Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
Ok. The pass a law to jam cell phones when the car is started. I will contact one of the hackers over at the University to put a patch in the cell phone so that it doesn't jam when the car starts. This should be an easy work around. Oh, and that would be against the law? So is deleting EGR, SCR, DPF stuff from diesel engines, but it gets done all the time.
Also, I can just use a CB or FM carrier 2 way radio like in the past. So much for hands free like I could do with a cell phone. So, the law will do nothing. Absolutely nothing. When you place a restriction, folks will find a way to circumvent it. Only those that have no tech background can't see that it is a exercise in futility to mandate that some jammer type of feature be used on cell phones.
Ok, Mr. LOL. All those years before cell phones, those years weren't riskier? For whom? How about the patient that died because someone could not contact the doctor who was driving on his way home? How about, in my previous example, I couldn't get a call from the wife that cattle got out, and since there was no way for me to know that cattle had gotten onto the road, a motorist caps the hill and puts an 800 lb steer thru their windshield. Sure there were beepers and such for someone like the doctor, but he still had to locate a pay phone (remember those) and call in. And minutes count when it comes to life or death. If he was on a rural road, it might be some time before he could get to a phone.
So, thing weren't riskier? Maybe in your sanitized tight nit world. There are myriads of examples where cell phones have saved lives that would have been lost in the years we didn't have them. Just being able to call, while driving, about the drunk driver weaving in the lane in front of you, putting people in danger. How about seeing someone across the road go into the ditch, but it is unsafe, due to traffic for you to stop right then and call, so you call on the cell phone while you are still moving. I have done that one frequently during the winter months while driving my semi. Kinda hard to just stop 80,000 lb of truck on ice without endangering others, but I can at least put a call in to the local cop shop and let them know.
I realize that folks under 30 have a hard time grasping what things were like before cell phones, laptop computers, and other tech marvels. But those that are not suffering from Mad Cow and can still remember the "good 'ol days", if they put things in perspective, they would realize that we are much better off, in general, having this technology available. And with anything, there comes personal responsibility. But this mindset that we must have the government protect us from ourselves, I have a real hard time understanding it.
In all of your examples, a cell phone with a jammer could've been used by simply stopping the vehicle and turning off the ignition...there would never be a circumstance where this couldn't be done, so again I will ask, why is it necessary to use a cell phone WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING?