Caught texting while driving = Careless Driving

[Xtrema]

Didn't really want to start a new thread but my friend (really it's not me) just got caught texting while driving.

CPS hit him with a $400 careless driving ticket and 6 demerit.

Pointts wants $500 to deal with this. 6 demerit and careless driving will fuck your insurance royally.

I never expected penalty will be that steep. Thought it would be inline with running a stop sign. So just a warning, put your phone down while driving.

[aaronck]

People who drive and text are dicks, I can't believe they actually held off enforcing the distracted driving law until Sept 1. I guess your friend is lucky they didn't run over someone while sending what I'm sure was a life or death message over which was the best Transformers movie.

[nismodrifter]

good

[SilverGS]

Nice.

I wonder where the line is though. I assume hands free systems are ok. Is it ok to text if you are fully stopped at a red light? I sometimes check the map or read a quick text but only when I am fully stopped. Don't need to really so I guess I just won't do it anymore just in case but I wonder how cops would interpret that?

[J-hop]

Originally posted by nismodrifter
good

x2, this is proof of how texting and driving takes away from your attention, didn't even see the cop did he.

funny how some people think they shouldn't text and drive because they can receive a $400 ticket and 6 demerits..... uh hello?? common sense dictates text and driving is moronic from a safety stand point, who cares about the ticket.

[5t3v3]

Last summer, I see this SUV driving erratically and sure enough, it's a young girl driving and texting.
I followed her for a good 10km and she was still texting the whole way.
Then eventually, I passed her and went on my own marry way and totally forgot about her.

Then all of a sudden, this fucking SUV totally didn't shoulder check and came right into me making me swerve into another fucking lane.... and guess who that was?

TL;DR. Please don't text and drive; it's so ridiculous it's 100x worse than talking on the phone while talking.

[spike98]

Your friend must have been a huge fucking asshole to the cop because warnings for the texting while driving law are being issued to september.

To get hit with careless driving i think there is more to the story. Was he in an accident? Almost caused one?

Careless driving can be dished out for anything

[gretz]

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.p...=&pagenumber=2

I don't agree with texting and driving but...
I find it funny that "emergency personnel" are allowed to do this > I would think it is a "lead by example" and not a "do as i say, not as i do" type law...

[Jetta-2.0]

tell ur friend to take this pic to court

» Click image for larger version

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread....mp;pagenumber=2

[beyond_ban]

Sounds like a dick cop or your friend was being a dIck. Careless driving a distracted driving should be two separate tickets, no?

[FraserB]

There is a TON more your friend is not telling you. As people have said, he had to have either almost caused an accident or been a massive dick to the cop.

Either way he is fucked, very doubtful the CP will cut a deal on something like that, depending on the circumstances.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by nismodrifter
good

Agreed.

[Tomaz]

He must have been lippy, cop had a bad day, or was driving like a douche!

from what I understand, hands-free is ok, map glancing is ok (i would pull over for that one), eating/drinking is ok, even changing songs. Really, it is a distracted driving law. Meaning, if your tasks are interfering with driving, the cop will ticket you. If you are still able to drive safe whilst sipping coffee, then no harm, no foul. Officer digression of course.

If you sip some coffee, then swerve into another lane, chances are you will get distracted driver ticket, or a careless ticket. If you txt and ram into a stopped car, my bet would be you will receive a "Dangerous Driving" ticket.

It's all relative.

[G-Suede]

Finally, a thread on Beyond that is absent of assumptions and keyboard expertise.

[dexlargo]

Originally posted by FraserB
There is a TON more your friend is not telling you. As people have said, he had to have either almost caused an accident or been a massive dick to the cop.

Agreed. The ticket is about the driving behaviour. The texting may have caused the bad driving, but the test for careless driving, IIRC, is a 'marked departure' from the normal driving standard. That means it has to be significantly bad.

It's too bad that the distracted driving law isn't in effect yet. If it was, you'd likely be able to plead the ticket down to that charge - or just have received that charge in the first place.

[max_boost]

Anyone have experience with The Traffic Ticket People?

I got a quote from them and it came out to 15% less than Points.

Brian Livingston (Traffic Ticket people) was really helpful on the phone as well. Xtrema, give them a call as well just to hear their take.

[beyond_ban]

^ extreme didn't do it

iPhone autotype... I meant xtrema

[max_boost]

Or Xtrema's friend, lol

Maybe his friend and my friend and anyone else' friend can get a group buy going.

[Gibson]

This isn't even one of those "I got caught doing something stupid and can't man up to it" threads and you're still offering help haha.

He's just making a point it isn't worth it.

[ZenOps]

Its impossible to fight too.

They log these texts down to the exact second nowadays, if the cop puts down the time and date on the ticket - they can easily cross reference with the cell providers.

They are so good with Iphone logging, they print up hundred page monthly bills explaining why they are charging you thousands of dollars for usage.

I feel his pain though, sometimes you just get caught up texting how much of a weenie Rob Anders is - and time just seems to fly.