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Curious to know if it's even possible to know whether a driver has manually sent a text message / composed it via voice / given it to the passenger to compose t
by tomtoise 11y ago
Curious to know if it's even possible to know whether a driver has manually sent a text message / composed it via voice / given it to the passenger to compose text.
At least with breathalyzing, it's binary. You're either drunk or you're not, there's no middle ground or room for interpretation.
- corin_ 11y agoBreathalyzing is binary but "being too drunk to drive safely" isn't, they just made testing binary for the law's sake. It's possible to be under the limit for a test yet still have enough alcohol in you to slightly impair your driving if you're not used to drinking, it's also possible to be able to drink quite a bit over the limit and still be sober enough to drive safely, but the law just looks at averages and picks a spot to make it binary.
- forgetsusername 11y ago>they just made testing binary for the law's sake In Canada, I think, penalties are doled out based on a few ranges of blood alcohol content.
- jdmichal 11y agoLaws are state specific in the US, but some do have levels below the federally-mandated .08% with lesser penalties.
- bryanlarsen 11y agoFrom the article: "Further analysis, which might require a warrant, could be necessary to determine whether such usage was via hands-free dashboard technology and to confirm the original finding." As the other commenter noted, "to drunk to drive" has way more room for interpretation than "sent a text before an accident", yet the law seems to have arrived at a reasonable compromise. Note that sending a text message via voice and is still distracted driving, and some studies show that it's just about as dangerous. It's currently legal, but some jurisdictions are contemplating banning that too.