Driving in Orlando

[BRobson]

Driving up and down I4 2 or 3 times a day for 21 days I noticed almost everyone in their cars were speaking on phones or in a couple of cases reading magazines

I know there is a difference and in the US you mainly drive Automatics but it is still really dangerous In the UK it is illegal

I just wondered if it was legal everywhere in the US or not deemed a problem

and

The amount of car accidents we saw (all minor thankfully) - anyone any idea what causes them - are tourists the main offenders?

Just curious really

 

[Poohbug]

I live in the US and unfortunately this is a problem everywhere. There are many accidents where people are killed and it is because they are on the phone. And now there is text- I personally think it should be outlawed. If it is that important to talk to someone you can pull over. It's nice to hear that other countries do not have this problem.

 

[simonkodousek]

In the state of New York it is illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving. If you have Bluetooth in your car however, it is OK because both of your hands are on the steering wheel and you are concentrating on the road more than holding a phone in your hand.

There is not a law restricting the use of cell phones while driving in Wisconsin, but many accidents that occur here are because of people either talking or texting. A few years ago you would see a lot of people reading or writing while driving, but now (because of so many fatal accidents) it is rare that you see people doing this.

~Simon

 

[checkwriter]

It is against the law in Florida as well, unless you have a hands-free device. On the other hand, it is legal to carry a licensed handgun in the glovebox. So don't go lecturing anybody about it.

 

[DisneyKevin]

It is against the law in Florida as well, unless you have a hands-free device.

This is not true.

There currently is no law against using a cell phone while driving in the state of Florda.

http://www.drivinglaws.org/florida.php

 

[exwdwcm]

it is legal in TX. they have just started implementing some laws in certain cities that you cannot be on the phone in school zones. at least that is something.

i NEVER answer my phone in the car. even when driving an automatic (i have a stick too). no one needs to talk to me that bad. i just return their call in a few minutes when i am stopped. what's so important that it can't wait until you are stopped? really? i watch my sister do it and she can not multi task and it scares me to death. and i know she isn't alone. i think it is super dangerous. whether it is the phone or something else- distraction, period is dangerous.

people drive like maniacs in Orlando anyhow with all the tourists. after I lived there, it drove me nuts. so many people trying to find their way around, reading maps and crossing 4 lanes of traffic at hte last minute to exit. it drove me crazy. add in cell phones and it is really a mess.

 

[bagpiper]

I have driven twice in Florida this year on vacations, once in Orlando and second in Key West.

I have driven all over the East Coast, and spent the last 25 years driving in NYC, but there were some near misses due to sloppy driving. I was on my way to Key West this week and some lady (with TX Plates) just decides to make a U-Turn out of no where. Luckily we didn't collide. I don't know where she was from, or if the car was a rental, but she wasn't the only bad driver I saw.

Be very aware and Drive Safe !

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

it is legal in TX. they have just started implementing some laws in certain cities that you cannot be on the phone in school zones. at least that is something.

They passed the no cell phone use in a school zone "when the lights are flashing" where we live (near Flower Mound, TX).

So, it is or isn't a law in Florida? We usually drive from TX to FL for our WDW trips. I'd hate for DH or I to break the law while there. I know ignorance isn't an excuse. We almost found that out the hard way in Destin, FL when we walked our dog on the beach. We needed a permit. Oops! The beach patrol was NOT very nice. But, I did talk my way out of the ticket.

I was on my way to Key West this week and some lady (with TX Plates) just decides to make a U-Turn out of no where.

I've lived in Texas for almost fourteen years (originally from MA). I've found that 80% of the people that live here, aren't from here. They're transplanted from another state/country. It must have been one of those crazy New York drivers. (Just kidding New Yorkers!) They DO drive crazy here. More than half the people don't even have car insurance. Uninsured Motorist insurance comes in handy here.

- Jennifer

 

[FireDancer]

Ohio has left the cell phone laws to the individual cities which is fun. On some of the boarder streets you can be breaking the law talking on the phone heading westbound but completely within the law on the same street heading eastbound. What will most likely happen eventually is the same thing that happened with seatbelt laws. Insurance companies will lobby congress to pass laws (either federal or state) to make it illegal to talk on phones. The cell phone companies will back the legislation because of the high margin on Bluetooth devices. For our friends in England, this is how everything gets done in the US.

 

[BRobson]

In the UK we can still use our phones on handsfree but you cant concentrate fully on two things at once

Very interested on all your comments

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I think that depending on hands-free devices lends a false sense of security, and those should be banned as well. Anything that distracts your attention from the road is a hazard, and should be avoided. That means playing with the radio, your hands-free device, dining on your Big Mac, putting on your makeup, etc.

Pay attention, people! There are other people out there!

 

[Cyrano]

Driving up and down I4 2 or 3 times a day for 21 days I noticed almost everyone in their cars were speaking on phones or in a couple of cases reading magazines

I know there is a difference and in the US you mainly drive Automatics but it is still really dangerous In the UK it is illegal

I just wondered if it was legal everywhere in the US y

I hadn't even thought that any place would allow driving and using a mobile phone. Scares me at home when you see 40 tonne trucks and the driver has one hand on the wheel and another with their phone glued to their face.
Surely the legislators place a higher value on life than allowing numpties to drive and phone/txt

 

[Minnie Lor]

I don't see a difference between a cell phone in your hand vs. one in your ear. I do drive with a cell phone but only when I'm not in or near traffic.

I think it's crazy when people are texting, reading the paper, putting on makeup, or turning around to swat a kid. Also, the semi's scare me. They not only have their cell phones but they have their computers up there as well.

 

[catycatcat4]

I dont drive yet.I can get a permint but ALOT of people my age around here wait so they dont have to spend money on it. But when i do i will never awser my phone at all. *that would nto make my mom to happy if she where to call*


but i also tend to be overly carefull. i would never drive in the rain. or to disney on the big roads my self.

 

[checkwriter]

This is not true.

There currently is no law against using a cell phone while driving in the state of Florda.

http://www.drivinglaws.org/florida.php

Sorry . . . Google let me down on that one . . .

BAD GOOGLE!

Chat away, travelers!!!

 

[disneyholic family]

I think that depending on hands-free devices lends a false sense of security, and those should be banned as well. Anything that distracts your attention from the road is a hazard, and should be avoided. That means playing with the radio, your hands-free device, dining on your Big Mac, putting on your makeup, etc.

Pay attention, people! There are other people out there!

recent studies have shown that even when you're on a hands free, your concentration level is just as bad as if you're holding the phone...
and it's just as bad as if you're drunk...
so you're right....hands free phones aren't safe either..

 

[BRobson]

recent studies have shown that even when you're on a hands free, your concentration level is just as bad as if you're holding the phone...
and it's just as bad as if you're drunk...
so you're right....hands free phones aren't safe either..

My Dh knows that - he travels alot for work but will not answer the phone till he can pull over - you cannot concentrate on what someone is saying and drive

 

[disneyholic family]

My Dh knows that - he travels alot for work but will not answer the phone till he can pull over - you cannot concentrate on what someone is saying and drive

DH uses a hands free, and talks while he drives....
all i'll say is he isn't the greatest driver who ever drove the face of the earth when he's not on the phone, so you can imagine him on the phone while he drives....

but at least, when i'm in the car with him, i'm the designated driver....so that's good....he can talk to his heart's content..

 

[BRobson]

DH uses a hands free, and talks while he drives....
all i'll say is he isn't the greatest driver who ever drove the face of the earth when he's not on the phone, so you can imagine him on the phone while he drives....

but at least, when i'm in the car with him, i'm the designated driver....so that's good....he can talk to his heart's content..

I kind of think Mobile phones have taken over the world a bit - listen to ma 27 and sound like my granny but the amount of times people are more interested in their phones than what goes on around them (dont flame me) . I do understand people need them for their work too

 

[disneyholic family]

I kind of think Mobile phones have taken over the world a bit - listen to ma 27 and sound like my granny but the amount of times people are more interested in their phones than what goes on around them (dont flame me) . I do understand people need them for their work too

i totally agree....