Cellphone law in Tennessee

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Messages
6,205
Location
Tn.
IF you are driving in Tennessee come July 1st 2019

Tennessee law banning hand-held cellphone use while driving takes effect July 1. Beginning July 1, drivers could face a fine up to $200 for using their cellphone while driving. Drivers 18 and older will be prohibited from holding or physically supporting a phone while driving.23 hours ago
Tennessee law banning hand-held cellphone use while driving starts ...
https://www.tennessean.com/.../tennessee-law...hand...cellphone...while-driving.../13513
 
Originally Posted by gman2304
Only drivers 18 and over?


always have a 17 yr old drive and text,,lol........not
 
They have no safety inspections and laughable insurance requirements, but this measure will make Tennessee roads safe?
 
Originally Posted by gman2304
Only drivers 18 and over?


"Young drivers already are prohibited from talking on the phone while driving and the state already bans texting while driving."
 
Tennessee is way behind the times. A lot of states have had this law for years now.

Distracted driving is more than talking on cellphones. Eating, putting on makeup, some of the stuff I see is just crazy.
 
They've had this law around here for years and it hasn't stopped most people from using the phone. The police themselves are the worst offenders as you see them driving with a cellphone to their ear all the time. What kind of example does that set?
 
Minnesota goes hands free on August 1. Opponents of the law cited that only well to do people can afford newer cars that build in the cell phone hands free ability into them, discriminating against the poor. What any of that argument has to do with safety, I'll never understand.
 
Of course studies show that hands free doesn't stop the distraction factor. Just talking to someone in the car is distracting. Some studies indicate that talking on a hands free device is equivalent to driving drunk.
 
It might be enforced some, but hey, people do what they want to...Its a people pleaser law I guess.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Great idea… Having your phone in your hand and looking at it is a definite safety issue on the roads, especially with bad or new drivers.

A few years back when I first got a smart phone, I attempted to text while driving. This was on a super straight highway, no one else on the road. I was all over the road and decided I would never text while driving again. It's a lesson that some people don't learn until they're in an accident.
 
The only problem with that is the fine is too little, it should be $500 and 30 days license gone automatic, then enforce it to the max with cameras also.
If you want a law to work you have the make the punishment really painful, the $500 may not hurt everyone but burning the shoe leather for a month will most.
Ditto red light/stop sign running and tailgating. Get caught under 21 and license gone for a year mandatory.
 
Originally Posted by AuthorEditor
Of course studies show that hands free doesn't stop the distraction factor. Just talking to someone in the car is distracting. Some studies indicate that talking on a hands free device is equivalent to driving drunk.


If talking on a hands free device is like driving drunk, then holding a device and texting must be like a drunk passed out at the wheel going down the road.

Basically everything is distracting to a certain degree unless you're alone in the car and focusing like a fighter pilot in a dog fight while driving. I doubt they will ever outlaw talking to a passenger in a car, or using a hands free phone (which is essentially like talking to a passenger) while driving.

I think almost everyone is distracted while driving these days. Probably 8 times out of 10 when I'm following someone they can't keep the car from hitting the shoulder or the center lane dividing line, which means they really are drunk or they are distracted enough to not keep the car in their lane. It's pretty sad that people are literally becoming zombies behind the wheel of a potentially deadly instrument.
 
Lots of places have this, or a similar law. Problem is, it isn't enforced. Personally, I think enacting laws like this are a waste of time because they're not enforced. If they want to enact a law that would actually do some good in this area they should force cell phone companies to make their phones not work when they're inside a vehicle with the ignition turned on...and I know people are going to respond to that by saying "what about other people in the vehicle who aren't driving?" I will ask you what's more important, making our roads safe, or giving passengers the freedom to use their phone in a moving vehicle? I say making roads safe is more important. If you need to do something with your phone, you can pull over in a parking lot and turn the vehicle off...
 
Quote
I will ask you what's more important, making our roads safe, or giving passengers the freedom to use their phone in a moving vehicle? I say making roads safe is more important. If you need to do something with your phone, you can pull over in a parking lot and turn the vehicle off...

A lot of people can't navigate out of the parking lot without their phone's turn-by-turn navigation turned on. Could probably come up with a scheme that prevents texting and calls while moving though.
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by AuthorEditor
Of course studies show that hands free doesn't stop the distraction factor. Just talking to someone in the car is distracting. Some studies indicate that talking on a hands free device is equivalent to driving drunk.
... I doubt they will ever outlaw ... using a hands free phone (which is essentially like talking to a passenger) while driving. ...
I read somewhere of a study which disproved that excuse. One main reason is that a passenger in the car will often have enough sense not to distract the driver at critical moments, whereas a caller won't know the traffic situation the driver is facing.
 
Part of the reason talking on the phone is a problem is the brain creates a visualization of the person and what the person is saying, and there is only so much visualization a brain is capable of processing so you don't see what is actually in front of you--you are "seeing" the person on the phone, or what they are describing.
 
Originally Posted by AuthorEditor
Of course studies show that hands free doesn't stop the distraction factor. Just talking to someone in the car is distracting. Some studies indicate that talking on a hands free device is equivalent to driving drunk.



Ok hold on.....

So let me get this straight...

Talking to someone on a hands free phone is like my father driving drunk back in the day... Garbage. Straight garbage... I know what it's like to be a 5 year old and my father was so drunk he was swerving in and out of ditches... A miracle he never had a accident or killed someone. He came home late one Friday night so drunk he could barely sit up straight... My mom met him at the front door of the house with a 12 gauge shotgun... Ain't no way for anyone to say someone using a hands free phone is that impaired like my dad was many, many, many times.... And if they are... That moron should not be driving to begin with. Period.

Well then a conversation in the car could be said it is the same too... Aka might has well be drunk driving...
That's stupid.

Go ahead.... Make a stupid law about silence in a car or truck... Good luck with that nonsense
lol.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top