The Low-Tech Times

Dave Caldwell of The New York Times reports that New Jersey has banned drivers from sending text messages while driving in a new act which took effect on March 1, 2008.  Here is an excerpt from Dave’s article:

Mr. Sweeney almost paid a price for, as the saying goes, driving while “intexticated.” About a year ago, he said, he almost got into a collision as he was text-messaging while driving. It was the type of close call, he said, that prompted him to do something a little more drastic than throw away his BlackBerry.

Mr. Sweeney, a Democrat from Gloucester County, co-sponsored a bill that prohibited text-messaging or sending an electronic message while driving. It was signed into law Nov. 2 and went into effect March 1.

This law makes New Jersey the second state to ban simultaneous texting and driving; Washington state was first in the nation to ban the dangerous practice.

The Low-Tech Times previously reported that Virginia and Maryland were proposing bans.  The Low-Tech Times has also learned that Tennessee may also enact a ban soon, according an article by the Tennessean’s Bonna Johnson.

The Low-Tech Times fully supports measures that discourage this unnecessary and unsafe practice. What’s going on in your state?

While recently visiting my wife’s parents in Tennessee, we had a good conversation over dinner about rude cell phone behaviors.   My top four are:

1. While Driving–This really goes beyond rudeness to the point of endangering other motorists when people talk on their cell phones while carelessly driving between lanes.  I’ve also encountered drivers talking on their cell phones who drive much below the speed limit.
2. In Meetings–Cell phones going off during business meetings are very annoying distractions.
3. In Movie Theatres–People with cell phones going off in a movie theater show a serious lack of consideration for others.
4. In Line at the Grocery Store–I’m not sure why this bothers me so much because I do not mind people having a real, face-to-face conversation while standing in line.  For some reason, though, I get annoyed when people are talking on their cell phones in line.

What else did I leave out?

Prisoners in a work-release program helped out Prince William County last week by constructing a Civil War-style fence at the Ben Lomond House.

The wood used for the fence is black locust, which is a rot-resistent and long-lasting wood.  Site manager M. Riley expects the fence to last for several decades.