It is as Bazz has highlighted, about death, blood and guts, under the car, a pedestrian run over by a texter, the family taken out by a phone in hand driver are our personal freedoms ever to be more important than the victims? blue tooth costs far less than an arm or leg left forever on the road

Belly, ultimately, like guns, it's not the guns or the phones, it's the people.
People have always been the problem.
You can make laws till the cows come home, but they're useless if they are not obeyed.
Now I don't, as a rule, obey the laws, as I don't believe in following a set of rules which insists on forcing people to do things a certain way, when it clearly does not apply or hinders ones performance.
There are things that must be adhered to, such as, driving on a road.
What a mess it would be if everyone drove on any side of the road or worse, down the middle of the road.
There is no doubt that texting is the enemy, because as far as I am concerned whether I am talking to someone in the car or on the phone, apart from the 'two hands on the wheel' mantra, there is no difference.
Now I can do these things because driving has been my life.
Where-as most people see driving as another chore and tedious or boring I have always enjoyed it.
I began as a child of approx 3-4 years old by sitting on my fathers lap and steering the car, as at the time we lived in the country which was a much more exciting lifestyle for a child.
I would obviously later drive around by myself on the property/farm, it was the norm in those days.
I slowly obtained every license available to mankind.
Even to the extent of a pilots license, and of course the fixed wing/rotary wing aircraft to go with them.
I can still legally drive a road train or a taxi or bus/coach for hire or reward.
Boat licenses did not exist back then so never bothered.
Now what I'm eluding to is, that with all my years and distance of driving, (been all over Australia at random times and places), I have NEVER had an ACCIDENT/INCIDENT or whatever you want to call it.
As long as people remain morons, people are going to die.
So get used to it.

ALTRAV,

A bit off topic, but in all your driving experience, how many times have you seen the broken line go around blind corners, over crests or through concealed dips that can hide an oncoming car?

I don't really want a figure as I'm sure that by now it's countless (rave over).

ALTRAV fine and yes agree, but re think your view, is it OK to drive a car drunk? do we just say get over it people are like that? now look again, as the parent brother sister father of a dead person,when I spoke about my road workers days it was on the then highway of death, a section of the Pacific highway that killed many every year,three times in one month four dead in one smash, another poster here knows that is true, I however went on every call back, to see first hand the carnage, it hurts still, we can fix this, current fine is over 400 in this state, make the second offense two years off the road and third life! subsidize the re fitting of every motor truck car what ever with blue tooth, by paying no rego that year,but fix it

Issy, I get your point.
Again people.
Even if there is no broken centre lines, how smart do you have to be to cross to the other side without knowing if it's safe to do so?
Belly, no they should not drive drunk.
I am making a social observation that most people are morons.
I do not mean at just driving.
Now I have to pick you up on one of your points.
I have written to the respective authorities about this issue previously.
On the question of removing someones license for DUI, especially when it was a random stop and blow, it is asinine of a judge to remove the persons license for such extreme lengths of time.
I have seen these guys lose their job, home, car and ultimately, their family.
This is insane, and I don't care for it.
If he had just killed someone DUI that's another matter.
MOST of the time they never recover from the results of their stupidity, and sometimes their suffering is far greater because no-one will console or support them, where-as the family has many people to lean on.
No my suggestion to these judges, by all means give them a hefty fine, much higher than currently.
Next, let him keep driving, with or without lock-out devices, but the benefit of this is, firstly he will get enough tough love from his wife who now will have to cut back on some luxuries, and secondly by retaining his license he will be able to continue his job, only work longer hours to make the money to pay the fine.
This will restrict his free time and definitely his disposable income to afford to buy any alcohol for some time.
He won't lose his job, his house his car, and most of all, his family.
My way he is still punished but at least his family and children, who did nothing wrong, will not be punished for far longer than the family of the deceased.
This is a much better way of handling DUI when no-one was injured or killed.

ALTRAV,

"Even if there is no broken centre lines, how smart do you have to be to cross to the other side without knowing if it's safe to do so?"

I travel frequently on the Gwydir Hwy, between Inverell and Glen Innes, and have been passed and passed cars on one particular straight, yet only two days ago, was surprised to see a car emerge from a dip in the road that I never suspected was there.
This is not the only unguarded dip on that particular road.

So I have crossed to the other side thinking that it was safe and, as I said, I've seen others do so in all innocence, being guided by the lines, that have legal standing, put there by the State Government.