Law and Rights
Ford Motor Company is the first manufacturer to say they approve of banning handheld cell phones in cars on American roads. That idea is in a bill now before Congress, which could end up being law, according to TheDetroitBureau news reports.
There's a new study out from the Governors Highway Safety Association (didn't know there even was such an outfit) that says in 80% of car crashes "the driver had turned away from the road at the time of impact." Well, of course - that's what you usually do when you see an impact about to happen. Of more validity may be the finding that drivers are four times more likely to wreck while using a handheld phone than drivers who don't talk while driving at all. Focus, folks, focus.
Meanwhile, Congress is planning hearings to determine if there ought to be a federal law that makes using a handheld phone illegal if you are driving. NY Congressperson Carolyn McCarthy has a proposal up that would ban it in all 50 states. Ford backs the idea, according to a Ford VP, Pete Lawson.
Not by coincidence, Ford is also in the "beta" test phase of an in-car system like the GM OnStar system that has been around for years and which other manufacturers are now launching too. Of course, they charge for that, so there is the obvious incentive to them to get a federal ban in place so consumers might be more encouraged to subscribe to their in-car service.
Some states already have a ban in effect but so far no one is talking about whether those help, or hurt, the crash statistics.
Of course, all of this assumes your car is running right anyway.
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Law and Rights
Ford wants handheld cell phones in cars banned, do you?
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| Cartoon from http://whatisacellphonejammer.com/cell-phone-jammer-car |
There's a new study out from the Governors Highway Safety Association (didn't know there even was such an outfit) that says in 80% of car crashes "the driver had turned away from the road at the time of impact." Well, of course - that's what you usually do when you see an impact about to happen. Of more validity may be the finding that drivers are four times more likely to wreck while using a handheld phone than drivers who don't talk while driving at all. Focus, folks, focus.
Meanwhile, Congress is planning hearings to determine if there ought to be a federal law that makes using a handheld phone illegal if you are driving. NY Congressperson Carolyn McCarthy has a proposal up that would ban it in all 50 states. Ford backs the idea, according to a Ford VP, Pete Lawson.
Not by coincidence, Ford is also in the "beta" test phase of an in-car system like the GM OnStar system that has been around for years and which other manufacturers are now launching too. Of course, they charge for that, so there is the obvious incentive to them to get a federal ban in place so consumers might be more encouraged to subscribe to their in-car service.
Some states already have a ban in effect but so far no one is talking about whether those help, or hurt, the crash statistics.
Of course, all of this assumes your car is running right anyway.
Burdge Law Office
www.BurdgeLaw.com
Helping consumers protect themselves since 1978.
Subscribe in a reader- 2012 Ford Focus Gets More Complaints, Recalls, Service Bulletins - What's Up?
What is going on with the 2012 Ford Focus? Consumers are wondering while complaints from owners pile up, technical service bulletins are issued and the recalls begin. Ford knows, but it isn't talking. 2013 Ford Focus Transmission ComplaintsHundreds...
- Ford Taurus And Mercury Sable Accelerator Investigation Launched By Nhtsa
Be careful out there. It turns out that Toyota isn't the only one with cars that sometimes won't stop running away on their own. Federal safety investigators have opened an investigation of "sticky accelerators" involved in the 2001, 2002, 2003,...
- Are Ford Fusions Dangerous?
Federal safety investigators have launched a preliminary investigation into the 2010 Ford Fusion model, as reports of fracturing wheel studs have surfaced, according to news reports. The wheel studs are key to holding the wheels on a car. Simply put,...
- Ford - The Last One To The Battery Car Party
Nissan has its Leaf about to come out. Chevrolet, its Volt on the test track and almost ready to roll. And then there's all those other companies, like Tesla, that have had electric cars out for months already, if not years. And then there's Ford,...
- Honda Does A Recall Right
You have to give credit where credit's due. Ford and Honda both announced million-car-plus recalls this week, but there's a huge difference between the two. And it says something about putting quality "Job #1" where it counts. Ford recalled 1.2...