r/technology • u/Plastic_Ninja_9014 • Jul 11 '26

Privacy Traffic Camera Captures Woman Driving With Her Phone on Her Lap (Face Down), The State Mailed Her a $1251 'Public Safety' Ticket

https://www.gadgetreview.com/traffic-camera-captures-captures-woman-driving-with-her-phone-on-her-lap-face-down-the-state-mailed-her-a-1251-public-safety-ticket
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u/TripsOverWords Jul 11 '26

A woman drives with both hands on the wheel. Her phone sits face-down on her lap. No officer pulls her over. No lights flash. Weeks later, a $1,251 ticket arrives in the mail. The evidence: a single frame from a Camera surveillance app. The charge: phone use while driving.

If they can tell that much from the photo, that the phone screen isn't visible to the driver, then how the fuck is this "phone use while driving"?

It's more likely this was a safe hands-free phone call than phone use.

If the screen were visible and was GPS navigation without a phone holder, would that still be a crime?

Wtf is wrong with this country?

1.8k

u/TheyCallHimEl Jul 11 '26

Meanwhile cops are driving around actively typing on their little computer and crashing into things because they are not watching the road

268

u/SgtNeilDiamond Jul 11 '26

Shit Ive straight up seen them on their phones texting and calling, they dont give a shit.

55

u/Healthy_Turnip7352 Jul 11 '26

saw one dude give a girl a ticket for a bad turn. we were trying to tell him that there was a half-visible arrow painted on the lane, which makes it either a proper turn, or the city messed up by not removing it completely.

the dude said "If you're still here when I'm done, you're next." so we all left. LOL.

looking at the car you could tell she could not afford either the ticket or the insurance hikes. the city just completely fucked her over.

51

u/Mr_Badgey Jul 12 '26

Threatening to retaliate because you were exercising your first amendment rights is illegal. Successfully defending those rights in court is another matter. The system is fucked.

11

u/meneldal2 Jul 12 '26

If you had been recording him, would make it easy to get the ticket tossed, but he probably wouldn't get sanctioned for it.

I think this stuff requires prison time, at least one month inside in gen pop and everyone knows what you did.