New Zealand making drivers with cellphone navigation criminals, hugs ok for now (updated)
By Thomas Ricker 
posted September 28th 2009 5:15AM
posted September 28th 2009 5:15AM
"A driver must not, while driving a vehicle, create, send, or read a text message on a mobile phone or make, receive, or terminate a telephone call on a mobile phone or use a mobile phone in any other way."A law this broad would also make your car's integrated cellphone entertainment system illegal. There are exceptions of course, one of which allows drivers to use a mobile phone to make, receive, or terminate a telephone call if the phone is mounted in the vehicle and the driver "manipulates the phone infrequently and briefly," even though studies have already concluded that hands-free solutions are still distracting and thus, dangerous. Yeah, the whole thing sounds arbitrary, over-reaching, and completely unenforceable to us as well.
Update: Put down the pitchforks and torches, it looks like the law is already en route for amendment to allow cellphone "satellite navigation or music functions."
[Via Stuff, image courtesy of joannapapa5100]
I guess there's no hope for the assholes I run into on the road who aren't using a phone at all, eh?
It would help if you actually got a picture of New Zealand. I can't remember the last time NZ has had a major city covered in snow...
Oh nice, a picture from FINLAND? Sorry, are geographic impaired? I suggest you get on your iPhones and start looking at Google maps some more...
The picture's URL is fat-cop.jpg
Heard of Christchurch? Or Dunedin? :P
I guess it depends on your interpretation of a 'major city'. Internationally, probably only Auckland would scrape in. Just.
The Ministry of Transport's press secretary has issued a statement saying that this amendment will be altered to allow the use of cellphones as navigation devices before it comes into effect.
http://www.iphonewzealand.co.nz/2009/all/breaking-common-sense-prevails-law-is-to-be-amended/
So New Zealand's is one of the first governments to acknowledge the multitude of scientific studies that have shown that it is simply the USE of a cell phone, not the HANDLING of it, that is distracting to drivers. Good for them.
Actually, handling anything impairs driving.
The worst offender simply talking on the phone. Or talking at all.
I hope Flight of the Conchords makes a protest song about this tragedy!
The humans are dead, The humans are dead.
They aren't showing up on the map, allthough we keep hitting all sorts of .., eh, things.
The next thing, we ran them over while texting, because they didnt text back.
...
Still havent texted back...
Yeah, better the conchords do it.
The reason we don't like people driving with the mobile phone in this country is people keep being tripped by the cord.
So now the people who paid hundreds of dollars for the Tom Tom navigation app on the iPhone have wasted their money. Nice work, NZ Government. Yet another reason to move to Dubai/USA.
LOL
Dale,
It's all been sorted....
http://www.nziphone.com/news/nz/road-user-amendment-bans-gps-on-an-iphone-but-oks-gps-systems.html
The government has agreed to amend the amendment to allow GPS iPhone use.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Cellphone-ban-to-be-rewritten-to-allow-GPS-use/tabid/311/articleID/123091/cat/73/Default.aspx
Phil
Oh, that's lucky. I'm still moving to Dubai or the US though. But its good that my money isn't wasted.
How would your money be wasted if you're leaving the country anyway?
How does this concern the city of Oulu (the picture)?
of no concern whatsoever hahaha just a really big policeman
Texting while driving is pretty dumb actually and I've seen many people do it here in NZ. So is trying to talk on the phone, without a hands-free device, even though I have done it on the rare occasion.
I'm guessing that the geographically impaired pic was used not for it's location, but rather the statue represents "the man" cracking down on our distracted driving fun. That's why I always close my eyes and use the Force when the driving gets dicey!
I thought all your news items were well researched - this law has an exclusion for any phones dash mounted (with handsfree device) including phones being used as a navigation device. Todays news 6 hours ago is that an amendment is being made to specifically allow the use of phones with navigation software.
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200802/r222278_876099.jpg
Obviously she got caught by the nz police txting and driving :P
She wasn't texting. She was eating.
Yeah, trying to drive the plane she hijacked..
This basically the same as it is in Aust. Well kinda, You can use your phone for music, GPS and Calls but it MUST be through a bluetooth headset and not a wired one.
Lol that statue is NOT in new zealand, its "toripolliisi" in Oulu, Finland. WTF??1!1
Lol! that pic is from Oulu! I spent 1 year there :P
I'm subtly mocking their accent.
I'd just set it on my lap and hold the argument that I'm aloud to look at my crotch all I want.
"even though studies have already concluded that hands-free solutions are still distracting and thus, dangerous"
OK, so where are the higher accident rates since cell phone use became ubiquitous and cell phone use in cars became common? The above statement is the science version of KIRF. The boffins take a micro conclusion and extrapolate to a macro conclusion that does not it macro data.
Thankyou! People talk about how cellphone use is so much more dangerous than drinking and driving but can't explain why our highways and cities have not become death zones over the past decade as cell phone use has exploded. Even my most "never use your cell phone while driving" friend has admitted to answering and talking on the phone once or twice!!
The micro studies of simulated reaction time and driving ability are not extrapolating very well.
select name as NannyState from country where name in ('canada', 'uk', 'new zealand', 'australia')
Compare the death tolls of those nations to the US and other non-NannyStates.
Can i keep the pitchfork though? i lost the receipt
no one can operate the radio or the wiper while driving!
"or terminate a telephone call "
In other words; if you are talking on a phone, you are not allowed to hang up at any given time while driving! .. Nice!
They're getting too specific. They should just say no electronic communications.
According to the current wording, not only is it illegal to use GPS navigation on your phone, it IS legal to type out an email on your iPod Touch hooked up via a 3G router.
Better: it's legal to use Skype on your N810, but not on your N900.
This is all fine and good, but I won't be using a phone as long as the Duopoly running the show (Tele and Voda) keep ripping NZ off. Do yourself a favor and compare NZ phones rates to any other civilized country. We can't afford to call while driving anyway. (read: relocated American missing essentially free communication)
Victoria (in Australia) is introducing something similar within a few months:
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/cartech/sat-nav-apps-could-be-heading-for-a-dead-end-20090918-fv1v.html
Unfortunately, unlike the NZ legislation it would seem that it's specifically targeted at GPS rather than being amended to avoid GPS.
Conversation with hand free are as distracting with hand held, BUT, conversation with hand free are not as dangerous and less likely to cause accidents then hand held.
Drivers that use hand held are developing Phone Elbow because of the long time bending the arm in unnatural position. so drivers who hold the phones are already unconfortable and that means they are less likely to sit in a good posture. Beside being in pain, drivers will tend to lean to the window sill or to the arm rest which make them totally unaware of their surrounding because the loose mirror adjustment. They are also unable to activate the turn signal, because their hands are busy. If they smoke, they usually let go of the wheel while talking to take a puff of cigarette (Hand Free Steering).
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