New Jersey's revised cell phone law

Hey! What about the weat coast sewers!

 

Oh, for crying out loud, GET OVER IT! There may be more to New Jersey than just the turnpike and Route 17, BUT NOT MUCH! And this is coming from a resident of TAXACHUSETTS!! So there....

 

Oh, "JoySee!! Or, more aptly, for those that live there: See Joy. Especially in this new maneuver to extract monies for the proletariat.

Well, I seem to recall now a friend from Joy See saying that another friend's real estate tax on his $125,000 NJ abode was $13,000 per year. Now, I would bet that even in Taxachusetts, the taxes aren't that bad. A "Joy to See."

There is one good thing that came down South from JoySee, though. Jersey Mike's Subs. Great sandwiches.

All kidding aside, NJ hams have my sympathy with respect to this written monster.

If I were a ham in NJ, I'd darn well make sure that if I wanted to mobile it, I'd have call plates. Then, if the cop stops you, he doesn't have to grill you for proof of your license.

 

First the good news, I moved out of New Jersey when I was 6 years old.
The bad news. I moved to the Peoples Republic of Maryland.
O'Malley won't outlaw cellphones, He will just tax them.

 

In New York City it is illeagal to talk on a cell phone or text message while crossing the street. You must put the call on hold before you can cross the street anymore. Talk about going a bit far.

 

Hi Folks,

As a Former Residentand Member of the NJ Law Enforcement community, Please keep in mind this was a direct result of the Ignorant, Morons who drove like you did not matter. The Soccer mom with 5 screaming brats who is calling ahead for Pizza, The SOB from NYC or North Jersey, Cell in one hand, the NY post in the other, steering with his knee, trying to get to the Summer house in Barnegat on the GSP at 80 MPH.the Kid who gabs on the phone, Stomping the foot down for the 9 feet that the traffic just moved who slams into the Soccar mom, who in turn hits GAbby in his Beemer- They all SUE. YOU LOSE.

As tight as traffic, space and tempers are stretched along the roads in NJ, It's no wonder the socialist Govenor and imbeciles from the State senate and house went too far again. Stopping to use the cellphone is grweat, Get the jerk off the road while he is on the phone is brilliant, But the 2 way radios are not anything like these dorks. What I CAN tell you is, the Police in NJ will not bother a HAM. If you are Out of state, or otherwise. It really does make any sense to. IF the driver is trying to get that "Official look" to his car: You know the One- Acronym signs of all descriptions- Cops know what that deal is. YOU WILL BE CHECKED OUT, On the air or not.

But Resident or passing through? If you are minding your own affairs, Stayingwithin the reasonable expectation of Speed limits(Within 6 mph) and not trying to act like you are something you are not- 99% of the LEO's in the State would not give you a second glace.

I left NJ due to the incredible taxes, the NJ Democrats were Ruining the things that made the Jersey coast my home since my first day. We went from 7000 a year in Property taxes, Where my town's Code enforcement officer would give someone a bad time for having a boat on the Driveway, Or putting up a 30 ft. Mast on the side of the garage for their VHF radio, His wife could hear when he approached in the boat. To a 6 ac Farm like area, NO NEIGHBORS,,No Problems with ANY antenna stuff, and 750 dollars a year in taxes.

This is a Lesson to us ALL: If you don't stand up to the very people you trusted to do the rightthing for you in the congress of your state or the nation, Wewill ALWAYS be on the losing end of these situations. WRITE/CALL/FAX your LAwmakers. Tell them you disagree. tell them you'll support a candidate who WILL support your needs and interests if they wont.

 

Very well said. And, I apologize for offending folks for my cajolling of the Brooklynized pronunciation of NJ.

Laws, such as the one in question, are passed due to the failure of people to act responsibly. Harming others in the process. There is no city or Interstate freeway in our great country where you won't see what you've described: the distracted driver doing multitasks while "wasting" time driving their vehicles.

And, add to that overzealous insurance companies that want to eliminate all risks of a claim on top of that. They are probably involved in adding "no two way radios" to the law. If DWD is the issue, why not ban smoking in vehicles?

The smoker, who lights up, gets a cell call, and has a manual-shift transmission. That's the example I like to think about. My neighbor who just nailed her new Edge SUV by rear-ending the car in front of her fits that description.....

The situation you describe, with respect to over-zealous government, fits a lot of places. I see from your header that you've found relief in Georgia. We found relief in Alabama. California, where we once resided, wasn't half bad. Oh, yeah, they taxed you up the wazoo as well. Mostly income tax, but property taxes were moving on up. But, 1.25% wasn't bad.

Then, we moved to Florida. Ouch. Almost 2.5% per year property tax, every other kind of tax BUT income tax, but carefully hidden from view. Our insurance on our home just about tripled, and the home was worth about 25% of what our home in CA was. Auto insurance tripled. Why? Hidden state taxes on insurance companies. Our taxes here in Alabama are about one third what they were in Florida on our home. And, its worth about 30%more than our Florida home was.

And when you folks vacation in FL and arrive on a flight and rent a car, you'll get your first Florida welcome: A 25% tax on rental cars at the airport. Of course, if you're a resident or walk in to a downtown car rental location and aren't picked up at the airport, that doesn't apply.

Soon after our move to Florida in mid 2000, along came the city and county code enforcement folks. You can't have an outside structure higher than 32 feet above the crown of the road. You have to have your "backflow preventer" on your water service tested annually ($50 for the certificate). Sound familiar? If the county wasn't bad enough, along came home owner associations empowered by codes and ordinances to enforce county and their own code-like CC&Rs. I couldn't replace the shrubs in my yard without getting an OK. Some even said you can't display anything, including flags. Oh, well, a few courageous hangers of Old Glory took them to court and won. Finally.

We love it here in Alabama. You can choose many places to live here in this state with minimal restrictions on what you can and cannot do with your property. And, the best part: Taxes are realistic and affordable. Not to the point of forcing people off their land for the inability to pay property taxes.

That's not true in Florida or New Jersey.

 

Ha. Well, glad that whackers are stopped and checked out in NJ. I saw several in FL while we lived there, and one at a recent hamfest here in AL.

Bought that surplus Crown Vic and put VHF/UHF antennas all over it, dark tinted glass, the whole gambit.

 

I think banning cell phones while driving is a great thing.
I can't tell you how many times I have avoided accidents because some idiot was blabbing away.
Mythbusters proved that cell phone drivers are distracted and cause more problems than people who don't. It is as equal as drunk driving.

That's what you get from a full duplexing technology but using a ham and having to PTT the mic and driving is A LOT different and safer.

 

Why is everyone saying that NJ is banning cell phone use in cars, it isn't.

Lot of bitter people here also.

I'm pretty sure NJ has the no-fault thing going on, does that not work anymore?

 

Cell phone laws in jersey

Apparently K5CO you didn't read my paragraph earlier in the replies. So if you can't use a hands free device to talk on your phone, then you can't talk to a passenger, right? It's the same thing no matter how you slice it. Talking in person, or on a radio or a hands free device is the same. Your attention is divided, and your not fully focused on your driving. No one, I mean no one can tel me or anyone else that they have driven a motor vehicle down the road, with maybe the exception of a motorcycle, and not talked. What is the Difference? Give me the difference because I don't see it. I challenge anyone to this one especially K5CO who has the nerve to call his fellow citizens STUPID! I resent that remark, as I am an 18 wheeler driver, and I have yet to allow my communication on hands free devices, or radios interfere with my handling an 18 wheeler. I practice safe following distances, and am constantly watching the 6 sides to my vehicle. Yes there are 6 sides for those of you squinting, and looking oddly at this post. Top Bottom left right front and back. No you can't see the top and bottom and front and back, but you can watch for dangers that could invade that space. that's what we drivers have to do. Most of the, and I say MOST, drivers will pay attention to the driving while communicating, and if in heavy traffic will hang up, or pause the conversation while maneuvering. Oh yes there are those who hold those phones in their hands, and there are those who hold the microphones, and whether it be a 2, 4, 6, or even an 18 wheeler or more, (Michigan trailers have more axles) we all have done or still do. One can do it safely with hands free devices if they use their experience and common sense. Accidents do happen, and they do happen to folks who are distracted by the use of Cell phones and radio devices. Those are your individuals who, by the way, are NOT STUPID! They are Ignorant. Ignorant means, "Without knowledge", in the dictionary you can find this definition. We as individuals who are educated and experienced enough to know the hazards need to educate those who don't know and understand that using your Phone or radio while driving is potentially dangerous if you use it improper. While driving, if your in heavy traffic or inclimate weather, then by all means hang up the phone or the microphone. If you coming to a scheduled stop shortly tell your party or radio contact that you have to go. If they can't allow that, then they have no respect for your safety, and don't talk to them again....LOL I have many driver friends who converse with me on my cell while using hands free kits, and we practice safe communication. Exit coming up? Hey man gotta go I got 2 miles to my get off. CLICK. Hey man traffic is stopped ahead of me, will call ya later. CLICK. It's called COMMON SENSE. NOT STUPIDITY!!!!! So retract your statement like a grown up, and stop calling your fellow man STUPID!!!!!!

Lastly I wanna say that because of the poor souls who have been killed or injured in accidents concerning the use of Mobile devices or radios, we now are faced with these laws. It's not stupidity. It's safety. Jersey sux. I have to admit that. It's another world. If you have ever been there in a 4 wheeler then you know. If you have never driven an 18 wheeler there or anywhere. Well good for you. You really and truly don't want to experience that. EVERY STATE IN THE US SHOULD MAKE EVERYONE PASS A SMALL QUESTION TEST UNDERSTANDING THE VEHICLES WE DRIVERS DRIVE! been saying that for years. the average every day 4 wheeler drive knows nothing about that truck except for it's slow and big. It's a cannon awaiting to go off, and if you cut one off or ride in the blind spots, you have grabbed the rip cord ready to yank it. If you don't pull hard enough for it to explode, then you got lucky, but if you pull that cord, well... I pray for you. Ok, this isn't about driving...

73's all

KB3AFZ

 

Not the actual text of laws but a compilation of the states and how they
are written: http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html.

I lived in NJ up until 1988 and we had very few issues with people with
microphones in their hands...I think it is just the dumbing down of Americans
in general! Multitasking my .....

 

Revised Cell Phone Law

I don't want to offend anyone from N.J./N.Y., but I grew up in CT., which for all intents and purposes, began to absorb the "socialist" culture of its neighbors to the immediate south. I left the area many years ago for the very reason that many of you are referring to. (Hillary fits right in there!) Anyhow, around 20 years ago, I summoned an ambulance to the scene of a car accident, while traveling through the "garbage state." Wouldn't you know, a moron cop threatened to arrest me for being in possession of my 2-meter radio, because it had public service receive only capabilities? If a N.J. cop stops you while innocently excercising your right to operate your amateur rig, I can almost guarantee that they will ticket you, search your vehicle, and then some! To add insult to injury, it is almost 100% certain that the courts and the D.A., will refuse to recognize your Federally protected rights, appropriated by the FCC. This alone is the very reason that we all need to get off our butts and vote to remove these socialist and manipulative politicians from office, and/or prevent their proliferation.

 

NJ Cell Phone Law

Quote: "I don't want to offend anyone from N.J./N.Y... but I grew up in CT., which for all intents and purposes, began to absorb the "socialist" culture of its neighbors to the immediate south.... To add insult to injury, it is almost 100% certain that the courts and the D.A., will refuse to recognize your Federally protected rights, appropriated by the FCC".



I find it fascinating how The Right has traditionally screamed and hollered about “States' Rights”. But when their personal interests are curtailed by a state, they run screaming for protection from “Mama Federal Government”. I think that’s a little hypocritical, isn’t it? And by the way, the same federal government enforces the wearing of seat belts in commercial aviation. See what happens to you if you challenge that! And how about safety glasses or warning vests on the job. Is it your "right" to refuse to use them too? What would be your reaction if surgeons decided they didn't want to scrub-up before an operation? It starts getting silly, just to prove the point.

The fact is, operating a ham station is not a legal “right” but a licensed “privilege”, subject to conditions. As has been pointed out before, this is an issue of driving safety and not of the authority of the FCC to license amateurs. The law is clear: motor vehicle regulation is delegated to the states and not the federal government. And more and more states, as well as other countries, are saying “no” to cell-phoning and driving. As someone else also pointed out, serious research has proved that using hands-on cell phones while driving is even more dangerous than driving under the [excessive] influence of alcohol. Most of us agree that driving under the influence of alcohol [above a certain set limit] is dangerous. So what's the difference?

I’m not against alcohol, nor cell phones. But I am against using cell phones the way I’ve seen them used on the heavily-congested, high-speed roads in New Jersey and elsewhere. I, myself, have used a cell phone while driving in NJ, and had several near misses. So I don't do it any more. We are no longer in the age of the horse and carriage. The population of New Jersey and other regions has skyrocketed - in fact, the state is overpopulated, and the lifestyle has become fast-paced and over-stressed.

Let's stop obcessing over "personal rights” and start thinking of other people. You can call it "socialism" or "liberalism", but I call it just plain human decency - compassion - the basis of every Sunday sermon. Do you honestly believe that elected officials really sit around all day just thinking of ways to spoil your egocentric notion of fun? You probably really do believe that. But in reality, they are elected to address issues that concern the well-being of their collective, respective populations and constituants. That's the way a federalistic democracy works. This is what is meant by those old-fashioned terms “The Common Good” and “The General Welfare”, which are clearly expressed in that raving, Left-wing, wacko manifesto known as The Constitution of the United States, first published in 1787, and borrowed from the teachings of the ancient Greek and Roman wackos who gave us philosophy and the first republic, not to mention Jesus and some other "pinkos" of his time. (Sorry Limbaugh, you've got it all wrong. But who cares about the truth, when you're laughing all the way to your bank. Ignorance is bliss, and you capitalize on it).

There is clear evidence, collected worldwide, that it's dangerous to operate cell-phones while driving in congested areas. And the elected officials have acted accordingly. That's their job. If you don't like the reality of life in New Jersey, then you're free to move elsewhere.

By the way and for what it's worth, here in Europe and many other countries, *hands-free* [headset] cell phone use in motor vehicles is permitted. The same applies to ham radio operation in motor vehicles. I can live with that.

Bob HB9ASQ / WA2UPQ
Born and raised in NJ and proud of it