# My hero: Man silences cell phones on Philadelphia bus **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773 "2012-03-05T02:27:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/101 "2012-03-06T21:08:16Z")
Oh, and the company changed its policy a week or two later when another contractor, whose daughter also got sick, threatened to sue. So yeah, it’s pretty serious. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/102 "2012-03-06T21:26:08Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Get off at the next stop and head back toward the school/hospital, for one thing. Give permission for medical treatment to begin for another. Start calling the medical insurance company to speed up admitance when they arrive at the hospital. . . talk to my child and let her know, Mommy’s on the way. . . > > It doesn’t matter what it is though, if they have an emergency, and can’t reach me, they have to call CPS. And that would be BAD. > [@MsRobyn](#): > > What you’re forgetting, or just didn’t know, is that parents or legal guardians have to make decisions on behalf of their minor children, and they have to give permission to treat. For example, the sprog’s school nurse has my permission to call his pediatrician or an ambulance, but I still have to give consent for the pediatrician or the ER doctor to treat him. Even if I’m on the bus, I can still do that by phone and sign the paperwork when I get there. And most important, I can be kept informed about what’s going on so there isn’t a lot of wasted time when I do get there. > > And before you write me (and **TruCelt** ) off as hysterical parents, being reachable can literally be a matter of life and death. Some years back, I was working as a contractor for a company that had a no-cell policy. The sprog got very, very sick at daycare and couldn’t get a hold of me because I didn’t have a phone on my desk and the person who answered the phone said that she had no idea who I was. The daycare finally got a hold of my mother-in-law, who sent me an e-mail to my company address (why we had e-mail addresses but no access to a telephone is beyond me). I had to use the pay phone to call my mother-in-law to tell her to take him to the ER, where I would meet them. It was two hours between the time the daycare first tried to call me and the time I got to the hospital. By this time, the sprog was running a temp of around 103 and rising, and he was not doing well. Had I been directly reachable, I could have been there in 30 minutes versus two hours. I went out and got a pager the next day; if the company didn’t like it, too damn bad. My son’s – or any human being’s – life is worth more than your peace and quiet. Ok, point taken. I probably wouldn’t be a good parent, that’s why I will only become one accidently ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/103 "2012-03-06T21:36:58Z")
What’s so annoying about cell phones, anyway? Way back before cell phones, people talked to other people sitting next to them on the bus, too. Was that annoying? As long as the driver’s not one of the ones doing it, what’s the harm? It really is possible to just ignore people, you know. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/104 "2012-03-06T21:41:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What’s so annoying about cell phones, anyway? Way back before cell phones, people talked to other people sitting next to them on the bus, too. Was that annoying? As long as the driver’s not one of the ones doing it, what’s the harm? It really is possible to just ignore people, you know. That’s been asked and answered several times in this thread already. But I agree with **Hilarity** , it’s not so bad if the person is talking in hushed tones. I think that a lot of people still think that they can hear the other party better if they themselves yell. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/105 "2012-03-06T22:02:34Z")
It occurred to me that cell phone use in cars can be stopped without pissing off the FCC. A sensor in the car could detect a cell phone signal and sound an annoying alarm like the seatbelt does. After two minutes the horn would start blaring. The cell phone signal is never blocked and that keeps the FCC happy. Sounds extreme? Just last month this college coed was texting and updating Facebook on a trip home. 80 mph and her head is looking at that damn phone. A text every 90 seconds according to her phone records. I’m just glad she didn’t kill anyone but herself. Google accident cell phone Cops can’t stop this because there’s no evidence of a crime unless they catch you driving and talking/texting. > [@](#): > > At the time, Sauer was driving 80 mph from the Utah State University campus in Logan to visit her folks in Caldwell, Idaho, and was passing the time on the four-hour drive by messaging her friend about the Denver Broncos, according to [MSNBC.com](http://MSNBC.com) > [@](#): > > She was killed instantly; investigators saw no signs that she applied the brakes before the fatal crash. And in checking her cell phone records, they learned Sauer was posting about every 90 seconds during her drive. [http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46627015/ns/today-today\_people/t/parents-teen-who-died-texting-driving-kids-think-theyre-invincible/#.T1aJq3md1K0](http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46627015/ns/today-today_people/t/parents-teen-who-died-texting-driving-kids-think-theyre-invincible/#.T1aJq3md1K0) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/106 "2012-03-06T22:05:26Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Sounds extreme? It _is_ extreme. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/107 "2012-03-06T22:21:32Z")
Normally I’d be the last person to argue for more Nanny state rules. I never agreed with seat belt laws. I wear one myself. If others don’t then its their risk and life. Motorcycle helmets laws are the same deal. Cell phone use while driving endangers me and people I care about. I don’t want to get rear ended by a stupid girl texting her friends while she’s driving 80 mph. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/108 "2012-03-06T22:48:56Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Normally I’d be the last person to argue for more Nanny state rules. I never agreed with seat belt laws. I wear one myself. If others don’t then its their risk and life. Motorcycle helmets laws are the same deal. > > Cell phone use while driving endangers me and people I care about. I don’t want to get rear ended by a stupid girl texting her friends while she’s driving 80 mph. What would your proposal accomplish, exactly? ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/109 "2012-03-06T22:58:13Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Normally I’d be the last person to argue for more Nanny state rules. I never agreed with seat belt laws. I wear one myself. If others don’t then its their risk and life. Motorcycle helmets laws are the same deal. > > Cell phone use while driving endangers me and people I care about. I don’t want to get rear ended by a stupid girl texting her friends while she’s driving 80 mph. I looked into this and discovered there is a lot of anecdotes like yours and no hard evidence. What you should demand is that fatal accident investigations should always pull the driver’s cell phone records and see it the phone was in use when the accident occurred. Then you might have have some evidence instead of scare stories in the media. It would make sense to require breathalyzers in cars, since we can actually document the 12,000 people a year killed by drunk drivers. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/110 "2012-03-06T23:06:51Z")
Well, as others said, the FCC would never allow jamming signals in cars. Seat belt buzzers annoy people enough that it encourages people to wear them. An annoying buzzer alarm triggered by cell phone use should have a similar effect. Add in a car horn that blares every 20 seconds and that should discourage most cell phone texters. The horn would also attract the cops interest too. There really isn’t a perfect solution. Cell phone’s are needed and will always be around. Its a shame the actions of a few idiots endangers the rest of us. > [@MsRobyn](#): > > What would your proposal accomplish, exactly? ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/111 "2012-03-06T23:30:29Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Normally I’d be the last person to argue for more Nanny state rules. I never agreed with seat belt laws. I wear one myself. If others don’t then its their risk and life. Motorcycle helmets laws are the same deal. > > Cell phone use while driving endangers me and people I care about. I don’t want to get rear ended by a stupid girl texting her friends while she’s driving 80 mph. I looked into this and discovered there is a lot of anecdotes like yours and no hard evidence. What you should demand is that fatal accident investigations should always pull the driver’s cell phone records and see it the phone was in use when the accident occurred. Then you might have have some evidence instead of scare stories in the media. It would make more sense to require breathalyzers in cars, since we can actually document the 12,000 people a year killed by drunk drivers. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/112 "2012-03-06T23:45:50Z")
I agree more study is needed. They should always check the cell phone records after an accident. Also check cell phone usage for any driver ticketed for extreme speeding or reckless driving. That data is needed to fully study this issue. My state has laws that can be enforced. I’m not sure if cell phone records can be used later in court. It would certainly help convictions if they could be used. > [@](#): > > Cell Phone Use > > Drivers 18 to 20 are banned from handheld cell phone use. Novice drivers in Arkansas - drivers younger than 18 – are banned from all cell phone use while driving (handheld and hands-free). > Texting > > All drivers are banned from texting while driving. > **[Arkansas’s Cell Phone-Use & Texting-While-Driving Laws](https://www.drivinglaws.org/arkansas.php)** > > Arkansas's distracted driving laws for cell phone use and texting and fines you'll face for a texting or cell phone ticket ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/113 "2012-03-07T00:35:24Z")
I voted ‘maybe’ but I probably wouldn’t. There have been times, though, when I’ve felt like grabbing some loudmouth’s mobile and chucking it out the window. None of which would be necessary, of coure, if people weren’t such selfish arseholes. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/114 "2012-03-07T05:36:08Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > My state has laws that can be enforced. I’m not sure if cell phone records can be used later in court. It would certainly help convictions if they could be used. Cell phone records get used all the time in criminal cases, so I would think the only question is whether the timestamp is accurate enough to determine if the driver was making a call when the accident occurred. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/115 "2012-03-07T07:20:41Z")
I voted yes, definitely. I also would spray paint any other car that is red to the color blue because I do not like the color red. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/116 "2012-03-07T07:59:27Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > This is my concern, what if such a device interfered with the train conductor’s radio (or whatever they use now to communicate with the dispatcher)? In most of Spain, cellphones, same as cabbies. Accident investigations here (no need to be fatal, any involving a serious injury) do involve getting phone records. I remember an intercity bus where the phone the driver used to talk with Central had rung just as he entered a dangerous curve (22 dead including both drivers). You can use cellphones here if they’re “hands-free”. ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/117 "2012-03-07T13:39:21Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > What you should demand is that fatal accident investigations should always pull the driver’s cell phone records and see it the phone was in use when the accident occurred. Then you might have have some evidence instead of scare stories in the media. I agree with this. However, there is another point of consideration; people like myself stream music from my phone through the car speakers on a growing basis. I’m not actively using my phone (meaning I’m not forwarding my attention, it’s set and forget), but it would be tricky to make the distinction, since data is constantly active. There is no simple solution to the problem, but there needs to be a bigger push for driver education and some way to turn around the idea that driving is a passive activity. I know it’s anecdotal, but I was listening to the radio a while back, where the host and callers were expressing the opportunity to multitask while driving, because there exist a lot of “downtime” where they can get other things done. That’s pretty crazy. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/118 "2012-03-07T14:03:20Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > As an aside, something I always find funny in any thread complaining about cellphones is you usually hear from someone saying, “yeah I agree cell phones suck but you really need them so someone can get in touch with you in an emergency!” > > I remember most of my life people didn’t have cell phones and we still seemed to handle emergencies pretty well. And back in the day you kept hearing stories of “And we tried to reach Uncle Fester for days so he could gt to Morticias deathbed, but we couldn’t reach him and she died before he could say goodbye” or “If only we could have reached Gomez in time to learn that Morticia had a deathly allergy to Sodium Pentathol so she died during the emergency operation to remove \” or “I tried to get you, the perfect job was open but when I couldn’t get you in to speak with Fred he hired his hairdresser’s third cousins brother” If I was riding a bus, and you prevented me from getting news that my Mom was in hospital and on her deathbed and that I had a limited tome to reach her, and you caused me to miss it, I would literally probably hire someone to kick the living shit out of you and put you in hospital if I couldn’t sue you. You simply do not keep people from communicating just because you are tired of them using cell phones. Get a set of noise cancelling headphones or earplugs and learn to deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![Clark\_Cello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Clark\_Cello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_Cello)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/119 "2012-03-07T14:50:00Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > It occurred to me that cell phone use in cars can be stopped without pissing off the FCC. > > A sensor in the car could detect a cell phone signal and sound an annoying alarm like the seatbelt does. After two minutes the horn would start blaring. The cell phone signal is never blocked and that keeps the FCC happy. > > Sounds extreme? Just last month this college coed was texting and updating Facebook on a trip home. 80 mph and her head is looking at that damn phone. A text every 90 seconds according to her phone records. I’m just glad she didn’t kill anyone but herself. > > Google accident cell phone > > Cops can’t stop this because there’s no evidence of a crime unless they catch you driving and talking/texting. > > [http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46627015/ns/today-today\_people/t/parents-teen-who-died-texting-driving-kids-think-theyre-invincible/#.T1aJq3md1K0](http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46627015/ns/today-today_people/t/parents-teen-who-died-texting-driving-kids-think-theyre-invincible/#.T1aJq3md1K0) So no one in the car is allowed to use a phone? ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/120 "2012-03-07T15:12:10Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Well, as others said, the FCC would never allow jamming signals in cars. > > Seat belt buzzers annoy people enough that it encourages people to wear them. An annoying buzzer alarm triggered by cell phone use should have a similar effect. Add in a car horn that blares every 20 seconds and that should discourage most cell phone texters. The horn would also attract the cops interest too. > > There really isn’t a perfect solution. Cell phone’s are needed and will always be around. Its a shame the actions of a few idiots endangers the rest of us. I can actually see your solution being at least somewhat dangerous because people will learn to ignore the noise, or they will figure out a way to disable the system entirely, which isn’t that hard to do. Either way, you’re back to square one, only now, you’ve got people with safety systems that don’t work. If you don’t disable the horn correctly, you can affect the airbag system, and even if you do disable the horn correctly, you’ve got no warning device if, say, someone’s about to back in to you or you’re about to hit someone else. Even if the horn isn’t disabled, the sudden noise from the horn may be enough to startle some drivers enough to get into an accident. Since that’s what you’re trying to prevent in the first place, your idea seems counterproductive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773.md?page=7)