While most people may not be able to quote the precise wording of the Bill of Rights, they will still be able to tell you what rights they have..
Some of these rights have been limited, for reasons of safety, such as the Supreme Court having ruled that you may NOT yell “FIRE” in a crowded theater if there is NO FIRE. You may have the right, with permit, to carry a concealed weapon, though most states will prohibit the carrying of weapons in certain locations… and example is if I have a Concealed Weapons Permit that does not mean that I can carry it through the Airport.
Some people seem to think that their rights are more valuable than yours. An example of this would be the guy who complained to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that, while he was sitting on his Harley and listening to his music, he was given a ticket for a noise violation. I can almost sympathize with the man… Imagine how loud your music would have to be, if you were sitting on a Harley, for you to hear it over the engine noise. So what if those people in their cars can not hear their radios over the sound of your radio, you have YOUR rights!
Some years ago, when I was still working Security I had a young co-worker tell me about an experience he had. He was driving his Camero on US-41 when he happened to notice a white colored vehicle behind him with rotating red and blue lights. Once he noticed the lights he started to pay attention, and heard the faint sound of a siren. It wasn’t even a patrol vehicle, it was one of those support, or supervisor units. Once the kid was pulled over the Deputy explained that the sound from his speakers was drowning out the sound of the officers radio INSIDE his vehicle. The Deputy had planned to just pull him over and give him a warning. But once it became clear that the kid could not hear the siren blast the Deputy turned on the whole shebang and then had to follow the kid for at least a mile with lights and siren before the kid noticed him there… He got a ticket. There are plenty of times when, as your are driving, you must be able to hear what is going on around you in traffic. Times when sounds from outside your vehicle could warn you of danger, such as a siren of an emergency vehicle trying to pass through an intersection. Who wants their first warning sign to be when they look up to see that big red truck getting ready to T-bone their car?
There are too many danger in life as it is. Lets look at people who text on the phones while driving. Think about how quickly traffic conditions can change, and then think about looking at your phone as you punch in you text message. Consider how much of you concentration is focused on that text message rather then where you are going, and you can understand why pedestrians have walked out in front of traffic and become roadkill. One of the laws that Nancy Detert, of Florida, has been trying to get passed for several years is a ban on textting while behind the wheel. In the 1970s, when the Sarasota Country Sheriffs Department was getting the computer units installed the their patrol units, the state had to exempt Law Enforcement vehicles from a law that said a video monitor, or TV, would not be positioned in a vehicle so that it could be seen by the driver. This was so that the driver would not divert his attention away from what he was doing, which was driving.
Most people will willingly refrain from activities that lessen their concentration, but others will insist their rights are more important and so will continue with this unsafe conduct. These are the people for which we write laws. Some people can use common sense, and others must follow laws.
So we need to be behind Nancy Detert and Senate Bill 416 to let out legislator know that if they can not do the right thing, then they should go home for good.
Thank you,
That Joe Guy.
Related articles
- Texting While Driving Ban Moves Forward In Tallahassee (miami.cbslocal.com)
- Drivers and Emergency Vehicles – I Just Don’t Understand (jottingsandwritings.wordpress.com)
- Ambulances at risk from road hogs (heraldsun.com.au)
That Joe Guy 
Bravo…
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I shall take a side to the “noise violation” issue. NO ONE has the right to inflict their way of life on others. Loud and (especially) obnoxious music (rap w/4-letter words) is not for my ears, and the inconsiderate a-hiole that runs his Obnoxious Jukebox through my neighborhood will get a complaint — and hopefully a ticket to remind him of my right to a peaceful existance! No one has the right to upset the peace and tranquility of the common ground. That is why GOD invented earphones (and/or headphones… your choice)! So that you can create your own deafness without harming others. It is the same thing as other public displays that are not allowed, and for good reason. If you think otherwise, then PLEASE — go on texting while driving. Hope you have a singular vehicle accident! Do you not understand that you might KILL someone with your carelessness?? Go ahead and try to hook up your cell phone and dial while driving…. (See Above.) And yes. Your inability to hear can compromise your safety as well as the safety of other you are driving with/slongside/in front of/behind of, etc. Common sense is no so common anymore, and this desire to create havoc through tooting your own horn (so to speak) is just another example of the lack of responsibility and respect in today’s society. So when you get your ticket (in many cities you easily will!), you only have yourself to blame. You are violating other people’s rights.
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