution is not allowed to bring the same charges.

Among those nine cases, three defendants claimed innocence and six admitted guilt with mitigating circumstances. All of the cases were decided only after a private "in chambers review" by the judges who heard the cases, according to court records.

The 7-week-old law provides for several legal exceptions, such as emergency 911 calls or work-related, "walkie-talkie" type conversations.

But Honolulu police have said that officers won't know the difference between a legitimate call and an illegal one and drivers would have to prove their innocence to a judge.

In all, 23 people admitted to illegally using an electronic device while driving but said they had mitigating circumstances.

According to the data released by the state judiciary yesterday, 17 of the 23 drivers were still found guilty, although they may have received reduced fines.

Five other people who pleaded guilty with mitigating circumstances are scheduled for in-chambers reviews today through Tuesday.

The data also show that Honolulu police have cited drivers at particular locations, especially in and around Waikiki:

• Ala Wai Boulevard and Kuamo'o Street (40 times).

• Ala Wai Boulevard and Kai'olu Street (20 times).

• Ala Wai Boulevard and Wai Nani Way (15 times).

• Kalakaua Avenue and McCully Street (14 times).

• Ala Wai Boulevard and McCully Street (10 times).

The convictions may have costly ramifications as insurance companies debate whether to raise rates for people convicted of driving while talking on a cell phone.

A moving violation that results in a one-point penalty on a driver's record typically translates into a 10 to 15 percent increase in insurance premiums for an average of three years and for as long as five years, said John Schapperle, president and CEO of Island Insurance, who is also the president and chairman of the Hawaii Insurers Council.

MOVING VIOLATION?

But the City Council ordinance is silent on the issue of whether a violation constitutes a "moving violation," said Janine Gibford, assistant vice president of state affairs for the western region of the American Insurance Association.

"I do not see anything in this legislation as to whether or not it's a moving violation or a misdemeanor," Gibford said. "Each state does things a little differently and some assign points for a moving violation, which an insurer would see when they pull a driver's record."

Six states and the District of Columbia ban cell phones while driving, according to the American Automobile Association and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Officials at Geico, Hawai'i's largest underwriter of automobile insurance, have discussed whether to raise premiums for cell phone convictions in Honolulu, but have not made a decision.

"I'm not convinced yet that people with a conviction (for violating the cell-phone law) are a significant risk, but we're still looking at it," said Tim Dayton, Geico's general manager in Hawai'i. "We've discussed it a couple of times and we haven't come anywhere close to making a decision."

Even if Geico officials choose to pursue an increase in premiums for cell-phone convictions, the process to get approval from the state insurance commissioner could take months and would not go into effect this year, Dayton said.

"For the next six months for sure, we're not going to be doing anything with it," he said. "It definitely won't happen in 2009, if at all."

Even if drivers' premiums rose for cell-phone violations, Dayton said, people who are currently cited would not see their rates go up.

"I can't see us changing the rules retroactively for an existing policy," he said.

Those same kinds of discussions are being held at other major insurance companies across Honolulu, Schapperle said.

"The cell-phone law is so new and we want to make sure we're not making a snap decision," he said. "But I do think you'll see that some company will step out there and make the decision and other companies will start falling in line."

http://beta.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090814/NEWS01/908140368/0/NEWS20/Honolulu-drivers-have-tough-time-beating-fines-for-cell-phone-use

[Skip8282]

Honolulu drivers have tough time beating fines for cell phone use


But Honolulu police have said that officers won't know the difference between a legitimate call and an illegal one and drivers would have to prove their innocence to a judge.

Well....that pretty much shits all over the Constitution.  Strange...I don't hear the ACLU crying foul...

[240 is Back]

Well....that pretty much shits all over the Constitution.  Strange...I don't hear the ACLU crying foul...

  I don't see this as a constitutional issue.  You're not allowed to sew needlepoint or solve a rubik's cube in traffic either.  it's called distracted driving, careless driving, etc.

If you're texting, your eyes and min aren't on the road.  Pull over and write your message.

[Dos Equis]

Well....that pretty much shits all over the Constitution.  Strange...I don't hear the ACLU crying foul...

I could be wrong, but I think the only reason this isn't unconstitutional is it's a traffic citation and you don't face any criminal penalties (although I'd consider a fine pretty punitive).  Most people here think the law stinks. 

[Dos Equis]

!@#$%^&*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Somebody must have told them that I use my cell every time I'm on Maui just to spite the stupid Oahu ban.   

Maui council votes to ban use of cell phones while driving
By Chris Hamilton
Maui News

WAILUKU — A Maui County Council committee voted unanimously yesterday to ban the use of hand-held mobile electronic devices, including cell phones, while driving.
   
The bill is intended to reduce distracted driving accidents and will very likely become law July 1, said Committee of the Whole Chairman Mike Molina. The first violation would be a traffic citation with a fine of $100 and $250 for subsequent tickets, he said.

The council's Committee of the Whole is made up of all nine council members. Council member Joe Pontanilla introduced the measure last year. Maui County is the last county in the state without a ban on driving while using mobile electronic gadgets, such as phones, global positioning systems, e-mail, electronic book readers and texting devices.

"We have no excuses today, but to act," council member Wayne Nishiki said. "If it saves one person's life or keeps someone from being maimed, then it is our responsibility to get something passed today."

The committee vote on the bill was 7-0, with council members Danny Mateo and Jo Anne Johnson absent and excused.

The law would be fairly simple. People could still use cell phones as long as they didn't hold on to it while speaking, according to the bill's authors. The measure makes exemptions for hands-free devices, such as Bluetooth earpieces and voice-activated phones that are installed in the car's dashboard.

"This legislation reminds us that driving is a privilege and should be done with the least amount of distractions to ensure that safety is not compromised," Molina said after the vote.

Molina said the bill will go before the full council for first and second readings in the coming weeks and then to Mayor Charmaine Tavares for her signature before becoming law.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100513/BREAKING01/100513022/Maui+council+votes+to+ban+use+of+cell+phones+while+driving

[Soul Crusher]

We have had that here for a long time.  Its about raising money and nothing else. 

[Dos Equis]

 

Study: Texting and Driving Killed at Least 16,000 in US

AOL News Surge Desk (Sept. 27) -- Sending text messages while driving was the culprit in the deaths of an estimated 16,000 people from 2001 to 2007. Even more sobering, researchers warn that fatalities have shot up significantly since 2005.

An analysis of federal data on road fatalities, published this week in the American Journal of Public Health, concluded that deaths due to "distracted driving" surged from 4,572 in 2005 to 5,870 in 2008. That's a 28 percent increase in three years.

Many of the deaths involved collisions with roadside objects, as drivers typing on their cell phones veer off-track and into poles, traffic lights or other items.

"Distracted driving is a growing public safety hazard," the study reads. "Specifically, the dramatic rise in texting volume since 2005 appeared to be contributing to an alarming rise in distracted driving fatalities."

Thirty states now have legislation enacted to prohibit texting while driving, but anecdotal evidence suggests the bans often go unenforced.

Sponsored Links "We're back where we were when we started going after drunk drivers," Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said during this year's Distracted Driving Summit in Washington.

Not to mention that while it might be easier for a police officer to spot a driver talking on the phone in states with hands-free mandates, it's tougher to catch them leaning over to type out a text message.

And as Linda Stamato at NJ.com points out, car companies aren't exactly keeping the risks of distracted driving in mind when designing their next-generation vehicles.

Ford, for example, is already rolling out Twitter and Pandora apps as part of a dashboard console entertainment "hub" that also seems like a recipe for distracted disaster.

"Distracted driving has reached epidemic proportion. It is a disease that we can control," Stamato writes. "We need to strengthen laws and beef up enforcement. We need to encourage better driving practices, in all contexts, by all age groups."

http://www.aolnews.com/health/article/texting-and-driving-is-growing-american-killer-study-reports/19650470?test=latestnews

[Dos Equis]

Next they're going to ban cell use while sitting on the toilet.   

Kobayashi introduces bill to outlaw cellphone use in crosswalk
By Associated Press
POSTED: 09:53 p.m. HST, May 10, 2011

City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi wants to make illegal pedestrian use of a cellphone or electronic device while crossing streets.

KHON reported Monday that Kobayashi has sponsored the measure, which faces an initial vote at the Council today.

Police spokeswoman Michelle Yu says the department does not track whether electronic devices play a role in pedestrian fatalities. So far this year, five pedestrians have been killed on Oahu roadways, with three of those deaths in marked crosswalks.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/121620049.html

[OzmO]

Do- gooders......

[Dos Equis]

"Under the proposal, simply holding an electronic device while crossing the street would be a violation of the law."  This is a terrible idea. 

Gadget ban clears Council
The bill would outlaw holding iPads and cellphones while crossing city streets
By B.J. Reyes
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 12, 2011

A bill advancing in the City Council would ban the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while crossing the street.

Sending a text message on a cellphone or reading an iPad — even just holding the devices — while crossing the street would be outlawed under a proposal the City Council is advancing.

Bill 43 amends the city's ban on holding mobile electronic devices while driving, a law passed in 2009, and extends it to pedestrians crossing streets.

The Council cleared the measure on first reading yesterday but it still must go through additional committee and Council readings before passage.

Yesterday's Council meeting drew testimony from just three people, including Makiki resident Bob Keating, who opposed the bill.

"I totally agree with not using the telephone while driving — texting and all that — but walking across a crosswalk using a phone?" Keating said. "Why are you trying to control our lives?

"Everything we do, we're not doing it right and you guys just want to change everything."

The 2009 mobile device ban was aimed at stopping activities such as text messaging and video-game playing while driving, but law enforcement officials said a blanket ban was needed to make the measure enforceable. With a blanket ban, a police officer would only have to see a driver using a hand-held device, not determine what was being done, to issue a citation.

Police Maj. Kurt Kendro said the department opposes Bill 43 because the restrictions were too broad and that any changes to the existing law could water down the driving ordinance.

Under the proposal, simply holding an electronic device while crossing the street would be a violation of the law.

"Even if you're holding it and you're not actively using it and you cross the street, you're in violation of the law," Kendro said. "We think it's a good law to get pedestrians to be aware of their surroundings, but we think this is a bit over-broad because of how it's worded."

The bill was introduced by Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi at the request of a constituent.

Council members also advanced a proposal allowing for the storage on Oahu of consumer fireworks that still may be legally sold on the neighbor islands.

Supporters say Bill 38 will clarify the city's fireworks ban and address an issue raised in a recent lawsuit against the city.

Honolulu's consumer fireworks ban took effect this year and by law, fireworks that may be sold legally on neighbor islands may not be warehoused or stored on Oahu. The city has been sued by one retailer, which said it completed significant upgrades at its Honolulu storage facility to comply with storage regulations before the ban went into effect.

Officials with the Honolulu Fire Department, which opposes the reintroduction of fireworks on Oahu, said other retailers have complied with the law and moved storage of fireworks off Oahu.

Bill 38 goes back to committee for further vetting.

Meanwhile, the Council gave final approval to end a decades-old subsidy that supports recycling by private companies and nonprofits.

The 80 percent discount on "tipping fees" the city charges when companies deliver recycling residue to the Waimanalo Gulch landfill deprived the city of about $2 million last year.

The subsidy has been criticized as too generous to a single company, Schnitzer Steel Hawaii. Schnitzer does the most recycling in Honolulu with more than 100,000 tons of metal a year from automobiles, appliances and other bulky metal items. Since 1998, Schnitzer has received about $19 million in discounts, including $1.9 million last year.

While Council members have said they want to do away with the subsidy in the interest of fairness, they also have said they want to continue to encourage recycling.

They continue to work on proposals that would restore the subsidy at a lower rate and cap the amount a single company can claim.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110512__Gadget_ban_clears_Council.html

[Dos Equis]

 

Police state!   

Cellphone-driving violations multiply
More tickets than ever are being issued, and fines have brought in $1.6 million
By Paige L. Jinbo
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jun 29, 2011

Nearly two years after driving while holding a cellphone was banned on Oahu, many motorists still have a hard time putting down the device and keeping both hands on the wheel.

Honolulu police have issued tickets at a steady clip of about 1,000 per month in 2010 and the first half of 2011.

In fact, the number of violators has increased with time, as only about 320 drivers were ticketed per month in the first six months of the ban, which took effect on July 1, 2009.

Oahu was the first county in the state to forbid using a hand-held cellphone — as well as other portable electronics — while driving. The other counties followed with similar legislation in the first half of 2010.

Law-violating drivers in the four counties have paid a total of more than $1.6 million in fines, the state attorney general's office said.

Graham Wilson is among those who have been ticketed for holding his cellphone while steering his car. Despite the sting of Oahu's $97 fine, he admits he continues to break the law because he does not think his driving is impaired.

"Cellphones aren't distracting; it's the number of drivers out there who lack driving skills that's distracting," said Wilson, 25, a system administrator for Farmers Insurance Hawaii.

That rationale is precisely the problem, says a national expert on distracted driving. Donald L. Fisher, Engineering Department chairman at the University of Massachusetts, said people don't realize how little it takes to turn a focused driver into a distracted one.

"Our research has found that 20 percent of crashes are due to people glancing away for more than two seconds," Fisher said. "We've found that glancing away for more than two seconds presents very dangerous outcomes, and most drivers aren't aware of the two-second rule."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that nationwide in 2009, 995 traffic deaths out of 33,808 involved reports of a cellphone being a distraction.

Honolulu police have issued 20,654 tickets for the violation — 1,899 in the second half of 2009, 12,548 in 2010 and 6,207 so far this year, the attorney general's office said.

Here are totals for each county since their bans took effect:

» Oahu (ban in effect since July 2009): 20,654 tickets and $1,439,043 in fines

» Hawaii County (since January 2010): 1,359 tickets and $88,676 in fines

» Kauai County (since May 2010): 930 tickets and $60,720 in fines

» Maui County (since July): 964 tickets and $70,904 in fines

Cathleen Hasegawa, 28, a server at Bonsai Restaurant, said she stopped using her phone while driving after the ban took effect.

"I still see a lot of people using their phones when they're driving, and when it prohibits them from driving, well, then it's a problem," Hasegawa said.

Honolulu police periodically target certain areas for cellphone-driving enforcement. On Saturday, during a three-hour period, officers issued 109 tickets at intersections in Pearl City and Kalihi.

"Law enforcement is a continuous process, and our goal is through continued enforcement efforts, awareness and conformance in the community will increase," police Capt. Andrew Lum said.

Winson Yu, manager of Upnext Wireless on Pensacola Street, said that there has been a drop in sales for hands-free devices — which may be legally used while driving — for cellphones.

"When the ban first took effect, there was such a high demand for the Bluetooth headsets, but now the demand has died out," Yu said.

John Ulczycki, group vice president for the National Safety Council, said drivers understand the potential dangers but might ignore the risks when they do use their phones and nothing bad happens.

"Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a car crash to wake them up," Ulczycki said.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110629_Cellphone-driving_violations_multiply.html

[Dos Equis]

Study: No Evidence Cell Phone Bans Reduce Crashes
By Doug McKelway
Published July 07, 2011
FoxNews.com

A comprehensive study on distracted driving has found there is no conclusive evidence that hands-free cell phone use while driving is any less risky than hand-held cell phone use.

The study, which was commissioned by the non-profit Governors Highway Safety Association, and funded by State Farm Insurance, also found that there is no evidence that cell phone or texting bans have reduced crashes.

The findings come after nine states have imposed bans on hand-held cell phone use while driving, and 34 states have imposed texting bans for drivers behind the wheel. Despite the findings, The Governors Highway Safety Association does not recommend that restrictions on cell phone use or texting be lifted in any of the states where they presently exist.

But it does recommend that those 41 states which don't ban talking on a cell phone hold off on enacting new legislation.

The study offers often contradictory findings. For example, it found that drivers are frequently distracted by any number of factors ranging from eating, to talking to texting, perhaps as much as 50 percent of the time they spend behind the wheel.

But it also found that drivers adapt by paying more attention to driving -- and less to distractions -- when the road risk level increases. It also found that states should enforce existing distracted driving laws, but should consider that such enforcement takes away from other traffic enforcement efforts.

The study also documents the proliferation of cell phone use and texting among American motorists.

It found two-thirds of all motorists reported using a cell phone while driving, about one-third of them routinely. It also found that one-eighth of all drivers reported texting while driving, although observational studies during the daylight hours in 2009, show that only 1 percent of all drivers were observed to be texting.

The authors make a number of recommendations including enacting a total ban of cell phone use for novice drivers, as well as texting bans for all drivers.

It also suggests that greater use of highway engineering solutions, such as rumble strips and automotive technological innovations can reduce distracted driving accidents.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/07/new-study-downplays-distracted-driving-dangers/

[Hugo Chavez]

Give me 5 minutes filming at any random busy road and I'll guarantee I can show you at least 2 idiots driving crazy with a cell phone stuck to their face.

your study is bullshit, most of the time I see some asshole almost cause an accident, the dumbass was swerving around with his hand up to his head holding a phone.

Are you that fucking stupid?  What fucking driving test anywhere in the country tests you one handed?  WELL?  fucking name one?  How about this, go in to take your driving test to get your drivers license and talk on the cell phone the entire time if it's not a big deal   I'm sure that'll work out well for you    

[Roger Bacon]

r u black?

sorry but... lol

[Roger Bacon]

Motorcyclists should be wearing helmets while sharing the road with all these assholes that can't put their cell phones down.