“The
general context is that the use of cell phones while driving is a major
international problem especially driving and texting because driving and
texting is shown to be just as dangerous as driving and drinking”
Vice-Chairman and Convener
of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), Dr Lucien Jones, commenting on the
coming amendments to the Road Traffic Act
It
was expected as predicted in my blog article
entitled “New
Road Traffic Act will include Licensing Driving Schools and Cellphone Bans -
Beware Motorists in Turbo mode of the coming Automated Traffic Ticketing System”
and it’s now here officially!
The
Ministry of Transport and Works and the NRSC (National Road Safety Council) is
gung-ho about coming amendments to the Road Traffic Act that will ban the use
of electronic communication devices while driving as stated in the article “Government
to ban use of cell phones while driving”, Published Saturday June 21, 2014
by Sheldon Williams, Staff Reporter, The
Jamaica Gleaner.
This
was originally promised in July 2013 by Minister without portfolio in the
Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, Dr Morais Guy, but it wasn’t
implemented in that year.
In
plain English, you'll be unable to use your:
1.
Cellphones
2.
Phablets
3.
Tablets
The
amendment to the Road Traffic Act applies to Section 125 (1) will read as thus:
Subject
to subsection (3), a person shall not drive or operate a Motor Vehicle on a
road while using an electronic device whether by holding in one hand or both
hands or with any other part of the body or otherwise unless the electronic
device is:
a) Attached
to the Motor Vehicle, or a fixture in the Vehicle and remains affixed while
being used;
b) Specially
adapted or designed to be affixed to the person of the driver as a hands-free
device
Road Traffic Act
Amendment – Apple CarPlay possibly legal as it’s talking to Siri Voice
Assistant
This
is all well and good and responsible motorists in Jamaica should have no
problem with this. Even Hands-free should be banned, as the human mind can’t
process multiple things simultaneously, especially driving.
The
act of driving requires both eyes and hands to be on the steering wheel.
Driving engages the following senses:
1.
Hearing
2.
Vision
3.
Touch
Taste
and Smell, which are really the same sense but different organs, only become
engages within the Vehicle or in the case the window is rolled down. Otherwise
your brain is processing data from the above three (3). Thus any form of
distraction inside of the Vehicle will impair your judgment of the Road
conditions, hence the impending Ban.
Not
sure if this ban would apply to new Vehicles packing Apple CarPlay as described
in my blog
article entitled “Apple
to launch CarPlay at Geneva Auto Show in Geneva, Switzerland - Siri Voice
Assistant and Primesense bring Hands-free Remote Control Revolution to The
Grand Budapest Hotel”.
This
as Apple CarPlay uses Voice Commands based on Siri Voice Assistant and thus
could be legal, since only your mouth in moving and you don’t have to avert
your gaze from the road just to tell your Apple iPhone to play a song.
Automated Traffic Ticketing
System – Enforcement necessary as Legislation needs Teeth
Hopefully
too, enforcement will be in the form of HD (High Definition) CCTV Cameras
installed at Road Traffic Lights, enableing them with the capability to detect
cell phone usage. This would reduce incidences of Jamaican Police taking Bribes
from motorists and instead resort to directly ticketing of Motorists either via
deductions from their Bank Accounts or when they next have to renew their
Insurance, Fitness or Driver’s License.
They
should be able to take a picture of your license plate in order to introduce an
Automated Traffic Ticketing System as described in my blog
article entitled “GOJ
to upgrade NWA's CCTV Traffic Monitoring Network to give Police more eyes in
Private Places - The Da Vinci Code for Automated Traffic Ticketing System and
1984”.
Additionally,
the Points system would be used by the Jamaican Police using Blackberrys or
smartphones in conjunction with a Blackberry Law Enforcement Database to check Motor
Vehicle documentation and license plates as stated in “Traffic
cops turn to smartphones”, published Friday, June 21, 2013
by Balford Henry, The
Jamaica Observer.
These
are the very same “handheld units” that were being referred to in my blog
article entitled “Handheld
Traffic Ticketing Units for Jamaican Police a success but no Automated Traffic
Ticketing System - GOJ fears the All Seeing Eyes of CCTV”.
By
then Body Cameras should also be standard issue among Jamaican Police. Body
Cameras will act as both protection for Police Personnel as well as a Third
unbiased Eye for Video, Audio and Still image evidence of the events that
transpired as explained in my blog
article entitled “Min.
of National Security Peter Bunting plans to have Jamaican Police wear Body
Cameras - INDECOM ‘s eyes and Ears will make Video, Audio and Still Pictures
Admissible in Court”.
Ultimately,
an Automated Traffic Ticketing System is where this is all headed. All that is now needed is source the money within
the Budget to pay a Contractor to set up an Automated Traffic Ticketing System as
described in my blog
article entitled “NRSC
to reach 300 Road Traffic Fatalities in 2011AD – Contractor Mad Money for Automatic Traffic
Ticketing System”.
Road
Traffic Act Amendment is a good step. But Enforcement is necessary as
Legislation needs Teeth to make motorists change their driving habits!
No comments:
Post a Comment