G.E.M. Used Cell Phone While Driving
A recent photo uploaded by G.E.M. (鄧紫棋) has become a hot topic. On September 4, the 23-year-old singer shared a picture of her driving in the rain on her official Weibo and commented, “Rainy day and it’s my first time driving on the road. My heart is beating really fast! Hahahaha!”
Attracting over 15,300 comments and nearly 68,000 likes, G.E.M.’s picture attracted controversial feedback from netizens. The picture shows G.E.M. in the driver’s seat, one hand holding the wheel. Netizens left comments expressing that G.E.M. may have broken the law, as she was taking photos while she was driving.
“Can I ask why you’re taking pictures while you’re driving? You’re not considering safety. That’s against the law,” one netizen wrote.
A G.E.M. fan wrote, “Watch the road! Stop taking pictures!”
G.E.M.: “My Instructor Let Me”
In a phone interview, G.E.M. quickly clarified her reasons behind the photo in question, expressing that she was learning how to drive at the time and her instructor allowed her to take pictures. “I took that picture when I stopped at a red light. I was taking driving lessons at the time and my instructor was sitting next to me. I asked him if I could take a picture since I stopped at a red light, and he said yes.”
G.E.M. does not think she had violated any traffic laws. She read the driving and safety manual at Hong Kong’s Transport Department, which specified that the driver can use a mobile phone when the car is parked or not moving.
However, there is a loophole to the system. Though G.E.M.’s car was not moving at the time, there remains to the possibility that the car would start moving at any time because her car was only at a stop light and not parked. The safest time for a driver to use his or her phone is when the car is parked and the engine is off. Those who use mobile phones while driving can be fined up to $2,000 HKD.
Source: On.cc
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
The best thing she could have done was admit fault, promise never to do it again and move on however….
People flip out at everything. Pretty sure the instructor would not have allowed her to take a picture if it was not safe to do so. Pointless fuss, pointless article.
It is not pointless. There are a lot of cases where people SMS-ing or taking selfies and hit others and killed people. If you really wanna selfie or SMS, pull aside. tHe instructor should be stripped off his license.
This week locally, 3-4 tourists was taking selfies on the mobile and rolled the car they were in. All seriously injured.
Pointless? I dont think so.
I think netizens are worried for her. Esp since the accident at korea.
Because this issue of having a phone while driving is so serious, the police have even gone as far as encouraging people to keep their phones in the car booth instead while driving. That’s how serious it is. It’s not a joke
wow!! yeah i saw that photo when she was driving and took a photo when she was driving on the road for the first time!!! 😉
This GEM is no gem giving her fans the wrong and possibly fatal example of what not to do. If she was hard up to take a pic, she should have asked her instructor to take it for her or purchase a dashcam to snap photos or videos.
Anyone sitting behind the wheel using their smartphone to text, chat, facebook, twitter taking photo etc is an idiot. The instructor who ok’ed this is sending a bad bad message.
If you are responsible to drive, be responsible and focus on the roads and your surroundings. You are not only risking your life, but the lives of other. If you are stupid, i wouldn’t care if you get hurt because of your own stupidity, but when you put others at risk, i have to call you an idiot
Winnie:
I agree with you 100% on this. Especially a lot of young people look up to her – bad example.
If you look carefully she’s at a standstill locked in traffic. There’s virtually no danger in this instance. It’s the same as someone digging their glovebox during a redlight.
For the point about the car not in park, I don’t see evidence to suggest that she’s in gear.
If you look closer in the picture, her vehicle is at least two car lengths behind the next car which tells me that she might not be stopped but rather creeping very slowly to a stop with the speedo registering 0 mph. No driver that I know stops 2 car lengths behind another vehicle at a complete stop.
There’s the part about her just having started learning to drive, no?
Everybody does it. I like to take selfie too when I’m in the car during traffic jams. No big deal! It’s not like she’s speeding on 90mil/hr and took this pic of herself.
It takes only second for accidents to happen and it can forever change someone’s life and his/her family. It’s not worth it to take that kind of risk. If you read those car accidents reports/stories that caused by cell phone’s distractions – you will understand. Please DON’T use your cell phone while driving. It’s as dangerous as drinking and driving.
I know what you meant. Accidents do happen regardless whether you are being careful or not. What I meant here is snapping a pic or two when the car is stationary means no harm. I’m not telling everyone to use their hps when they are driving the car.
Snapping a pic or 2 is not a problem?
This may lead to looking at messages, and slowly it’ll lead to having the temptation to reply. Their mind will be like “this is just gonna take an extra 5 seconds”
Dude…
Well said. Don’t hurt others around you.
Tess – I take selfie too, but not when I’m in the driver seat.
It’s only a second distraction that disconnect you from senses. Yah, no big deal since you are idle, but you are focus on your selfie, forgot you are stuck in traffic, someone honk their horn and you’re too focus to know traffic aren’t moving, and there goes a fender bender, besides are you that vain to be taking picture of yourself while sitting in traffic>?
Oh hell no. Those pictures you take of yourself, even in traffic jams, removes your attention from the driving situation at hand. Don’t you find you take more than a few seconds to gather yourself again to read what is going on after your dangerous selfie? How old are you? I hope your selfie ass is not driving in North America.
Okayyyy…chill everyone! I won’t endanger myself or anyone else from now on! No more selfie while behind the wheels.
What a douche. “instructor let me”. Guy kills someone, my friend said it was ok. blah blah. People who are brainless should get the book thrown at them for coming up with that excuse. Should both be prosecuted then if thats the case.
She’s essentially throwing her instructor under the bus. Great accountability there for an adult. As a Canadian, her lack of accountability really is disappointing.
This people are acting like they never violate the traffic rules… smh
Clearly you have.
WE all have
Everyone makes mistake, only they don’t realize it, and see nothing wrong with it, so to them it’s not a mistake, to other, well … it is!!
Eating, drinking, talking, reading a map (before gps), applying make up, fixing their hair, playing with the radio … anything you do behind the wheel other than driving is putting you and others at risk, but we all do it every time we are sitting behind the wheel.
Winnie:
Where I work I have seen enough of accidents that cause by distractions. We ALL need to understand that our actions (lack of concentration while driving) can hurt ourselves and others. I always try my best to give 100% attention to the road while I’m driving. I have seen everything people were doing while they were driving: fighting, kissing, shaving, brushing teeth, reading book/newspaper and others like you mentioned.
Hope this episode will inspire her to write a song to commemorate.
Dumb cow and if it’s true that her instructor let her take the picture (because she is famous no doubt) then clearly the instructor is not qualified to teach.
Have you been on the app called vine??? Ppl there literally record themselves looking away from road while driving for friggin 6 secs.
And she wasn’t like texting, she just took a picture of whats in front of her.
I assume she is still looking at the road xD
Irresponsible. Inconsiderate. Bad example. As long as one is at the driver seat, think first! Not only the ddriver might get into accident and hurt oneself, he/she might also hurt others ( in car or outside car).
Not anything can be paid back using money especially life.
lol and she has to drag the instructor in with her stupidity.
My mom keeps telling me to get my license so I can be her personal chauffeur. One of the reasons I don’t want to drive a car is because of people’s carelessness on the road. People drunk driving, speeding, playing on the phone while behind the wheel, etc. With so much careless people on the road, I’m supposed to want to learn to drive?
Driving is one of the pleasures of life.
However by your logic, you would choose to not breathe oxygen.
This kind of ppl really cause accident…
the driving instructor is a idiot.
G.E.M. is so cute. Wish I was her instructor.
At least G.E.M. is not using an iPad, while driving 70 mph!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2747169/On-M4-70mph-iPad-Photo-driver-Facebook.html
at least she’s not like the bus driver who drives while playing games on his ipad, listening to music AND driving really fast