Philadelphia City Council Does It Again
By Wyatt Earp | April 17, 2009
And, as usual, it is a tale of idiocy.
After I read this, my first thought was, “How do these morons keep getting re-elected?” And then I remembered: This is Philadelphia, and our politicians are usually completely inept and/or corrupt.
Read on:
Philadelphia City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a measure that will ban handheld cell phones while driving in the city. Mayor Nutter is expected to sign the bill into law, and enforcement would begin immediately thereafter. But some have questioned the new law’s legality.
Councilman Bill Green was a sponsor of the measure: “People on their phones are drunk on technology.”
Green says they just want to make Philadelphia roads safer: “Driving with a cell phone is the equivalent of having a .08 percent blood alcohol content level, according to many academic studies.”
Awesome, cell phones are a gateway drug! Hell, I might as well move on to reading the newspaper and blogging while driving next!
The measure would allow police to pull you over if they see you gabbing or texting on your cell phone.
It would not be a moving violation, and if stopped a motorist would not get points on his or her license. But a first offense calls for a $150 fine ($75 if paid within 10days), and a second offense would be $300.
Any police officer who would waste their time doing something this idiotic should be shunned by the entire community. “Yeah, I know the city is overrun with homicides, shootings, and stabbings, but I am going to pull over people who text while driving.”
As bad as this is, here is where city council goes off the rails:
Handheld phone use would also be off-limits for bicyclists, scooter riders, in-line skaters, and skateboarders, who would be subject to the same fines.
Wow, if I had a dollar for every time I used my cell phone while cycling, I would have . . . zero dollars! That portion of the law is the epitome of jackassery.
If the bill withstands any court challenge, the cell phone ban would apply only to handheld devices. (H/T - KYW1060)
And yet, city council decided that using hands-free devices are perfectly fine. Why? You’re still talking on the phone, and that means you’re still “drunk on technology.” In my opinion, they should ban them all, or don’t ban any of them.
Oh, I also guarantee that every member of city council will violate this law every time they are in a vehicle. I guarantee it.
Topics: Philly |
April 17th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
This will be so much fun to read about.
April 17th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Even worse is that Pennsylvania has state wide preemption for traffic laws. A decent judge should throw this law out as soon as they try to enforce it.
April 17th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
“Oh, I also guarantee that every member of city council will violate this law every time they are in a vehicle.”
Uhm, maybe you should tell your buddies in patrol to target the vehicles of city council members?
Then make some cocoa and sit back to watch the fireworks.
April 17th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
The Libtards are after the real Hard Cases cell phone users. Because the other criminals need to be understood. While cell phone users need to be punished.
April 17th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Hey Wyatt, the moron council in the Burgh is spewing the same drivel. Hey they already passed one that levels a $200 fine for anyone who has a sofa on their porch. Micro Tyrannus dude. ANd the funny thing is, they think it makes them look smart.
BTW, how bout them Flyers: 0-2.
April 17th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
I generally opposed to intrusions into our daily lives by government, but in this case I’m with the ban. Yes, they should ban the non-hand held phones too. I don’t want to wind up a a vegetable in the hospital of dead because some moron has to talk on his cell while driving. And those people who have to be constantly talking on their cellphones are morons. Driving is a privilege not a right.
April 18th, 2009 at 1:50 am
A ban means nothing if the punishment is just some fine. People will say- “This could be an emergency, I will pay my fine if I get caught!” and answer EVERY LAST CALL they get while driving. They want to keep people off the phone, they should get real tickets, lose points, and be sent to traffic school, as well as a hefty fine.
Since some stupid 19 year old texting while driving is an accident waiting to happen- possibly to someone I care about- I am not going to shun any officer who pulls ‘em over. I would rather see him responding to that than the scene where that texting driver has just run over a child or caused a multi-car pileup.
April 18th, 2009 at 7:27 am
Wow, what’s next? Fines for talking on the cell while pushing a grocery cart?
April 18th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Personally, I’ve almost been plowed over several times trying to cross a one way street (twice with my kid) because an idiot’s too busy talking on the phone to notice the large red sign on the corner that says “STOP”. My God, how did our parents manage to go to the grocery store or drive to work without calling someone on the phone?
Two weeks ago, I witnessed a cabbie (on his phone of course) cut off another driver who proceeded to take out two mailboxes and a traffic light. If a person had been on that corner, there’s no question that they would have been killed.
Hand held, hand free, it doesn’t make a difference, if you need to use your phone- pull over.
And of course it will never be enforced, and even if it is- good luck collecting the fines, this city can’t get people to pay their property taxes…. I guess the members of City Council feel like they have to look like they’re doing something.
April 18th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
What Kaveman said about Council members.
George Will said that “Nothing guarantees the repeal of a bad law like its rigorous enforcement.”
April 19th, 2009 at 2:50 am
First thing I read on Yahoo this morning is the story of some jackass in Texas who killed off five of his kids when he tried to answer his phone, lost control and went into a flooded ditch.
I do not intend to have a cell phone when I get back home, I’ve decided. I might just be one person, but I am not going to be part of that problem. People are literally out of control.
April 19th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
It’s illegal here. Has been for a few years.
April 20th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I guess Moe is from the UK. If not, the same applies here.
How can you say you are in control of a car if you are holding a mobile in one hand while pressing keys to make a call?
I know from experience that I can do only a few things at once. Most of car driving is subconcious. At the same time I can listen to music and even take part in a light conversation in the car. But I have been known to tell people to shut up if I am approaching a difficult junction in rain.
But sooner or later the mind gets split between several things at once and then the “one-off” happens - a genuine emergency where you need to call on your entire concious and sub-concious abilty to make split second decisions which can affect your life and those around you.
NO. I do not have a ‘phone in the car and I don’t want to be killed or maimed because of some selfish, stupid idiot who thinks that arguing with someone on the phone in a car is more important than driving with due care and attention.
April 20th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
The Marshall said:
“I also guarantee that every member of city council will violate this law every time they are in a vehicle. I guarantee it.”
O.K. Prosecute them. The law applies to all and so do its penalties. If they make the law then they should show their respect for the law by following it themselves.