School Bus Driver Caught Texting

It sounds like this "law" is somewhat lacking.

http://www.bradenton.com/2013/09/20/4727594/state-wont-promote-new-texting.html

You can still legally text when your vehicle is stopped at a stop light, or dictate to your phone so it sends a text at anytime while driving. If a cop sees someone texting, they have to also see something else that gives them reasonable suspicion or probable cause before they can stop the driver, and then they can add on a 'texting while driving' ticket.

http://www./960004/school-bus-driver-busted-texting-while-driving/

Florida’s texting while driving ban will go into effect on October 1. However, the ban does not include bus drivers. Private companies and schools will be tasked with setting their own rules for bus drivers.
 
I don't see why any school bus driver should be needing to text while driving. They would have already checked in at the job and have their buses. They must want special status in case tickets to drivers affect licenses and their insurance.
 
I don't see why any school bus driver should be needing to text while driving. They would have already checked in at the job and have their buses. They must want special status in case tickets to drivers affect licenses and their insurance.

She was probably talking to one of her kids or husband about what to have for dinner. Assuming of course she made it home alive while doing so..
 
I think I read that Oct 1 it does become illegal to text or read an electronic device in Florida.

However saying that what about the people who read newspapers and books placed on steering wheel, that too should be illegal. Seen a lady doing that yesterday swerving all over the road.
 
What is the deal with people needing a law to tell them you can't read phones, books, newspapers, whatever other mess while driving. I thought it was pretty clear that driving should occupy all of your attention. Now, if you're not driving a bus full of kids, I can see sending a quick text if you're stopped at a really long light (but since she should supervise the kids, she should be plenty busy). But, otherwise, it just has to wait. I've sent the 'I'm driving' text while stopped at a light, but I only do that if it's going to be a long time before I can deal with my phone. I'm not getting into a wreck because i was fascinated with some shiny object in my car.
 
In Michigan we have Kelsey's Law. Drivers with a level one or two driver's license must not text while driving. The Law is named after Kelsey Raffaele, from the City I reside in. She is a teen who lost her life, from an accident caused by texting and driving. She was 17.

I believe we should all put our phones "in park" while driving. Most especially those with a CDL (truck drivers and bus operators).
MOO

Read about Kelsey's Law here: http://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,4643,7-123--297805--,00.html
 
Why the heck would bus drivers be exempt???!!!
 
no one should even be attempting to text or talk on a phone while driving

there is absolutely no phonecall or message that cannot wait until the car is in park

it's illegal here and it should be illegal everywhere, regardless of type of vehicle
 
I can say that I wasn't surprised when I saw this video. But I will say this - and its words to the wise - "YOU NEVER KNOW WHO"S WATCHING!"

The one thing I keep thinking when hearing (and seeing) all these people that HAVE TO text while driving is this - kinda gives a new meaning to "multi-tasking" now don't it? I mean every job description you read nowadays says "needs to be able to multi-task"!

I still say that our society today is loosing "common sense" at an alarming rate! And THAT is scary.



JMHO
 
IMO texting and/or talking on the phone while driving should be illegal, period--across the board. I finally bought my 1st cell phone after being in a wreck (in which the other driver ran a red and almost killed me); I wanted a phone so I could make a call from the ER if, God forbid, it was ever necessary again. I often wear my bluetooth while driving just in case I get in trouble & need to call a friend or the cops in an emergency; but I don't even answer calls if my vehicle's moving. I've been sober 30+ yrs. & frankly, don't see much difference between driving after a few drinks or tokes & driving while messing around on a cell phone. JMHO.
 
I have only texted a few times, but I was on a one way street and caught at a long, long light (I drove this a lot. But, I didn't hold a conversation because I was DRIVING. Even though I was stopped and all the cars around me were, too and no one could do anything whatsoever until we finally got green (and you could watch it cycle). Once, sitting at that light, I watched a goodly portion of a movie playing in the van in front of me.

I'm just saying people who don't have enough sense to look at the road while driving a car probably don't need to be driving a car. Another law, which pass away it won't affect me I have moved and don't deal with that light anymore and I don't text and drive, is not going to make people exercise their common sense.

I have also been hit by people not paying attention. The girl was reading, I kid you not, her paycheck.
 
Not to diminish the dangers of texting while driving, but in some ways, texting is (poison) icing on the cake. A very big, bad dose of poison.

With the number of drivers who are
- under the influence of alcohol
- high on OTC drugs
- high on Rx drugs
- high on illegal drugs
- overly mellow on OTC drugs
- overly mellow on Rx drugs
- overly mellow on non Rx drugs
- rehearsing their 'elevator speech' for a promotion or raise
- distracted by domestic difficulties
- searching for another radio station after the obnoxious car dealer ad starts
- concerned about a tot trying to Houdini out of the infant seat
- consoling grade schooler who did not win the spelling bee
- slipping a DVD into the player for backseat passenger
- calculating whether the debit card will be declined at the gas pump
- keying an address into the dashboard GPS
- applying makeup or touching up nail polish
- pulling brush across top of head to enhance the combover
- reminiscing about old high school flame
- regretting loss of temper at the last dept meeting
- on Bluetooth to explain why they'll be late to work
- a combination of some or all the above,
it's a miracle I can get to the grocery store and back,
without being head-on'ed, T-boned, or rear-ended.

On a business card-size paper, I printed the following in 1/2" letters "Taconic Parkway & Dairy Queen."

"Taconic Parkway" reminds me, while driving, of the 2009 NY high speed, wrong way horror in which Diane Schuler killed 8 people, as many readers here recall.

"Dairy Queen" refers to a fender-bender, decades ago, in which a uninsured beater van in the drive-through lane backed up and mashed my grill, bumper, front quarter, etc. It gathered astonishing speed in the single car length between us, as I sat reading the menu. Oblivious to van backing up in my direction, I failed to try to back out of harm's way. Fortunately little personal injury to me, none in van but a lot of nuisance in my car repair.

These dashboard phrases about the NY tragedy and my personal accident
remind me to focus on the road and the other drivers who are not (focused on the road).
 
I don't know what could be so important that it can't wait until she has finished her job for the day. She is carrying some very precious cargo, that can't be replaced, if something happened. If it is an emergency then pull over and text. I'm glad she got caught and no one was hurt.
 
A few years back, my DD and S-I-L were taking me to the airport. On the way there we finally passed car that was being driven eradically(SP?). The driver was a woman with a paperback book on the steering wheel. She was READING! On the Interstate!
 
A few years back, my DD and S-I-L were taking me to the airport. On the way there we finally passed car that was being driven eradically(SP?). The driver was a woman with a paperback book on the steering wheel. She was READING! On the Interstate!

I once had two Ph.D. candidates act like I was mentally impaired because, as they were bragging about all the many things they read while driving (various books, some in German), I said I just drove.

A guy I went to high school with lost his life on a road I have driven many times. It's straight through that part of the road. He was looking at something on the floor of his car. Who knows what. I think of him and make sure not to glance away from the road for long for any reason including things directly related to driving like the cruise control or whatever. If something falls off, and I can't pick it up while looking at the road it either lays on the floor or I pull over and fix it.

This guy probably looked down for less than a minute, but that mistake kill him. I always think of him any time I nearly get distracted by stuff in my car.

Sometimes my phone goes nuts, but it has to wait (unless I happened to be at the world's longest light, but that was a unique situation). I've pulled over into a parking lot (into a space) to deal with my phone if it's making too much racket. Then I let everyone know I'M DRIVING and that I will talk to them later before I get back onto the road. Which is annoying, but still.
 
Well, I decided to check on that law further and found this from School Transportation News:

http://www.stnonline.com/blogs/dail...-texting-while-driving-and-school-bus-drivers

Our Sept. 20 blog included a report about the Florida school bus driver who was caught on video texting while driving a bus full of middle students. That report and many others have included information about the state’s law banning texting while behind the wheel that goes into effect Oct. 1. It’s been reported that school bus drivers are exempt under this law, but in reality, they are not exempt.

Below is a clarification on laws in Florida regarding texting while driving:

There is already a law on the books in Florida, Sections 316.3025 and 322.27, Florida Statutes, that extend the federal requirements prohibiting texting and use of a mobile telephone while driving, to include intrastate Florida commercial drivers, including all school bus drivers.........[this one has hefty penalties and fines]

The law cited in the reports that goes into effect on Oct. 1, which prohibits texting by any Florida motorist (Section 316.305, F.S., the “Florida Ban on Texting While Driving Law”), does NOT exempt public school bus drivers.........[the secondary offense applies to this law]
 
no one should even be attempting to text or talk on a phone while driving

there is absolutely no phonecall or message that cannot wait until the car is in park
it's illegal here and it should be illegal everywhere, regardless of type of vehicle

I totally agree. This is a bad subject for me. I absolutely hate it when ANYONE is texting and driving!!! Yes, you are noticeable when you are doing it! I swear I am going to make a sign to keep in my car. When I see someone doing it, I'm gonna honk for them to look at it: "Put your phucking phone down, you are driving like an azzhole!!!" Even talking on the phone and driving seems to be difficult for some people.

This bus driver should be fired!!! Law or not, it was incompetent and stupid.

As a motorcycle rider, I run into these idiots more often than not. I have almost been run over more times than I care to count. That doesn't even include the ones without phones in their hands. It is worse than drunk driving, IMO.

I for one, am sick of seeing these stories. A FREAKING SCHOOL BUS driver FGS! WTF is wrong with people? :banghead::banghead::banghead:


Ok, I'm done now. :)
 

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