:lol
<rant=“If you disagree with me and think I’m dumb for using my phone while driving, good for you”>
Good thing you added that last part. Like slwrthnu, I don’t care what people say about me and using my phone while driving, fact of the matter is that in 10 years, I have not had a SINGLE issue while using my phone. I don’t do it on twisty roads because that just isn’t safe. But on the highway or a straight road? Come on! It has not impaired my ability to drive at all. Why? Because unlike half the idiots on the road, I can handle eating a burger, drinking a soda, changing the radio station, picking my nose, inputting an address into my navigation, etc. while driving. Honestly, texting is not hard. Hell, I basically have my QWERTY keyboard memorized with the help of Swype and/or Swift Key (for those of you with smartphones who don’t know what those are - check them out). And if you have an old school flip phone with T9 word? That crap is even easier to text on. I can type a whole paragraph without looking at the damn thing.
Anyway, the exact thing happened to me (your post scenario).
I got stopped on 87 near the Central Ave exit a few years ago when this law first came to fruition and I told the cop point blank to his face that he can’t give me a ticket for it because I 1) wasn’t speeding (no, really, I was doing 55) 2) didn’t swerve or do anything else like that and 3) wasn’t talking on the phone (I was actually getting directions to the new Olive Garden in Clifton Park). I was just holding it in my hand. He went back to his car for 25 minutes (I’m assuming to read his handy book or research the law) and came back with his tint meter. JUST so he could give me the texting/phone one as a secondary offense, he made my tints on the Maxima the primary offense.
That is the only time I have ever been a dick or talked back to a cop/trooper. The reason why I have a spotless record today is because usually I am nothing but civil with them, turning my car off, putting all my windows down, having my paperwork ready to go, polite attitude, etc. Hell, I’ve pulled over to the side before they even turned around a couple times (like last sunday when I saw the cop tap his breaks - got a tint ticket in New Scotland). Usually I get little minor tickets due to my good attitude with them. That cop though, was a complete dick and deserved it.