Police presence
 

I have made several round trips between Wolfeboro and Portsmouth during the past two weeks and I have noticed a very prominent police presence on the highway, both stationary and on patrol. I have no objection to this, but I just thought I'd toss it out as a fact to be aware of while traveling in the Lakes Region and Seacoast Area.

Could be the heavy sex trafficking Just revealed as being a threat to the lakes region along with the heroin epidemic and the rampant homelessness. Can't risk scaring away the tourist so more police on the roads to make everyone think they are safe.

One thing it is is annoying.. Whenever someone sees them on the side of the road the flow of traffic goes from 65mph to 25mph.. Yippe kiyay for increased traffic going into the peak travel season!

When someone needs them and they're not there people complain, When they're out in force showing presence people complain??? :confused:

Hopefully, they're out enforcing the illegal texting while driving. I drive a truck and sit up high, so I can see inside people's cars, and they are texting CONSTANTLY! It is an epidemic that is causing many,many accidents. Distracted driving causes more accidents than impaired driving, yet there seems to be little enforcement. If there is one thing that will make me retire early, it is the idiots on the roads who are ticking time bombs......

They're enforcing it, there was talks in threads a while back of a local lady being one of the first people bagged on that new law on her way to a different court case:laugh:. I do think they need to refine how they actually catch people, an officer saying I saw you on your phone to me isn't enough proof, I think that can get out of hand pretty quickly.

How is that any different than an officer saying I observed you speeding or I observed you go through that red light?

The sad fact is that many people are very poor drivers yet most people think that they are good drivers. Many people are not even aware they are doing anything wrong when they fail to signal a lane change, or signal a turn, or fail to yield the right of way when they enter a highway.

It seems to me that the quality of drivers has gone down hill over the last 30 years or so. The accident and fatality statistics do not support that because vehicles are much safer now than they were in the past and that fact has saved many poor drivers from themselves.

simple
 

I assume the technology exist to block a text while a car is in motion. While being an inconvenience to all, I think it would help a lot

Not So Simple
 

What if the passenger wants to text while the car is in motion?

Like me saying I observed you doing something illegal. Do you take that to the bank? If there isn't a device measuring the speed how can you definitively say someone is speeding.

I as an officer could look in your car as you drive by and see you eating a breakfast sand which and mistake it for a cellphone. Do you deserve to get a texting ticket for distracted driving for eating and driving? Or when I approach your vehicle you telling me no sir its a bacon egg and cheese is OK

Live free or die. You don't need to wear a seat belt, wear a helmet on a bike, register your firearms or even hold US citizenship to collect, but you absolutely CANNOT use a cellphone while under way! yawnnn

SPT13 is right on the mark. Simply make all cell phone use in a moving vehicle a physical impossibility. Our society functioned nicely for centuries without the ability to talk/text at will. Because so many apparently lack sufficient maturity and judgment to wait until they're off the road to use the phone, engineering controls are absolutely the right solution.

What a draconian nanny-state kind of response.

I'd have no problem with that at all. Never happen though. I see plenty of people disregarding the NH law for hands free. Always in the back of mind when riding the bike.............

ABSOLUTELY!! Anyone not wearing a helmet or wearing their seat belt won't kill ME but they CAN kill me texting and driving!!!

Tough, it is really bad, it's unbelievable the number of drivers I see texting and driving, I have no problem with passengers not being about to text or surf to stop these idiots.

You ever take a bird to the head at 60mph? You not wearing a helmet and me driving behind you could certainly kill me. I think motorcycles are a totally different beast and I honestly shouldn't have used it as an example. I see more motorcyclist driving like idiots than texters sadly.

I just think someone saying "I think I thought I saw you" (trivia what song is that) have your cellphone in your hand as you went by me at 60mph while I sit in my charger at a stand still which is 6" lower than your car/truck is a stretch. I believe there is entire parts of the country and entire races of people in chaos because of cops vs citizens word cases...

And I'm actually one of those few people left who actually support the police. I don't dislike the law, like I said I think it needs to be refined how it is actually handled.

Rem
 

saw you cry

Proving it can actually be quite simple, especially if there is no passenger in the vehicle. I'm not sure about the NH law, but in many states, the police/courts are allowed to check the actual cell phone or phone company records for proof of texting or phone activity.

REM, Losing My Religion

We made the trek up yesterday to Moultonborough from roughly the same starting point and I noticed the same thing to the point of remarking about it to my wife. Saw 2 or 3 with people stopped on Rt. 16 and a few more between 16 and Moultonborough. On the way home we saw one hanging out off in the grassy area at the Alton traffic circle where Rt. 11 comes in. Happy Mother's Day, here's your ticket.

Good point. I see texting as distracting but what about any newer vehicles with an information center or computer in the center of your console. Pretty much any newer car in the past few years has one. Anything can be distracting from eating that Big Mac while driving too.

Yes you can use voice commands but I found myself starring at the screen to get the right climate control settings and the right radio station etc.. Lucky my wife was driving.

What about tuning a radio- or yappin to your friend in the next seat or yapping on your Cellphone even with a Blue tooth device.
I did not even mention the Navigation screen etc..too - and do not get me wrong I have a Ford SUV thats run of the mill not a BMW etc..

So-- I find it impossible to chew gum/talk on my blue tooth and drive effectively and safely, so I dont but many do....

Perhaps it's the Seat Belt Law?
 

Driving home yesterday, several of the portable info signs on 93 stated that last week into this week, I believe, NH would be enforcing seat belt laws. Additionally, between Exit 23 and Concord, I saw several LOCAL police cars on the lookout in the passage ways in the median.

Heads up...
 

Just a heads up for those who travel the bypass in Laconia/Gilford. They just completed some changes that will be perfect hiding spots for speed traps. The new hard top creates easy access to on/off ramps so they can get you coming or going. Below is a shot of exactly where they will be nesting soon. Keep it under 60 ;)

I saw those. What they heck is the purpose of those?

Perhaps if they would stop worry about what people were doing in the privacy of their own vehicle, they could focus on actual criminal activity. Maybe say the Heroin Crisis?? Just remember tickets equal revenue, revenue being the key word..

Exactly what it looks like. Notice how the cuts allow access to on and off ramps without a u-turn. It's a great place to run radar. Almost as easy pickings as the part of the bypass hill that ends at Lilly Pond. Downhill from 55 to 35. They can sit at the bottom and get you on either speed. I've been pulled over at least 5 times on the bypass...no tickets, all verbal warnings. I no longer speed on that road, so it works!

Not allowing passengers to use devices is ridiculous, many people now commute with 3 others so they can work while commuting, take turns driving. they passed the law, the more people that get caught the less will do it. When there insurance doubles maybe they'll learn.

Lilly Pond Turn
 

"Almost as easy pickings as the part of the bypass hill that ends at Lilly Pond. Downhill from 55 to 35. They can sit at the bottom and get you on either speed."

Yes, beware of that part of the bypass. I came cruising down that section headed to Gilford and was in a hurry. A long line of cars in front of me going as slow as can be. I'm yelling in my head what are you slowing down so quickly for its not a school zone then I look further down and right at the last turn, there are 2 police cars pointing their radar guns straight up the hill. I had Waze, they weren't on that app, and they were so far ahead of my line of sight I didn't notice them. Thank god for all of those cars I was yelling at, they saved me.

Is it a surchargable offense or just a pay this fine and thank you? Googled it but found nothing useful.

I also got pulled over right at that bypass spot doing 51mph last winter.. Officer gave me a verbal warning for doing 4 under the speed limit and I was on my way.

My texting app has an auto-reply feature when connected via Bluetooth. I'm assuming there are a bunch that work similarly.

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I saw those today and thought that they might be going to do work on the ramps and that those were going to be temporary access.

I don't think that law enforcement can do that without a warrant, which would apply in any state because that's a federal law... in this case, the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

As in, "You drive, I'll navigate", so the driver can be undistracted while driving while the passenger does the modern equivalent of map reading.

My wife and I do this all the time and it works very well.

so much for personal responsibility...

Fyi
 

They are rebuilding that bridge in between them , they are there to send traffic around construction

Correct:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140...party-doctrine

Enforcement - I was driving in Moultonborough last fall and was pulled over for "using my phone". The phone had been sitting on the seat, off, I had not touched it. I DID take a drink from my brown coffee mug and I DID pick up a piece of paper (to do list) to glance at it. The officer was insistent and accused me of lying. I was more indignant and asked him how he could possibly be sure of what I was doing and how I could even defend myself from a false charge like this (I looked into an app that displays on the lock screen the last time the system was used - no luck). In the end he let me go without a ticket.

I agree with the texting ban. It take too much visual and mental attention to text. My daughter totaled her boyfriend's truck and I strongly suspect she was texting when it happened. However, I use driving directions a lot and I do look at the screen to see how far to the next turn, whether it is a left or right, etc. I also look to see WHO sent me a text message and a quick glance to see the beginning of the message. I may be expecting an important message and if it comes in I want to pull over and deal with it. Phones and communication are very useful and in some cases, critical.

As to stricter enforcement like blocking text while driving, no thanks. I see women putting on makeup and turning around to interact with their kids in the back seat. I see guys shaving. I see people gesturing, sometimes with BOTH hands) and talking excitedly on their hands free calls. All these people are just as distracted. Maybe we should ban kids from cars unless there is a second adult in the car to "spot" them like for water skiing?

Personal responsibility and driver education is the answer and there are laws in place already for distracted and reckless driving.

Heard this on HEB driving in this morning. NH #2 in the country for speed traps.

Moultonboro neck has GOT to be up there. speed limit is 40 and if you go 50 (which is really easy to do) you have a very high risk of getting nailed. We live on Long Island so I see all the action and there's a cop looking for a speeder a very high % of the time-especially in season.

Driving away the tourest
 

The town supposedly addressed this last year and I thought the Chief was going to stop the speed traps , we are just driving people away with these tactics.
Perhaps time for the Chief to go

I've heard the sentiment of driving people away by police enforcement, and I'm not confident that's accurate. I can't ever remember avoiding someplace because of the police. In fact, I tend to gravitate towards places that are, for lack of a better term, orderly. For example, Hampton Beach has a higher police presence than ever before and, I think, it's in a great place--we love taking the kids there on Wednesday nights to watch the fireworks.

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....... buckle up NH week?
 

www.buckleupnh.org/

In case you were wondering, May 8 - 14 is buckle up NH week, and today is May 10, 2016!

But that's the point of the law. Those "eyes off the road" distractions are the problem. But as others have noted, even glancing at the radio can take too long, and I've been guilty of that (and I don't even have a cell phone). The distractions are endless, and in the end, individual discipline has to rule.

As for encouraging compliance with the cell phone/texting law, perhaps it just needs more teeth. The fine for being caught shouldn't be so cheap that people weigh the cost vs the chance of being caught. It ought to hurt, really hurt, be a real attention-getter, so that you just don't want to risk it. A very costly insurance surcharge on the first infraction and an even more costly second offense might make a dent in the problem. Or maybe not. Some folks just don't "get it." This isn't just a matter of "personal freedom." Your "eyes off the road" tendency might cost me my life. And I should be looking in the mirror when I say this, too.

How about having cell phone offenders spend a weekend picking up trash on our roadways? That would be a great way to clean up the disgusting roadways. If I were king I'd I have a lot of traffic violators working the roadways. Pay a $1,500 fine or spend 20 hours cleaning up the roads.

Speeding...
 

But there is still no NH seatbelt-wearing requirement, right?

:confused:

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Got a snort out of this one:

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...b6&oe=57D3913C

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The chief has definitely toned down enforcement and traps but he certainly cannot tell his officers to not do their jobs. 50 in a 40 will likely get attention. The outcome of the stop will likely be based on the rest of the interaction (being polite does not hurt)!

I bet someone has actually said this.......

Road rage is the new thing. More and more press on it, and see an incident almost every time I drive to/from work. The more safe they claim cars are, the more people want to push their limits.