heard today that if you

[Ken07AOVette]

eat,
drink,
talk on a phone,
shave,
etc while driving, the Rat Cat and Mouse Patrol will give you a U C & A ticket, you get 6 demerits and a $400.00 fine. Any truth to this?

[munyee4321]

This is in play right now in Lethbridge,

They will only ticket for U C&A if you show signs of loosing control of your vehicle such as swerving in between lanes and such if your eating talking on phone, changeing cds and such. Im not sure about the fine amount and the demerit loss

[Ruffgrouse]

Ya your almost right on the money !
Sec. 115(2)(b) Drive Carelessly under the Traffic Safety Act of Alberta for a fine of $402.00
Not that I got one or anything :innocent:

Ruff

[BUD]

Good for them , its about time.

[ovis40]

Good for them , its about time.

2X
Today while driving through Red Deer ( not sure why I go there) the road was pure ice. All of a sudden my wife says " look at that woman beside us, she is eating a bowl of soup with both hands!" Sure enough, no hands on the wheel.

[IR_mike]

2X
Today while driving through Red Deer ( not sure why I go there) the road was pure ice. All of a sudden my wife says " look at that woman beside us, she is eating a bowl of soup with both hands!" Sure enough, no hands on the wheel.

Natural selection?

[altaberg]

Natural selection?

except that it can take out other people too,
ok by me if they take just themselves out of the gene pool

[altaberg]

2X
Today while driving through Red Deer ( not sure why I go there) the road was pure ice. All of a sudden my wife says " look at that woman beside us, she is eating a bowl of soup with both hands!" Sure enough, no hands on the wheel.

x3

best bumper sticker I've seen in a while:

"Your driving would improve with that cell phone up your ass"

[Albertadiver]

What about farting? That takes a LOT of my concentration sometimes!

[Jester]

What about farting? That takes a LOT of my concentration sometimes!

Farting is allowed...

Sharting is not..:lol:

[Matt L.]

Heard on the radio the other day about an Edmonton woman who was seen drying her hair while driving with a LIGHTER!:eek:

[magcal4L]

There is some truth to what Ruffgrouse said, but we will only go to extremes and lay the careless driving charge if it is warranted. ( I don't lay that many). What the original post is speaking about is the Province's traffic calander. Each month is divided up into targets (Feb= distracted driving)(Jan=intersection safety) you will see an influx of those charges being laid by RCMP highway/traffic units and the sheriffs. There is a section for distracted driving that falls within the $402.00 range and the demerits (I don't know the section, have never written it before) but there is also a more specific one for allowing somthing to interfere with operation of MV that is 172.00 If anyone is ever wondering about these sections under the Traffic Safety Act or Use of Highway Rules of Road Regulations, google "Alberta Queens Printer" and follow the links to those appropriete statues or PM me and I will lokk up what I can.

But like I said before I have never written these charges and it all comes down to the Police or Peace Officer's personal descretion

[Jeromeo]

Ohh god I hope there are anti-cell phone laws coming sometime soon. I am getting sick and tired of people text messaging while driving. :mad3:

[Jester]

Ohh god I hope there are anti-cell phone laws coming sometime soon. I am getting sick and tired of people text messaging while driving. :mad3:

I could be wrong but isn't that how that mechanic got run over by a heavy hauler at syncrude awhile back?

[catnthehat]

I could be wrong but isn't that how that mechanic got run over by a heavy hauler at syncrude awhile back?

I think that was a rumour......
The one the drives me nutz are all the trucks screaming to work when I am doing 100 or 105.
In the FRONT is a DVD playing a movie and they are ALONE!!
Now, I dunno about other people, but o prefer to watch the road for critters, the shoulder , and other vehicles when I am driving - ESPECIALLY in the dark!!
Cat

[elkhunter11]

Does that apply to the police and bylaw officers as well?I have often seen them using their radios or talking on the phone while driving.Of course they are also being distracted by operating their radar units while driving!:rolleyes:

[Ruffgrouse]

Magcal4L
Who is it that you work for ?
Queens cowboys or the Sol Gen?
I did what you said and looked up some of those charges.
I think you may be thinking about:
Sec. 115(2)(i) Driver permit person/animal/thing to impede safe
operation of MV - under the Traffic Safety Act $172.00
Is grandma going to get a ticket for her poodle's head hanging out
the window at 70 Km/h :lol::lol:

[LongDraw]

This Lady should get a Darwin award...

Breastfeeding driver on cell phone charged

KETTERING, Ohio -- Police in Ohio say a woman has been charged with child endangerment after another motorist reported she was both breast-feeding a youngster and talking on a phone while driving.


Police in the Dayton suburb of Kettering say the caller told them he saw the woman Thursday.
Officer Michael Burke says authorities used a licence plate number to track down 39-year-old Genine Compton.


He said the woman told officers she was breast-feeding and wouldn't let her child go hungry.


Burke said the legal concern is that Compton had a child in her lap while driving, not that she was breast-feeding in public.


He said the child was under two years old.


Police say the woman faces up to 180 days in jail and a $1,800 fine if convicted of the misdemeanour.

[Chung66]

CBC Radio did a bit on this.
They caught one guy playing a guitar, one guy flossing with both hands, and one guy sitting on his knees with his head out the sun roof. All of these were on hwy 2 going 110 km!

[Albertadiver]

This Lady should get a Darwin award...

Breastfeeding driver on cell phone charged



There was another article where she was quoted as saying she'd do it again.

[hayseed]

CBC Radio did a bit on this.
They caught one guy playing a guitar, one guy flossing with both hands, and one guy sitting on his knees with his head out the sun roof. All of these were on hwy 2 going 110 km!


Yup, those were all down in the Reddeer area a couple of weeks back, some unreal stuff...

[Tuc]

Ohh god I hope there are anti-cell phone laws coming sometime soon. I am getting sick and tired of people text messaging while driving. :mad3:

This is a very dangerous practise and most who do it are the young drivers who lack experience as is. How many have to die before they introduce a law?
They should have outlawed cell phones years ago.

[LongDraw]

This is a very dangerous practise and most who do it are the young drivers who lack experience as is. How many have to die before they introduce a law?
They should have outlawed cell phones years ago.

We have enough laws.

They should enforce the ones we have- Dangerous driving and driving with undue care and attention cover most of everything that people do when they are supposed to be driving.

[Elk Chaser]

You boys ought to try hauling a set of pikes between Edmonton and Calgary, and just as you start down the south side of the Innisfail hill in a blinding snow storm at 10pm, the G%D@mm satilite starts beeping and its Calgary dispatch wanting you to respond NOW! Ret@rds, the satilite says right on it "do not use while driving". AND what did they want "Why are you driving so slow for?"

Thank goodness I decided that life was short enough and quit driving for them.

[spudislander]

Nova Scotia brought in it's no cell phone law last year. There were a lot of fines given out in the first couple of months. It looked like everyone and there dog had a damned bluetooth headset. It was confusing standing in line at the beer store trying to figure out if the guy behind you was talking to you or on the phone.

[pogo]

This is a very dangerous practise and most who do it are the young drivers who lack experience as is. How many have to die before they introduce a law?
They should have outlawed cell phones years ago.

Yes and no. It always strikes me as odd how many cops I see driving seemingly completely absorbed by their on board computers, but nobody says anything about that. Do they get special driver training for that, I wonder? ;)

[rem338win]

Does that apply to the police and bylaw officers as well?I have often seen them using their radios or talking on the phone while driving.Of course they are also being distracted by operating their radar units while driving!:rolleyes:

Yes and no. It always strikes me as odd how many cops I see driving seemingly completely absorbed by their on board computers, but nobody says anything about that. Do they get special driver training for that, I wonder? ;)

And this one time I saw an officer, and he was.....................:rolleyes:
Shake it off.

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

Yes and no. It always strikes me as odd how many cops I see driving seemingly completely absorbed by their on board computers, but nobody says anything about that. Do they get special driver training for that, I wonder? ;)

I don't think its a matter of if there receiving training . They are professionals for one , and for two they are taught how to drive in emergency situations . And for three they have way more experience then the 16 or 17 year old with a car full of there friends and driving while they text message . I forget where I read this that a youth between 16 and 20 is 100 times more likely to get into a collision , with ever 1 other young person in that vehicle .

I also believe that Each person in this province and country or when there licence comes up for renewal everyone should have to do a road test . I doesn't matter what age people are. I know many people around my parents age about 40 to 50 age group that shouldn't have a license .

[elkhunter11]

And this one time I saw an officer, and he was.....................
Shake it off.

So how many times during a shift does an officer talk on his radio,or operate his radar?How often does he concentrate on a single vehicle trying to see the driver,make out a license plate stickers ,or other details that result in him paying less attention to the traffic around him?A distraction is a distraction,regardless of who you are.

[Big.Bear]

when there licence comes up for renewal everyone should have to do a road test

I had to wait 2 and a half months just to do the test to get rid of my GDL on my license and that was because someone canceled and I got there spot, imagine if everyone had to do a road test when they renewed there license. By the time they did the test it'd be time to renew there license again and people waiting to get there license would be waiting forever.

[Big.Bear]

So how many times during a shift does an officer talk on his radio,or operate his radar?How often does he concentrate on a single vehicle trying to see the driver,make out a license plate stickers ,or other details that result in him paying less attention to the traffic around him?A distraction is a distraction,regardless of who you are.

A girl I worked with back home had a cop run into her car with his cruiser. She was parked and car was turned off. He was distracted doing something with his computer lol. Was funny, they did not waste time repairing her car lol.

[elkhunter11]

A girl I worked with back home had a cop run into her car with his cruiser. She was parked and car was turned off. He was distracted doing something with his computer lol. Was funny, they did not waste time repairing her car lol.

You must be mistaken,that just isn't possible.:rolleyes:

[Big.Bear]

You must be mistaken,that just isn't possible.:rolleyes:

lol, yeah how silly of me, must have been a car that looked like a police cruiser..lol...my bad...I think the person was aged 40 to so he better go for another road test lol.

[Big.Bear]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/ffisherman/funnydriver.jpg




And probably one of the funniest bumper stickers i have seen

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/ffisherman/driver2.jpg

[jiggseob]

Is the actual infraction in the Highway Traffic Act.

When an officer stands in front of a judge, and gives evidence to prove "boyond reasonable doubt" that "due care and attention" was not being used by the driver, he has to have actual proof.

That proof is in the form of his say-so, possibly video / photos from those newfangled digital still/video cameras now in the cop-cars, and possibly the statement of non-peace-officer witnesses.

The officers discretion is whether or not to proceed with a charge. That discretion is based on the officers guestimate of how likeley it is he/she will be successful in getting a guilty plea/ conviction.

Getting the case in front of a judge, and proving "beyond reasonable doubt" that the driver was not driving with "due care and attention" takes some doing. The officers observation of lane wandering, other drivers taking evasive action would be enough.

Observing a driver doing various things like cell phone and a hamburger in the drivers' seat might not be enough, there would have to be evidence of degradation of driving performance presented to the court. Presenting observation evidence of incapability to respond to emergent driving tasks such as emergency braking or steering would also result in a conviction - such as driving with the head out the sunroof so as to be unable to reach the brakes, or eating soup with two hands.

But operating an electric razor with one hand would be no more distracting than scratching one's chin.

The officers know this. They won't waste their time on you simply swathing the stubble off your chin with the electric razor, as long as you keep it between the lines. But flip the visor down, and concentrate in the mirror on defoliating the inside of your nostril, and you probably won't be between the lines. Then, you've crossed the line.

I'm just speculating, I don't know this by experience....

Jiggs.

[russian river]

I take offense to the 40 -50 year olds who shouldnt have a licence. I'm just wondering how many accidents you been in BSJ as in my 30 plus years of driving I am accident free and with my experience I know when and where I should do things behind the wheel as in to pull over to use my phone. When driving in a more populated area there are more chances of accidents when we are not focused on our driving. I don't believe it's an "age" issue but a common sense issue.

[pogo]

And this one time I saw an officer, and he was.....................:rolleyes:
Shake it off.

Regrettably, all too often lately we're seeing and hearing officers doing all sorts of questionable things. Why is that?

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

I take offense to the 40 -50 year olds who shouldnt have a licence. I'm just wondering how many accidents you been in BSJ as in my 30 plus years of driving I am accident free and with my experience I know when and where I should do things behind the wheel as in to pull over to use my phone. When driving in a more populated area there are more chances of accidents when we are not focused on our driving. I don't believe it's an "age" issue but a common sense issue.

Take offence to what you want .I didnt say all , I said I know some . When did some become all . And please dont refer to me as BSJ . Call me John , BBJ , .

[pogo]

I don't think its a matter of if there receiving training . They are professionals for one , and for two they are taught how to drive in emergency situations . And for three they have way more experience then the 16 or 17 year old with a car full of there friends and driving while they text message . I forget where I read this that a youth between 16 and 20 is 100 times more likely to get into a collision , with ever 1 other young person in that vehicle .

I also believe that Each person in this province and country or when there licence comes up for renewal everyone should have to do a road test . I doesn't matter what age people are. I know many people around my parents age about 40 to 50 age group that shouldn't have a license .

I see what you're saying, John. I'm not attacking police officers. I would just find it ironic that somebody could be given a ticket for talking and driving and then the ticket issuer drives off while entering data into his computer, or putting in the next plate number he's/she's curious about.

The fact is, there are endless distractions to people while driving. For example, a person could pick up a friend or family member after a long absence and be just as distracted, or more, as somebody on their cell phone. Attitudes like get-home-itis, or get-to-work-itis are just as blinding as yakking on the phone. Take, for example, the young fellow last week in Millarville, who, for whatever reason could not avoid running over that 7 year old boy standing in his own driveway. What was his distraction? So, where do we draw the line? Age? Competence? Experience? I think the law we have already about driving without due care and diligence is sufficient.

The day after the 7 year old Kuggel boy was run over down in Millarville, a little boy who looks and sounds very much like my own hockey playing 8 year old boy with glasses, still on the hunt for his second goal of the season, a boy who might also freeze at the sight of a car heading right at him, I came around the corner on the street where we live and what do I see but a Chevy or Sunbird kind of a car deliberately sliding around the corner and then entering a 360 spin in what appeared to be only marginal control. My freinds, who have 5 and 10 year old boys live right in front of where this car was hurtling around in the slippery conditions. There are also other young kids living right there. I've always had a pretty low regard for the speed at which people drive on our street, a crescent street, with so many young kids living on it. I feel that it can't be long before one of the kids here meets the same demise that the young boy in Millarville did.

So, I pulled over to the left side of the street and blocked that vehicle as it began it's way towards mine. I got out. I walked up to the driver, a young man of maybe 19 or 20 and told him how I felt. I also told him that I my greatest wish was for my children and the other children living on the street, to have the chance to grow up to be his age. I believe, by the look on his face, he got my message.

Then, as I drove around the next corner, there was the school bus.

[BUD]

What about farting? That takes a LOT of my concentration sometimes!

Never trust a fart on the road or when your old

[magcal4L]

Magcal4L
Who is it that you work for ?
Queens cowboys or the Sol Gen?
I did what you said and looked up some of those charges.
I think you may be thinking about:
Sec. 115(2)(i) Driver permit person/animal/thing to impede safe
operation of MV - under the Traffic Safety Act $172.00
Is grandma going to get a ticket for her poodle's head hanging out
the window at 70 Km/h


I am a Gravel Road Cowboy or Queen if you want, all the same. That was the one I was talking about didn't know the section because I have never written it. Only time it may ever come up for me in an injury collision

[Jeromeo]

And this one time I saw an officer, and he was.....................:rolleyes:
Shake it off.

x2. Too much cop bashing. Show some respect.

[elkhunter11]

x2. Too much cop bashing. Show some respect.

Pointing out that police and bylaw officers have more distractions than the average driver, due to the nature of their job,and they too cause accidents as a result, is not bashing.They are drivers too,and as such,they should expect to be judged as they judge others.

And respect is earned.

[Huntnut]

Pointing out that police and bylaw officers have more distractions than the average driver, due to the nature of their job,and they too cause accidents as a result, is not bashing.They are drivers too,and as such,they should expect to be judged as they judge others.

And respect is earned.

Big differance between them doing their jobs and someone driving down the road using their hands to eat a bowl of ceral and using their knees to steer.

[elkhunter11]

Big differance between them doing their jobs and someone driving down the road using their hands to eat a bowl of ceral and using their knees to steer.

Of course they need to do their jobs,but they do get distracted by their radio,radar,computer,trying to make out license plate tags etc.After all,they are only human.
I personally hate getting stuck behind someone that is weaving back and forth while talking or texting on the phone,but we do need to realize that any distraction,by any person,can cause an accident.Nobody is immune to being distracted if they are driving while operating electronic equipment,smoking,eating,drinking coffee,watching other vehicles etc.

[bigd]

Is the actual infraction in the Highway Traffic Act.

When an officer stands in front of a judge, and gives evidence to prove "boyond reasonable doubt" that "due care and attention" was not being used by the driver, he has to have actual proof.

That proof is in the form of his say-so, possibly video / photos from those newfangled digital still/video cameras now in the cop-cars, and possibly the statement of non-peace-officer witnesses.

The officers discretion is whether or not to proceed with a charge. That discretion is based on the officers guestimate of how likeley it is he/she will be successful in getting a guilty plea/ conviction.

Getting the case in front of a judge, and proving "beyond reasonable doubt" that the driver was not driving with "due care and attention" takes some doing. The officers observation of lane wandering, other drivers taking evasive action would be enough.

Observing a driver doing various things like cell phone and a hamburger in the drivers' seat might not be enough, there would have to be evidence of degradation of driving performance presented to the court. Presenting observation evidence of incapability to respond to emergent driving tasks such as emergency braking or steering would also result in a conviction - such as driving with the head out the sunroof so as to be unable to reach the brakes, or eating soup with two hands.

But operating an electric razor with one hand would be no more distracting than scratching one's chin.

The officers know this. They won't waste their time on you simply swathing the stubble off your chin with the electric razor, as long as you keep it between the lines. But flip the visor down, and concentrate in the mirror on defoliating the inside of your nostril, and you probably won't be between the lines. Then, you've crossed the line.

I'm just speculating, I don't know this by experience....

Jiggs.

Jiggs

The HTA has not existed in Alberta since May 2003. It was replaced at that time by the Traffic Safety Act. The charge of 'drive without due care and attention' was replaced with 'drive carelessly' with a specified penalty of $402 and I believe 6 demerits (could be 4 ??).

Also, officers don't usually base a decision to charge on whether or not there is a likelihood of conviction- the decision is usually based on the drivers' history, attitude towards the offence, the 'flavour of the month', the officers mood at the time as well as the severity of the offence ie did the person nearly cause injury or property damage etc.

bigd