ajft

jersey cow trombones living with 5

It has a certain poetry, doesn't it?

  Police call for text messaging ban in cars
  By Jason Dowling
  August 1, 2004

Text messaging from cars would be banned and the penalties for using hand-held phones increased under a push by Victoria Police to curb the alarming rise in road fatalities linked to mobile phones, one of the state's top traffic police said.

...

Why do we need yet another law? The current law prohibits "use of a hand-held phone."

The current law is not observed by the public, why would a new law be?

The current law is not enforced by the police, why would a new law be?

  Road Rules - Victoria.
  Part 18 Miscellaneous road rules (Rules 287-304)

300. Use of hand-held mobile phones

(1) The driver of a vehicle (except an emergency vehicle or police
vehicle) must not use a hand-held mobile phone while the vehicle is
moving, or stationary but not parked, unless the driver is exempt from
this rule under subrule (3)

Penalty:	2 penalty units.

Note: Emergency vehicle, park and police vehicle are defined in the
dictionary.

(2) In this rule---

mobile phone does not include a CB radio or any other two-way radio.

(3) This rule does not apply to a driver if the Corporation has, by
notice in writing, exempted the driver from subrule (1).

So who needs a new law? Bring on the trained magpies! Swoop down, peck out their eyes, take away their phones and poop on their windscreens.

Confirmation that Spring is on its way arrived this morning, not with the scent of flowers in the air, not with the sight of blossom unfolding on the fruit trees, but with a crack across the side of the head as a swooping magpie [*] made its prescence known. The bane of the cyclist's life in the Spring!

Now if only I could train them to swoop and attack the motorists who yabber on their phones while driving...