AMEN--------I just laugh to myself when I see Jersey City's finest chatting away and DRIVING. But I forgot, they are above the law . Better yet, I saw the best stunt yet, by our jcpd. The cop was chatting on the phone and eating a powder donut WHILE DRIVING. Talk about multitasking. They want us to abide by the law, but what type of example are they setting? The majority of them are OVERWEIGHT,SENIOR,BOLD AND HAVE A HUGH BUTT . They should lead by example------NOT BE A POOR EXAMPLE.

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I see that all the time. Mind boggling.

I know a lady who keeps a plastic banana in her car and pretends to talk on it when she sees people driving and talking on their cell phones. Pretty hilarious and makes the point in a clever way.

Drive safely, folks.

I see JCPD yapping away while on "patrol" all the time. Always setting a good example!!

You're also an idiot if you don't cross at the crosswalk while on the phone or more interested in social talking on the phone when you have a customer infront of you.

My favorite is seeing the light-rail conductors chatting away as they're whizzing past me...you've got to wonder!

I'm used to seeing some idiot driving his car while on the phone but the other day I witnessed one of those mini bull dozers in traffic changing lanes a little erratically. I pull up to the guy at the next light and sure enough he's on his flippin' cell phone gabbing away.

An article I thought could be of interest.

If you phone and drive, you're also a bloody idiot
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Eamonn Duff
January 6, 2008


USING a hands-free mobile phone behind the wheel could be more dangerous than drink driving, new research has shown.

Motorists under the influence of alcohol performed better than those driving while talking on a hand-held or hands-free phone, the study by Britain's Transport Research Laboratory found.

It also found that the risk of a crash was four times higher when the driver was on the phone.

The research has now prompted one of the world's biggest transport firms, FirstGroup, to last week ban all its 135,000 workers on bus and train services in Britain and North America from using mobile phones, including hands-free kits, while driving on company business.

The laboratory's Nick Reed said the latest research Conversations in cars: the relative hazards of mobile phones , showed that drivers revealed a significant impairment when making mobile phone calls while driving. "In some aspects of driving behaviour, speaking on a mobile phone is worse than being at the legal alcohol limit," he said. (The limit is 0.8 in Britain).

"The observed impairment was similar regardless of whether the call was made using a hand-held phone or using a hands-free kit."

Dr Reed said the results matched other studies showing that drivers had less control of their vehicle, and showed reduced awareness of their surroundings when making mobile phone calls. "This results in an accident risk that is four times greater and that persists for up to 10 minutes after the call has been completed," he said.

Part of the danger was that the person at the other end was not aware of how distracting the conversation could be, and was not aware of surrounding road conditions, Dr Reed said.

"Chatting to a passenger can be distracting, but its less so than having a mobile call. The passenger can see the traffic around you and can maybe pick up on your body language cues, then modify conversation accordingly."

In a 2002 study, the laboratory found that drivers on mobiles had slower reaction times and stopping times than those under the influence of drink. Drivers who were just over the British legal drink-driving limit stopped in an average distance of 35 metres. But drivers using hand-free mobile phones took 39 metres to stop.

The chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, Harold Scruby, said there was no point calling for a blanket ban on mobile phones in cars until the "basic laws" surrounding hand-held phones were tightened.

"The offence for using a hand-held should become one of 'dangerous driving' instead of the current slap on the wrist," he said. "That includes the loss of 11 demerit points attached to the penalty, and confiscation of the phone ? it would stop the trend overnight."

Mr Scruby said while the issue remained a state jurisdiction, it was time the Federal Government took the lead.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was the first prime minister he had ever heard talking about driving safely at Christmas.

"His father was killed in a crash," he said.

"I would love to now see him and the Federal Government become more active in road safety, instead of handing it on to the states who are doing next to nothing."