Calgary police to use covert spotters to catch distracted drivers

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by JohnnyHockey
How about catching the ones doing it whiiiilllle driving? ?

http://www.am980.ca/2016/07/12/londo...acted-drivers/

It could happen. But I still think logistic is easier to treat hand held cell phone like seatbelt. Who cares if you are at rest or not.

[Swank]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


I would argue coffee/cigarette addiction is worse than phone addiction. How do you think someone is going to drive if they drop a cigarette down their shirt or a scalding hot Tim Hortons XL on their lap driving down Deerfoot? I'd much rather be in the car with the guy turning on his hands-free or firing off a 2 second text at a 5-minute red light.

Again, I fully agree, all of those should be banned.

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


No driver *needs* to be talking to other passengers, or changing radio stations, drinking hot beverages, smoking, or doing any of the other equally if not more distracting things either - but all that is fine. What if that incoming phone call is to tell me to come visit a dying loved one in the hospital? Or a family emergency at home? I would argue you need to answer that call.

None of this is directed at you by the way haha, just ranting.

Loved ones died in the hospital and family emergencies happened all the time before cell phones and society plodded on, shitty timing for sure. If answering one of those *need to answer* calls results in a fatal collision then you've traded one situation for another, what a shitty gamble. And it's not that you can't use your phone in those circumstances, you just gotta pay. If you're getting that many calls about dying loved ones and family emergencies then your loved ones have the plague and your family is outta control, drive to Tijuana for a fresh start lol.

I know it's a rant and I don't blame you , I think we're mostly on the same side on this one, the law has drawn such a crooked line on what's allowed and what isn't and people keep wanting to do more than just drive behind the wheel.

Originally posted by Seth1968
With the text generation, it's like, "I just HAVE to immediately respond to whatever meaningless crap you've texted me".

[toastgremlin]

Obviously the correct answer is just to build photo radar devices that can detect a driver on their phone and send them a bill.

Then we can finally solve it like we solved speeding and loud exhausts.

[Masked Bandit]

I fully support ticketing people for distracted DRIVING. Sitting a red light however, piss off.

[sexualbanana]

How will they be able to differentiate between me looking at my phone vs me looking at my hands/climate control/stereo/cup holder?

[Minimalist]

Anyone thinking this is a bad idea obviously are in need of spending the day driving with an EMT crew. So many accidents involving idiots using their phones. I personally know of three friends or family that have caused an accident or been in one as a direct result of a distracted driver. Makes me want to buy an F250 and let the distracted fuckers give it a try. Tired of all you driving with a phone pressed to your ear or texting while in a vehicle. It is just not safe for you, me or any fucking one.

Forget fines, start taking away licences and vehicles.

Police can do some things we mortals are not allowed to do, accept it as it is their job. Want different, try and be a cop, you'd fail the physical.

[gretz]

How many accidents are while stationary at a red light?

[spike98]

Originally posted by Minimalist
Anyone thinking this is a bad idea obviously are in need of spending the day driving with an EMT crew. So many accidents involving idiots using their phones. I personally know of three friends or family that have caused an accident or been in one as a direct result of a distracted driver. Makes me want to buy an F250 and let the distracted fuckers give it a try. Tired of all you driving with a phone pressed to your ear or texting while in a vehicle. It is just not safe for you, me or any fucking one.

Forget fines, start taking away licences and vehicles.

Police can do some things we mortals are not allowed to do, accept it as it is their job. Want different, try and be a cop, you'd fail the physical.

Funny, my EMT buddy says its all drunk natives and fentanyl OD's. Nothing about distracted driving.

[zipdoa]

They should do it like the aussie's do down under:



This was my first year riding in Calgary, and the number of people using their phones while driving is unreal.

[Type_S1]

Originally posted by whiteout
Can't imagine the amount of pride that doing that would bring at the end of your day.

"Hi honey, did you catch any murderers today?"

"No"

"Investigate a B&E or catch a thief?"

"No"

"Stop someone from being assaulted or raped?"

"No"

"Well what did you do?"

"I hid at an intersection, took pictures of people who were stopped at a light checking their phone, then radioed someone else down the road to pull them over".

Couldn't agree more. These people are laughable and it's pothetic to classify these traffic cops as anything more then glorified mall cops.

[Maxt]

We should troll them by talking to a pop tart.

[rx7_turbo2]

When it comes to sitting at green lights not moving because the driver is distracted the #1 culprit I've seen is CPS officers themselves.

I'm not saying distracted driving isn't a big deal, I've honked at people and gestured to put down their phones, almost always women. But when it comes to not paying attention while stopped in traffic CPS are the worst offenders. I've actually sat through an entire cycle of a light because the officer in front was dicking around on his laptop. Worst intersection for this is the lights on the overpass on 14th St over John Laurie. Anybody else experience this?

[Maxt]

Originally posted by rx7_turbo2
When it comes to sitting at green lights not moving because the driver is distracted the #1 culprit I've seen is CPS officers themselves.

I'm not saying distracted driving isn't a big deal, I've honked at people and gestured to put down their phones, almost always women. But when it comes to not paying attention while stopped in traffic CPS are the worst offenders. I've actually sat through an entire cycle of a light because the officer in front was dicking around on his laptop. Worst intersection for this is the lights on the overpass on 14th St over John Laurie. Anybody else experience this?

Yes, on mcleod, and they give you the dirt eye if you honk at them.

[blueToy]

RIGHT ON !!!!!!


Rant:
So many inbred mouth breathers motherfucking bastards driving around like the laws are for everyone else that I look forward to the CP cracking down on this. This particular pet peeve has almost daily drivin' ( pun ) me nuts when I have to turn onto crowchild from 24th and the turn signal is very short ( yes I have called 311 to get it changed ), but almost everyday there are one or two fuckwits that sit at the green arrow light because its more important that they finish whatever the fuck they are doing with their phones then those people trying to get to where we are going. More then a few times I've missed the light because of this, and those lights in the morning don't change too often so you sit, and fume.
Thanks CP for trying to cull this particularly annoying herd of shitclowns.
If you happen to be one of those folks, fuck you and your phone. Tards
Rant

[TurboMedic]

Originally posted by Minimalist
Anyone thinking this is a bad idea obviously are in need of spending the day driving with an EMT crew. So many accidents involving idiots using their phones. I personally know of three friends or family that have caused an accident or been in one as a direct result of a distracted driver. Makes me want to buy an F250 and let the distracted fuckers give it a try. Tired of all you driving with a phone pressed to your ear or texting while in a vehicle. It is just not safe for you, me or any fucking one.

Forget fines, start taking away licences and vehicles.

Police can do some things we mortals are not allowed to do, accept it as it is their job. Want different, try and be a cop, you'd fail the physical.

First hand perspective here. A handful of accidents happen due to distracted driving, but they're primarily minor. Are there serious ones? Sure, there always will be every now and then, but drunk driving, driving outside of conditional requirements (weather, visibility, etc) and inexperience are the biggest factors. Oh, and I'd say 3 in 5 accidents I attend have kids in car seats, factor? maybe...

[Khyron]

So my phone is hard mounted - and I use it for maps. If I'm at a red light entering an address how is that different from entering it on the nav screen built in? And assuming it's ok, then how do you tell a nav entry from a radio change to a text response?

Frankly I'd rather have them ON THE ROAD watching for actual behaviors. We've ALL seen the guy crossing the white then swerving back and you know he's texting.

[sexualbanana]

Originally posted by blueToy



RIGHT ON !!!!!!


Rant:
So many inbred mouth breathers motherfucking bastards driving around like the laws are for everyone else that I look forward to the CP cracking down on this. T

No one is arguing that texting while driving isn't dangerous. But how do you tell the difference between my texting on my phone versus adjusting heater/radio change/looking down at my nails?

And how is that any different than if I decided to take a drink from a water bottle at a stop light?

[max_boost]

you can't.

Just don't get busted now.

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by zipdoa
They should do it like the aussie's do down under:



This was my first year riding in Calgary, and the number of people using their phones while driving is unreal.

It's like Scat, with a badge

[SCHIDER23]

So is gotten to the point where we might have to do this at every light stop


In case they decide to give you a ticket.

Brother is installing a front facing cam just for this reason, better safe