Texting while driving

[ParkTrips]

With more and more governments banning it, and a big conference on distracted driving this week, I was wondering what your thoughts were on texting while driving?

 

As someone who has used cell phones for years while driving (talking, texting, etc) I guess I just don't get the hoopla and why it has all of the sudden become the hot new issue. Then you hear the stories of people killed and I can understand the frustration. OF COURSE its a distraction. But at the same time, where do we draw the line? What about banning GPS devices, 30 gig multimedia systems with ipod hookups, roller coasters and such near interstates, heck even billboards which are designed to take your attention from the road and onto the message! How often are clever billboards cited in accidents?

 

Personally I dont think it should be banned, but if you hurt someone or worse yet kill them, I see no reason why criminal charges couldn't escalate to manslaughter or even murder. I just read about $500 fines and can't help but think its nothing more than a money maker.. but I'm curious to hear other opinions because I'm not totally for or against bans, Im just slightly off center

[RCFreak]

Texting specifically I think should be banned.

 

Multiple studies have shown that using a bluetooth hands-free device is not much safer then not using them so I don't necessarily see the point in banning that; but with texting, it takes a lot more concentration and more focus on the screen and off the road, especially with the progression of having all touchscreen phones so you don't have tactile feedback for the buttons meaning most people have to look more to see what they are actually texting. I don't think that any of the other devices you mentioned require as much attention as texting, at least not overall.

 

What I would love to see is a speech-to-text program for texting. The technology exists on phones already, I have it on my VZNavigator through Verizon so I don't see why it would be very difficult to port over. And to answer the question, "Why don't you just call them?" it's simple I might only have a one word response to a simple question or could be chatting with multiple people at once.

[Homeboy23]

Until everyone learns to drive which will never happen I have no problem if they ban it. In Virginia they kind of already have, but the fine is only $20 and they can't pull you unless you are doing something else.

[Jerrykoala2112]

I have seen people drive while texting, it is pretty strange.

 

The pull their seat up so that their thighs touch the wheel and steer with their legs. And I do agree, it does take more concentration on the screen, unless the person texting knows everything about there phone and can do it without looking.

 

I also think it should be banned.

[Sasquatch]

Seriously, who is retarded enough to think that texting/calling/eating/reading (etc.) whilst not looking at the road and/or steering with your legs whilst going at 70mph down a motorway is AT ALL safe?

 

I just don't understand at all.

 

In the UK, there are big fines for people who are caught doing any of those! I think that people who are eating and drinking are just given a warning though. But there has been many a time where I have seen drivers with a newspaper or magazine spread out across the steering wheel on the M25 or any other stupidly busy road.

 

I personally find it frightening.

[Ed]

Anything which takes your attention away from driving a 70mph killing machine is bad.

 

But there has been many a time where I have seen drivers with a newspaper or magazine spread out across the steering wheel on the M25 or any other stupidly busy road.

 

But to be fair the most you can hope to achieve on the M25 is about 10mph

[Sasquatch]

Anything which takes your attention away from driving a 70mph killing machine is bad.

 

But there has been many a time where I have seen drivers with a newspaper or magazine spread out across the steering wheel on the M25 or any other stupidly busy road.

 

But to be fair the most you can hope to achieve on the M25 is about 10mph

 

Well duh! I bet the people who designed that motorway have a big "70mph" sign in their office which they have labelled 'messiah'.

 

Still, I don't know if you have ever crashed at 10mph, but it HURTS.

[ginzo]

I can't wait until they figure out the car that drives itself. This is just another example of why humans are inherently bad at driving. We can't even force ourselves to look at the road 100% of the time.

 

Heck, I do stupid things driving myself, even though I take driving much more seriously than most. Just the other day I almost pulled out in front of a bunch of oncoming cars. For some reason I didn't see them at first, and then had to brake suddenly to avoid causing a wreck.

[mcjaco]

Personally, I'm hoping they ban all cell phone use while driving. Your attention should be on the road, not who your talking to, or texting. Yesterday, I was almost backed into in a parking lot, sideswiped three times on my way home from the gym, and driven staight into when my neighbor pulled into the driveway. Three different occurences across approximately twenty total minutes of driving. All of the on their cell phones (and female ).

 

Most people can't drive without cell phones. Let alone having one against their head at the same time.

[Sasquatch]

Yeah, it's kind of common sense to think *just a little bit* about what you are doing... Perhaps we should just make multi-tasking a crime. Much less accidents.

[christianscoasters]

When I drive, I put my phone on silent (so it doesn't distract me with a vibration or ringing) and put it in the glove compartment. I don't want to be tempted to reach for it at all. One thing I highly dislike is how if a teen gets in an accident, everyone assumes they were on their cell phone. Some teens really do care about safety, like me.

[BeemerBoy]

I'll never forget a story my mom told me while teaching me how to drive. She said the first thing her driving instructor told her was simple, "Remember, essentially, you're driving a weapon. Treat it with respect and caution, and you'll avoid causing harm to yourself or others."

 

I just don't understand the urge to text while driving. If you and the person on the other end are gonna take the time to use the device, then why not just use the phone part of.......THE PHONE? Granted, I'm convinced that 99% of humans are still incapable of talking on a phone while driving too. However, at least it's slightly safer than texting, which requires at least one hand off the wheel, and generally takes your vision off the road, and onto the keyboard.

 

Sorry, Joe. Texting while driving is a huge FAIL, and should be fined appropriately.

[AllenA07]

I will admit to texting at red lights while driving (though seldom) however I simply don't have the coordination to do it while going at 70 down a freeway. I personally think it should be banned, as others have said, people are bad enough at driving without trying to text, no reason to make it more complicated.

[BeemerBoy]

Personally I dont think it should be banned, but if you hurt someone or worse yet kill them, I see no reason why criminal charges couldn't escalate to manslaughter or even murder.

But see, that's the thing. Why let it get to that point? Sure, accidents happen all the time, and for a ton of various reasons. But if you can take steps to prevent pointless deaths from occurring, then you should.

 

Just think of it this way. What if you were to learn today that your closest loved one died in an auto accident? And what if later you were to learn that it was primarily due to the fact that a 16 year old girl was busy texting, "OMG, did u hear wat kanye did to taylor" instead of paying attention to the red light?

 

Wouldn't that make you feel pretty sick to your stomach?

 

 

I just read about $500 fines and can't help but think its nothing more than a money maker.

 

Or a deterrent. Depends which way you look at it.

[Cameron]

Big problem now is that cars are so comfortable, and provide such a disconnect from the driving feel (especially the Japanese cars), that people just "forget" what they're doing is dangerous. It's only going to get worse with all the electronic "lane change assist" and "beep when you start to nod-off" nonsense. The more automatic that driving becomes, the more accidents we'll see.

 

Stick-shift drivers tend to be the safest on the road, simply because the very nature of driving a stick requires you to look ahead and be aware of what's going on.

 

I'm torn on the text message ban, I hate banning stuff (even smoking, even though I don't smoke and actively dislike it) ... Maybe a harsher penalty for those who cause an accident due to texting..?

 

Cameron.

[SharkTums]

My problem with the texting ban is that it just covers one thing in a whole sea of driver issues! How about banning eating while driving? Putting on Makeup while driving? Those terrible gps things that people will follow into a lake, etc.

 

There are just so many distractions and I don't like being told what I can and can't do. There are many times I need to text someone to give them an update. I'll do it while I'm at a red light or a stop sign with no one around. I'm not stupid enough to do it while ACTUALLY driving.

 

Oh and we should also ban driving with children cause they are VERY distracting while driving!

[Homeboy23]

Those terrible gps things that people will follow into a lake, etc.

 

 

Everyone keeps telling me I need one since I travel. But every time I am with someone who has one, they always end up making a wrong turn somewhere.

[ginzo]

Those terrible gps things that people will follow into a lake, etc.

 

Or to Bakken!

 

Personally, I've had very good luck with my GPS devices. If you get a decent one with text-to-speech, you don't need to look at the screen that much. Seems a lot safer than trying to read a print out from Google Maps while driving.

[emily>piers]

Using mobiles is an endorsable offence here in the UK and I know people who have got penalty points for using their phone while behind the wheel.

 

Although I have been driving for years, I do not use my phone while driving (perhaps very occasionally hands free) and would not even consider texting whilst driving. Maybe I'm guilty of putting lipgloss on (only with the handbrake on at traffic lights when I'm running late in the mornings - sorry Elissa) while I'm driving, I wouldn't show such disregard to other road users as to use my mobile while driving.

 

This PSA is pretty graphic and I first saw it after a friend posted it on FB...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYTXjD_YOPk

 

 

Em

[Sir Clinksalot]

Elissa, I TOTALLY agree with you.

 

I've seen that PSA, and yes, it's VERY graphic. But the same thing can happen when checking your GPS, changing a CD, eating, switching songs on your MP3 player, etc ...

 

I'm not saying you should be texting when your driving, but there are MANY other distractions when your driving, and all these new cars seem to be adding new ones.

 

We've also had a ban on people using non-hands-free cell phones while driving for over a year now in CA. EVERY DAY I see people driving while on their phones. It's ridiculous.

 

Example:

 

Not really a "distraction" but that new commercial where somebody is looking in their "rear view camera" backing out of a spot and almost hits a car. Uhm, it's because they were ONLY looking in the camera not checking their blind spots.

 

I think those cameras are good for looking to make sure there are no kids behind you etc, but more and more, these things are making bad drivers become WORSE drivers because now they are counting on technology to substitute for good driving.

[ebl]

When I was teaching Diana to drive a couple of years ago, I always told her, "When you're driving, that's what you're doing---and nothing else."

 

People in general just can't shut the hell up anymore. For whatever reason, we need to be in contact with SOMEONE 24/7. I remember when I was growing up: if you needed to talk to someone, you did it when you got home. You might have had to wait for...OH NOES---FIEV MINNITS!1!!

 

My phone is on vibrate, and it sits on the floor of my car right below the table between my front seats. It's there when I need it, but out of my hands. As for texting while driving---Stupidest. Thing. Ever.

 

Eric

[Vintage]

My problem with the texting ban is that it just covers one thing in a whole sea of driver issues! How about banning eating while driving? Putting on Makeup while driving? Those terrible gps things that people will follow into a lake, etc.

 

There are just so many distractions and I don't like being told what I can and can't do. There are many times I need to text someone to give them an update. I'll do it while I'm at a red light or a stop sign with no one around. I'm not stupid enough to do it while ACTUALLY driving.

 

Oh and we should also ban driving with children cause they are VERY distracting while driving!

 

So true. Sometimes my mom scares me really badly because she'll drive through and get fast food. Then eat her sandwhich and steer with her knees while she eats, and is on the cellphone at the same time. Seriously, when I start driving I'm going to lock it up in the glove compartment.

 

Also my other friend drove me home from school one day because I missed the bus. He texted on his little iPhone thinking he was all cool. Almost got into an accident, never again will I ride in his car.

[larrygator]

I can eat without taking my eyes off the road (and the stains all over my car prove it) and without concentrating on eating (yes I have bit my fingers also).

 

I can not text without taking my eyes off the road. I would not be able to fully concentrate on the road while texting.

 

Texting while driving = BAD = SHOULD BE BANNED

 

But as Elissa said their are plenty of other distractions, not the least of which are other people in the car

[ParkTrips]

ok, the idea of taking both hands off the wheel to text while moving is admittedly absurd. I can't imagine people grabbing for a drink in the car and taking both hands off the wheel

 

Big problem now is that cars are so comfortable, and provide such a disconnect from the driving feel (especially the Japanese cars), that people just "forget" what they're doing is dangerous. It's only going to get worse with all the electronic "lane change assist" and "beep when you start to nod-off" nonsense. The more automatic that driving becomes, the more accidents we'll see.

but more and more, these things are making bad drivers become WORSE drivers because now they are counting on technology to substitute for good driving.

I agree, bad drivers will get in accidents no matter what laws or technology advancements are thrown out there

 

Wouldn't that make you feel pretty sick to your stomach?

Yeah, it would, which is why I see both sides. A $500 fine and knowing the person was breaking the law wouldn't make me feel better, but seeing them spend time in jail for a serious felony would help. Believe me, I'm the first to say "probably some dumbass on their cell phone" when someone pulls a stupid move in traffic, but there are so many stupid things people do that can cause accidents. Swerving through traffic, not using indicators, following too close etc etc let's start enforcing all of the other stuff too then

[AllenA07]

There was actually a trial out here earlier this week (and by out here I mean in Houston which is some 750 or so miles away from me, but hey who's counting?) for a woman who killed three people while driving and talking on her phone. Now I can't seem to find the outcome of the trial, but I believe she was looking at a decent stint in prison.

 

Personally I am fine with giving out a fine for a person who is talking/texting while driving. I can tell you that a good size fine for most people does work as a great deterrent. I see no reason why we need to wait until it becomes a matter where people are looking at doing prison time for killing somebody behind the wheel. I think it is the same with DWI, start with a slap (fine) and just move up the ladder of punishment if they repeat. Not saying that texting is as serious as a DWI (not even in the same league) but if it makes driving that much more dangerous I'm all for criminal sanctions.