Texting and Driving

M

Mickmeister

Registered Senior Member
What is so important about texting while driving? I see people doing this all the time and never can figure out what is so important that they put other people's lives and their own at risk. There have been many studies, including this one that showed how dangerous it is, yet people continue to do it. There have been many wrecks, deaths, and serious injuries due to it and yet the laws are still pretty lax. Even a movie, 7 pounds, was produced addressing the issue. The only thing that is going to get strict laws enacted is for a driver texting to collide with a school bus full of children and kill a bunch of them like what happened in Carrollton, KY in 1988 when Larry Mahoney killed 27 kids and injured 34 out of 67 on the school bus due to drunk driving. It was only then that drunk driving became a serious offense. Sadly, it's going to take the same thing, a bunch of kids getting killed, to make texting while driving a serious offense. Sad that it takes horror to open the public's eyes.
 
It's as dangerous as other things while driving, like smoking, playing with your ipod, doing your makeup...

But it's also situational, crawling in traffic, fine, cruising on a highway with no traffic? If you're careful - round a town centre during school rush hour? FUCK NO.
 
Some think that speech recognition could be the new touch for mobile devices, which have been dominated by touch-screen phones since Apple released its first iPhone more than two years ago.

Apple itself is working on a speech-to-text program for the iPhone, according to documents filed with the United States Patent & Trademark Office.

"There's certainly been some refinement and more sophisticated speech-recognition technology" for phones, said John Walls, vice president of public affairs for CTIA, the trade group that represents the wireless industry.

He's quick to add that texting while driving, even with the help of speech recognition, "is irresponsible."

'Next evolutionary step'
And while speech recognition has come a long way, it still has a ways to go. It's a natural, "next evolutionary step" to keyboards, keypads and touch screens, said Kevin Burden, ABI Research's practice director, mobile devices. But it's not there yet.


http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...fjylEkMeutBIqY6LA&sig2=7IjmiAy582PDlb9eBZf2DQ
 
They passed a law says you can't drink coffee while driving...

This one was the final straw.

I am annoyed by people talking on the phone while driving - badly - I don't care about people who can do this, some people can. The laws get created because not everyone can do two things at once and still drive safely. Hey let's face it, some people can't drive with 100% attention to the road.

That's fine, but coffee...fuck them, changed my attitude, I am in open rebellion of the insurance company mandated driving laws. I now text while driving, talk while driving, everything and you know what I won't get caught, 'cause I am the fucking king shit at situation awareness(look it up). Had a truck driver tell me off (i didn't cut him off nothing - he just noticed me texting and got pissed), It was a sunday and I had lots of spare time so I motioned him to pull over and we had a discussion. After it was clear, I could not goad him into throwing a punch, I then explained to him he wasn't a cop and should save his rage for the multitudes that cut him off, while distracted or not.

In short fuck the lowest common denominator bullshit, I am in open rebellion.
 
I heard a study once that showed having a conversation with someone remotely was more dangerous while driving than if you were talking to them in the passenger seat, because if something happened that required your attention, the person beside you would likely stop being a distraction long enough for you to focus on the problem. Of course this would depend on the person, just like nietzschefan said, some people can easily drive while doing multiple things, while others probably need complete concentration, even no radio on, to really be safe.

It's become an all too common phrase of mine, when someone pulls out in front of me or does something stupid, and I notice what's in their one hand..."get off the damn phone!" Texting is worse...don't care how skilled you are, you can't thumb type and read what you're doing AND guide a two ton vehicle at a few feet per second. The human brain isn't that fast...people are just damn lucky most of the time.

No question it needs to be illegal and fined, but the big question is how to best crack down on it. You know how it is, you never see a cop around when someone is doing really stupid things, only after the fact.
 
420Joey said:
How could police prove that someone is reading a text.
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Your phone company can give the police info on any calls or texts made and received and check against the time of any road incident. Easy, such evidence has been used in UK courts.
 
Mickmeister said:
What is so important about texting while driving? I see people doing this all the time and never can figure out what is so important that they put other people's lives and their own at risk. There have been many studies, including this one that showed how dangerous it is, yet people continue to do it. There have been many wrecks, deaths, and serious injuries due to it and yet the laws are still pretty lax. Even a movie, 7 pounds, was produced addressing the issue. The only thing that is going to get strict laws enacted is for a driver texting to collide with a school bus full of children and kill a bunch of them like what happened in Carrollton, KY in 1988 when Larry Mahoney killed 27 kids and injured 34 out of 67 on the school bus due to drunk driving. It was only then that drunk driving became a serious offense. Sadly, it's going to take the same thing, a bunch of kids getting killed, to make texting while driving a serious offense. Sad that it takes horror to open the public's eyes.
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its just as dangerous to yell at your kids talk on the phone period or have a conversation with your passenger.. or look at that hott chick/guy running bye
 
you get caught using a phone not hands free in SA i believe its automatic loss of licence now the same as for drink driving which makes sense when you look at the mythbusters episode where they put drink driving and mobiles head to head and the mobile (just talking, not even dialing) was found to be MORE dangerous
 
nietzschefan said:
They took my coffee away Asguard so now I'm a criminal.
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to be honest i think your whinging about nothing. You cant ride a bike and do anything but ride, at least in a car you can listen to the radio, Get over it. if good scientific evidence shows that something is significantly dangerous to do while driving, why shouldn't it be illegal? Good drivers, just drive:)
 
With Asguard on this one. :cool:

The tv news says some study concluded that 1 in 5 American drivers are simply incompetent. Not distracted or drunk or eating or whatever, but incompetent. Add that to the 1 in 10 that is drunk or stoned and you have a complicated and dangerous situation.

Road rage around here usually ends up either in a big wreck or in a shooting. Sometimes both. No way would I stop to talk to another driver if they wanted me to pull over, unless it was the 'Po.

It is easy to see who is texting and driving as they hold the phone up for their thumbs and the vehicle travels as if the driver was drunk - all over the road. Yeah, some folks can pull it off flawlessly, but the laws have to be made for the lowest common denominator. I don't do any of that crap while driving as there is too much traffic and too many idiots to take the chance.
 
Asguard said:
to be honest i think your whinging about nothing. You cant ride a bike and do anything but ride, at least in a car you can listen to the radio, Get over it. if good scientific evidence shows that something is significantly dangerous to do while driving, why shouldn't it be illegal? Good drivers, just drive:)
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Actually most cyclists can cycle with one, or even no hands. This is what often leads to cyclists randomly swerving far out into the road and causing accidents when trying to drink their coffee. :shrug:
 
Anti-Flag said:
Actually most cyclists can cycle with one, or even no hands. This is what often leads to cyclists randomly swerving far out into the road and causing accidents when trying to drink their coffee. :shrug:
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i was referring to motorbikes actually
 
Ophiolite said:
Perhaps, but in this regard what is more important is that you are behaving like a self indlugent, mindless, antisocial , congenitally stupid prick.
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Yes, and it is absolutely wonderful.

(not really anti-social though - in person at least. For instance is it anti-social to invite a truck driver who is angry with you, to pull over and have a talk? :shrug: )
 
nietzschefan said:
Yes, and it is absolutely wonderful.

(not really anti-social though - in person at least. For instance is it anti-social to invite a truck driver who is angry with you, to pull over and have a talk? :shrug: )
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(Chuckles.....) Based on your own explanation, possibly.....:D

nietzschefan
Had a truck driver tell me off (i didn't cut him off nothing - he just noticed me texting and got pissed), It was a sunday and I had lots of spare time so I motioned him to pull over and we had a discussion. After it was clear, I could not goad him into throwing a punch, I then explained to him he wasn't a cop and should save his rage for the multitudes that cut him off, while distracted or not.
Click to expand...
 
nietzschefan said:
LOL got me. Was hoping for a massive pay out - I even had his VIN number lol.
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An ulterior motive to your rash action.

Or was it rash? :D

Employing the techniques of an agent provocateur can have unexpected outcomes.

Agent provocateur activities raise ethical and legal issues. In common law jurisdictions, the legal concept of entrapment may apply if the main impetus for the crime was the provocateur.
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:bugeye:
 
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