THP using BIg rigs to catch texting and driving

[gregintenn]

If we really want to address avoidable traffic accidents and deaths then how about...

 

1. Requiring demonstrated competency behind the wheel of a vehicle at speed and in various emergency situations rather than just demonstrating that you can park and can memorize the basic rules for a multiple choice test?  Perhaps graduation from a major performance driving course could be used as proof of competency.  Tie insurance rates and/or allowed speed limits based on age and proven competency.  I don't know if it's still true but it used to be true that teenage drivers in Europe had more stringent speed limits (designated by a badge on the vehicle(s)) than adults and insurance companies gave favorable premium treatment to those who had passed driving courses that required real driving competency.

 

2.  Require refresher driving courses every few yeas...again, not just can I park and make a right turn but a course that actually requires demonstrated competency in an emergency situation.

 

3. Couple that with significant punishment for people who break major rules and especially those who cause accidents...if "texting" is really that dangerous, rather than a $60 fine how about a significant license suspension and a $1,000 fine?  How about a significant license suspension for anyone who causes an accident for ANY reason?  This past April I had a stupid woman turn left in front of me which totaled her POS Mercury as well as my $50K sports car; she spent three weeks in intensive care and I walked away with a couple of scratches but I could just as easily have been killed - I'm sure she is back on the road now and doing things just as stupid as what she did to me that day while in my opinion, she probably shouldn't be allowed to drive again for at least a year or more.

 

I know...I know...none of the above will ever happen...too many people would cry about the cost or about losing their "right to drive" if they actually had to prove competency in handling a vehicle at speed or in am emergency; that's why we have THPs dress up a big rig to give $60 to to people who text and drive because that's easier to deal with.

Sounds good to me! :up: I work in the road, and I can tell you there is a high percentage of people operating vehicles that have zero business doing so.

[gregintenn]

Clearly ... they need to be on the road more.
And before someone chastises for taking a pic while driving, a passenger took the pic.

Oh I've seen this on many occasions. Call me a cop basher or whatever, but that is the truth.

[luvmyberetta]

I get soo pissed when I see people texting and driving.. There where a few times where I almost got hit while some idiot  was texting.

And then they get upset at me for honking and  yelling at them.. damn idiots

 

That's part of the reason I installed a set of the big 18 wheeler air horns on the inner fenders of my pickup along with an air tank & compressor mounted in the bed. Just a few days ago a lady messing with her phone darted between a bunch of parked cars & cut across about four lanes in our Walmart parking lot & nearly took my front bumper off. She never even looked up until I blew my air horns from about 3 feet from her window (which was down by the way). I hope she was wearing some "depends" because I'm sure I scared the whizz out of her.

[Erik88]

Texting and driving is dangerous and reckless but I feel like there is a better use for Trooper's time than this.

[Guest CCPT]

Texting and driving is dangerous and reckless but I feel like there is a better use for Trooper's time than this.

This is *exactly* the type of enforcement Troopers are supposed to be doing. I think a lot of ppl are missing that point, although it's been stated several times. Troopers are not state police, they are highway patrol. Their main objective is traffic enforcement and control on state thoroughfares. They are typically not tasked with investigating murders, rapes, robberies, etc. I think there has been a clear misunderstanding of the THP mission throughout this topic. Edited November 1, 2013 by CCPT

[Guest CCPT]

Oh I've seen this on many occasions. Call me a cop basher or whatever, but that is the truth.

I don't call you a cop basher. It's true and unfortunate. It's called abuse of power, and I can't stand seeing fellow officers doing these things. You have every right to be upset. Edited November 1, 2013 by CCPT

[DaveTN]

This is *exactly* the type of enforcement Troopers are supposed to be doing. I think a lot of ppl are missing that point, although it's been stated several times. Troopers are not state police, they are highway patrol. Their main objective is traffic enforcement and control on state thoroughfares. They are typically not tasked with investigating murders, rapes, robberies, etc. I think there has been a clear misunderstanding of the THP mission throughout this topic.

There is no misunderstanding. It’s the typical “aren’t there some murders or rapists to catch?”

It’s really too simple. If you are more at risk from dying at the hands of a murderer or rapist than at that the hands of a bad driver, and your local PD is enforcing traffic; you need to have a talk with the Chief or Sherriff. If you find the opposite is true you need to understand that administrators use the Officers where they are needed.

[gregintenn]

I don't call you a cop basher. It's true and unfortunate. It's called abuse of power, and I can't stand seeing fellow officers doing these things. You have every right to be upset.

Sir, you seem like my kind of guy. I appreciate your service and wish there were more like you.

[RobertNashville]

Uh, no.

THP is primarily responsible for traffic or, moving violations and traffic accidents. Not criminal offenses.

I don't really give a #### about what they "primary responsibility" is as it had nothing to do with the point I was making; a point that you either didn't get or are choosing to ignore.

Edited November 2, 2013 by RobertNashville

[luvmyberetta]

I don't really give a #### about what they "primary responsibility" is as it had nothing to do with the point I was making; a point that you either didn't get or are choosing to ignore.

 

I think we get the point you're making, but in order to change things we need to move up the chain. I think people underestimate the importance of what the TNHP are doing, even if it's stopping drivers texting. That will save lives! I also agree that people endangering the lives of others should be knocked in the head with the book, not just slapped on the wrist. Start with with your local law makers like your sheriff, mayor, & go from there. The law makers need to be made aware that changes are needed. The highway patrol officers spend most of their time traveling the interstate & not within your community. The law makers should be reminded that they work for us & voters remember. The TNHP's job is primarily traffic violations, working accidents, & upholding the rules of the road. Of course they'll help anywhere they're needed, but the sheriff dept. & city police are the eyes & ears of the community. My cousin's a trooper & says he often patrols several hundred miles a day, sometimes 12-16 hours a day or more, covering anywhere from 1 to 3 counties. You would do better to contact your lawmakers (as should we all) & hope change happens.

Edited November 2, 2013 by luvmyberetta

[Guest CCPT]

Sir, you seem like my kind of guy. I appreciate your service and wish there were more like you.

Thanks for the kind words. I just try to operate within the laws and feel they apply to all....officer or not.

[Dolomite_supafly]

As far as $60 not being enough I don't think it is either but it will hit people harder than some people think. Those that are texting and driving most are the younger drivers. Those younger people might not have as much money as us older people so it might hurt them a little more than we might think. Personally I think the fines should mirror a DUI after their first offense or if their actions resulted in property damage or an injury. We are not there yet but I think it will eventually be. According to almost any study you read texting is far more dangerous than DUI. DUIs didn't start out expensive either but they grew over time until it was having an impact. I think that is what is going to happen here. As people loose loved ones they are going to cry for stiffer penalties and eventually the penalties will be harse enough to stop most people from doing it.

 

Thanks for the kind words. I just try to operate within the laws and feel they apply to all....officer or not.

All laws should be applied equally but they are not when it comes to officers. 

 

Unfortunately there is a rule in LE that they will look the other way, if they can, when it comes to protecting their own. Not every officer looks the other way it for every infraction but I bet every officer has, at some point, seen a fellow officer do something questionable and chose not inform their supervisor. It could be something as minor as using their patrol for making an off duty run to the store or as serious as committing felonies. And I heard of some very, very serious crimes committed by officers and those officers were not arrested when they should have been. And yes even I, at times, have looked the other way but that was because those who I would have told were already aware or wouldn't have done anything.

 

I have seen what happens when someone is labeled as a rat and it is awful. You could choose to do the right thing and put your life, your livelihood and your family's well being at risk or you could look the other way. I was not willing to risk hurting my family and that is why I walked away. It made it really hard to do the right thing knowing you would be labeled as a rat and that really bothered me. To give you an idea, I had a supervisor tell everyone on my shift that she would understand if they might not be able to respond to an officer needing help if they were a rat. She said this during roll call while looking directly at me while saying it and everyone, including me, knew what that meant. She told me face to face that I might find myself all alone when I needed help the most. This was after I tried to do the right thing that involved one of her friends. That is when I realized I needed to start looking at leaving LE because I wasn't going to get hurt or put my family through that.

   
This is not to say that every officer is bad because the vast majority are great people doing the best they can. It is a few bad apples that gives the rest a bad name.
 

That's part of the reason I installed a set of the big 18 wheeler air horns on the inner fenders of my pickup along with an air tank & compressor mounted in the bed. Just a few days ago a lady messing with her phone darted between a bunch of parked cars & cut across about four lanes in our Walmart parking lot & nearly took my front bumper off. She never even looked up until I blew my air horns from about 3 feet from her window (which was down by the way). I hope she was wearing some "depends" because I'm sure I scared the whizz out of her.

I have bugged my wife for years to let me install these. I tell her all the time to use the horn but she said she is worried about surprizing the other driver enough to cause them to have an accident and then we will get sued. I feel that if the other driver is about to cause an accident you should do whatever you can to prevent it, including sounding the horn. She also said she can't hit the horn because she is worried she doesn't think of it so I told her I would install a horn button for me in the passender seat and label it as the passenger eject button. I would love nothing better than to hit the horn on a person who is drifting as they text or those who choose to cut corners.

[Mike.357]

I am not sure how 60 bucks is a small meaningless fine?    

 

I wish I lived in the world where I did not care about 60 bucks.   60 dollars to a lot of people is the difference between having enough gas/food money to get to the next weeks paycheck,

 

A fine of 60 dollars certainly is a deterrent.

[daddyo]

A fine of 60 dollars certainly is a deterrent.

 

Not always.

[tnguy]

Especially not if the odds are getting caught are small. Which if you're honest about it, they are and probably always will be.

Drunk driving saw a drastic decline in the UK after it was successfully stigmatized. If you drank and drive, you were an a-hole and all your friends knew it. The problem is that drinking tends to be a social activity so shaming is a good tactic. Most who text while driving will be doing so whilst alone.

[TMF]

Not always.

And life in prison or the death penalty isn't always a deterrent to murder, however, there are a lot of people breathing right now who wouldn't be if there wasn't a penalty for killing them.

[daddyo]

And life in prison or the death penalty isn't always a deterrent to murder, however, there are a lot of people breathing right now who wouldn't be if there wasn't a penalty for killing them.

 

And how do you know this?

Isn't that a bit like saying that more gun laws will prevent people from being murdered?

Edited November 2, 2013 by daddyo

[tnguy]

Personal experience? :D

[daddyo]

deleted

Edited November 2, 2013 by daddyo

[TMF]

And how do you know this?
Isn't that a bit like saying that more gun laws will prevent people from being murdered?

What he said, personal experience.

Besides, I've been to places where there are no laws. Guess what, more people do bad things when there are no consequences. Some people will do things in matter what, but there is a spectrum. It is just common sense to know that.

[tnguy]

Meh, my feeling is that the main advantage to laws is that it gets lawbreaking types off the street. The deterrent effect of laws typically only has much application to "Good" people who don't tend to do bad things anyway. The rehabilitative effect is almost zero. Edited November 3, 2013 by tnguy

[RobertNashville]

I am not sure how 60 bucks is a small meaningless fine?    

 

I wish I lived in the world where I did not care about 60 bucks.   60 dollars to a lot of people is the difference between having enough gas/food money to get to the next weeks paycheck,

 

A fine of 60 dollars certainly is a deterrent.

Even 40 years ago when I was a lowly E3 in the Navy I would have laughed at  $60; maybe not as much as today but $60 would still not have stopped me from doing something I really wanted to do.  But more than that, like hoping to denture any "crime"; for a punishment to be effective there has to be a significant possibility of arrest/conviction and punishment applied meaning that enforcement of this anti-texting while driving law is going to have to be exponentially steeped up if it's going to have any significant effect.  Just look at how much resources are thrown at drunk driving every year yet we never seem to run out of assholes who think they can drink and drive.

 

As I've said, I'm not actually opposed to the effort but this current level of action is pretty laughable when touted as any sort of serious effort to curb the activity.