there is a fallacious argument going about banning cellphones and texting, where opponents point out, and rightly, that eating, drinking, putting in CDs etc., are just as distracting as cellphone usage and texting. But the crux of the matter is this: people who eat, drink, reach for something in the backseat, swat one of their misbehaving children, DO NOT do that for more than a minute. the problem with cellphones and texting is the amount of time spent doing just that; people brag about being able to multi-task, but the fact is that they are not paying attention to driving for longer periods of time, while they yak and click away, the whole trip to work, to the store, on the interstate, or the turnpike. They wile away hours at a clip, failing to realize that a car is a heavy piece of machinery, which carries alot of kinetic energy, and usually can be deadly. I know people shouldn’t eat, or put on makeup while driving, but usually that activity does not continue on and on for a trip’s duration. No one is eating a seven course meal while driving; there is a big difference between eating a hamburger and a full course meal; it takes more time and effort for one as opposed to the other. But phone conversations and texting time increases as one gets used to it. THAT is the problem we face and since everyone is so concerned about that other bugaboo, drinking and driving, I say apply the same fines, costs and imprisonment on cellphone and texters, if their phone records indicate they were thus occupied before the crash. Getting those records is the same as getting your BAC and can stand up in court just as well. A couple of fine upstanding citizens going to jail ought to rectify that offense.
Yeah, texting is A LOT more dangerous and probably more widespread than the other possible dangerous activities. I never supported the bans and driving and talking on a cellphone – talking is not unreasonably dangerous. Texting while driving is unreasonably dangerous, because for both activities you need at least one hand and two eyes and you can’t do them both at once, period.
I’ve been wondering why I haven’t heard anything about cellphones offering voice-command texting. It sounds comical but I think a lot of people would use it. LOL
Was there actually a point in time where texting while driving was considered safe???? just makes sense to NOT text and drive! Voice activated text is a great idea! iPhone would be great model to start!
What’s disconcerting is seeing the person next to you on the interstate putting on make-up, shaving, doing the crossword, talking on the phone & having their breakfast burrito with coffee! I never could figure out how to talk on a cell phone & shift gears at the same time so got a hands-free. I text only at red lights while curling my eyelashes!
Uhhh, no kidding. Was it really necessary to take that much time and money to study something so rediculously obvious? I have to laugh at this. Cant wait for the next study to come out “Studies have concluded that it is not safe to drive with eyes closed…”
We are dealing with two elements on this issue – public perceptions and reality. Because eating, drinking, changing the radio, talking, smoking, dealing your spouse/kids have been around since shortly after the Model T rolled off the assembly line, those activities have been ‘accepted’ by the public. We all grew up with our parents doing it, so we all accept it.
But the cell phone is a new gagdet that caused many drivers to actively take their eyes and hands away from the driving task and contributed to collisions.
Reality is all activities like eating, drinking, smoking, etc are distractions which contribute to collisions.
Another reality is that some drivers can multi-task better than others – how many can sucessfully drive a manual transmission?
If you have listended to fleet safety experts you will realize for many years they have discussed the distractions of all these activities while driving.
This debate is really about what society will and will not accept as distracted driving. It echos the debate about drinking and driving which started about 30 years ago. When enought people get fed up with it and stop participating in the idea we have to be connected all of the time and be entertained all of the time, driving safety will improve.
We just need automatic cars that go by themselves so we can eat, read, text, phone, etc and not worry about the driving. Instead of the auto makers just working on better fuel economy, they should start working on the robotics of having auto cars
The Obama administration is working on a plan that would provide Government chauffeur’s for all licensed citizens. What’s another trillion dollars a year if it keeps us all safe from ourselves?
Normal people don’t need a “study” to tell them not paying 100% attention to driving is dangerous. It’s become apparent that those who use technology while driving fall into one or more of the following categories: stupid, ignorant, and irresponsible. The study says “on average” the time spent looking at a text screen is 4.2 seconds. At 60MPH that translates to about 100 yards. This society lacks common sense, good judgment, senses of priority and responsibility, and focus. We’re pretty much doomed.
“The Obama administration is working on a plan that would provide Government chauffeur’s for all licensed citizens. What’s another trillion dollars a year if it keeps us all safe from ourselves?”
Thought you were serious till I realized that if PrezO were actually gonna do that, he most certainly would have provided them for the illegals too and given cars to those without so that they could be chauffered to see their parole officer.
You’re an idiot. Life isn’t risky. It is what it is unless some jerk decides to make it risky by doing something stupid. Driving is risky, but necessary for society to exist. Adding artificial and UN-NECESSARY distractions increases the risks significantly. If you can’t distinguish the difference, keep on texting while driving and maybe you’ll learn the hard way….without killing someone else.
Idiot’s on the road are increasing exponentially…only indicative of the flawed thinking, selfish attitudes and apathy today. There are many indicators, one of which is the poor choice 50% of voters made the last election.
…is that we should limit the number of children parents can have. The way I see it is that the number of idiots as a percentage of the whole (call it standard deviation) is constant. so if we have 12% of the population as idiots, when the TOTAL number of the population increases so does the total number of idiots; the percentage is the same but the absolute numbers are greater. this is why sex offenders seems to be exploding but their percentage remains the same, just more of them because the sample is larger…how;s them statistics ??? :-P
I think that they are trying to ban Life, that’s the pro abortion and with goverment run health-care life will be way too expensive. Where is that Kool-Aid?
Doing ANYTHING that requires you to remove a hand from the wheel, or take your eyes off the road for any amount of time should become a more serious offense.
I’ve heard that being on your phone while driving/texting while driving is a chargeable offense by law. Yet, I see even more people doing it these days then before?
Perhaps I’m an idiot, perhaps not…but your opinion on the subject is meaningless. Your flawed opinion based on my one post (which most assuredly and obviously was an attempt at levity) displays a most breathtaking lack of logic and a lot of gullibility on your part. Life IS, in fact, risky. From the moment we are born to the moment we die we are continually exposed to risks – many from natural sources, many from human contrivances – and a great many risks are assumed after a cost/benefit analysis (which doesn’t always work out favorably…nothing is guaranteed, but c’est la vie!)I certainly do NOT condone nor advocate adding UN-NECESSARY [sic] distractions to any already risky activity. I have never texted while driving, as you seem to imply…in fact I have never texted! I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, just in case they’re driving down the street someday and say “Hey, there’s Poster Bored! Watch out, he thinks texting while driving is OK!”, because I don’t. It’s too bad there are so many for whom logical deductive reasoning is not possible, which is precisely why I very much tongue-in-cheek proposed simply banning everything…you’ve given me reason to re-think the tongue-in-cheek part…
There should NOT be an exclusion for causing an accident for one reason. Lets say you are rear-ended due to someone texting while driving. Why should your claim not be paid because the other party was negligent. Thats why we have insurance in the first place. Now with comp and collision coverage, that might work, but I’m there with LCA, the first thing they will say is “prove I was texting while driving!”, without a court order, the adjuster wouldn’t be able to pull the records to see if they really were texting at the time of the accident.
Reading books while driving is even more hazardous than texting. We need to BAN IT NOW
Cutting one’s toenails while driving is even more hazardous. We need to BAN IT NOW
Sleeping while driving is dangerous. We need to BAN IT NOW
Matt,
Aren’t all these (and texting) reckless driving? Let’s just pull them all over and ticket them!
Studies had to be conducted to figure this out? I have to laugh otherwise I would get so upset I might go for a drive and text!
there is a fallacious argument going about banning cellphones and texting, where opponents point out, and rightly, that eating, drinking, putting in CDs etc., are just as distracting as cellphone usage and texting. But the crux of the matter is this: people who eat, drink, reach for something in the backseat, swat one of their misbehaving children, DO NOT do that for more than a minute. the problem with cellphones and texting is the amount of time spent doing just that; people brag about being able to multi-task, but the fact is that they are not paying attention to driving for longer periods of time, while they yak and click away, the whole trip to work, to the store, on the interstate, or the turnpike. They wile away hours at a clip, failing to realize that a car is a heavy piece of machinery, which carries alot of kinetic energy, and usually can be deadly. I know people shouldn’t eat, or put on makeup while driving, but usually that activity does not continue on and on for a trip’s duration. No one is eating a seven course meal while driving; there is a big difference between eating a hamburger and a full course meal; it takes more time and effort for one as opposed to the other. But phone conversations and texting time increases as one gets used to it. THAT is the problem we face and since everyone is so concerned about that other bugaboo, drinking and driving, I say apply the same fines, costs and imprisonment on cellphone and texters, if their phone records indicate they were thus occupied before the crash. Getting those records is the same as getting your BAC and can stand up in court just as well. A couple of fine upstanding citizens going to jail ought to rectify that offense.
Yeah, texting is A LOT more dangerous and probably more widespread than the other possible dangerous activities. I never supported the bans and driving and talking on a cellphone – talking is not unreasonably dangerous. Texting while driving is unreasonably dangerous, because for both activities you need at least one hand and two eyes and you can’t do them both at once, period.
I’ve been wondering why I haven’t heard anything about cellphones offering voice-command texting. It sounds comical but I think a lot of people would use it. LOL
Stat Guy: Totally agree…..pass the fries please.
Was there actually a point in time where texting while driving was considered safe???? just makes sense to NOT text and drive! Voice activated text is a great idea! iPhone would be great model to start!
What’s disconcerting is seeing the person next to you on the interstate putting on make-up, shaving, doing the crossword, talking on the phone & having their breakfast burrito with coffee! I never could figure out how to talk on a cell phone & shift gears at the same time so got a hands-free. I text only at red lights while curling my eyelashes!
…don’t forget pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Driving while blindfolded may be dangerous as well.
How about an exclusion on the Auto policy. No coverage if caused in whole or in part by driver operating hand held electronic comminication device?
Good idea Scott – the first words out of their mouth would be “prove it”
Uhhh, no kidding. Was it really necessary to take that much time and money to study something so rediculously obvious? I have to laugh at this. Cant wait for the next study to come out “Studies have concluded that it is not safe to drive with eyes closed…”
We are dealing with two elements on this issue – public perceptions and reality. Because eating, drinking, changing the radio, talking, smoking, dealing your spouse/kids have been around since shortly after the Model T rolled off the assembly line, those activities have been ‘accepted’ by the public. We all grew up with our parents doing it, so we all accept it.
But the cell phone is a new gagdet that caused many drivers to actively take their eyes and hands away from the driving task and contributed to collisions.
Reality is all activities like eating, drinking, smoking, etc are distractions which contribute to collisions.
Another reality is that some drivers can multi-task better than others – how many can sucessfully drive a manual transmission?
If you have listended to fleet safety experts you will realize for many years they have discussed the distractions of all these activities while driving.
This debate is really about what society will and will not accept as distracted driving. It echos the debate about drinking and driving which started about 30 years ago. When enought people get fed up with it and stop participating in the idea we have to be connected all of the time and be entertained all of the time, driving safety will improve.
We just need automatic cars that go by themselves so we can eat, read, text, phone, etc and not worry about the driving. Instead of the auto makers just working on better fuel economy, they should start working on the robotics of having auto cars
The Obama administration is working on a plan that would provide Government chauffeur’s for all licensed citizens. What’s another trillion dollars a year if it keeps us all safe from ourselves?
Texting while driving is fine, in fact I’m doing it right now….&*(%$6^4$$^^$$####%%^%$^6&&&*
Good one. : )
Thought people might like that.
Normal people don’t need a “study” to tell them not paying 100% attention to driving is dangerous. It’s become apparent that those who use technology while driving fall into one or more of the following categories: stupid, ignorant, and irresponsible. The study says “on average” the time spent looking at a text screen is 4.2 seconds. At 60MPH that translates to about 100 yards. This society lacks common sense, good judgment, senses of priority and responsibility, and focus. We’re pretty much doomed.
Problem: driving is dangerous
Solution: ban driving
Problem: life is risky
Solution: ban life
aha, aha hahaha!
{How about an exclusion on the Auto policy. No coverage if caused in whole or in part by driver operating hand held electronic comminication device?}
Only if you can get the putting on make up exclusion too.
“The Obama administration is working on a plan that would provide Government chauffeur’s for all licensed citizens. What’s another trillion dollars a year if it keeps us all safe from ourselves?”
Thought you were serious till I realized that if PrezO were actually gonna do that, he most certainly would have provided them for the illegals too and given cars to those without so that they could be chauffered to see their parole officer.
You’re an idiot. Life isn’t risky. It is what it is unless some jerk decides to make it risky by doing something stupid. Driving is risky, but necessary for society to exist. Adding artificial and UN-NECESSARY distractions increases the risks significantly. If you can’t distinguish the difference, keep on texting while driving and maybe you’ll learn the hard way….without killing someone else.
Idiot’s on the road are increasing exponentially…only indicative of the flawed thinking, selfish attitudes and apathy today. There are many indicators, one of which is the poor choice 50% of voters made the last election.
…is that we should limit the number of children parents can have. The way I see it is that the number of idiots as a percentage of the whole (call it standard deviation) is constant. so if we have 12% of the population as idiots, when the TOTAL number of the population increases so does the total number of idiots; the percentage is the same but the absolute numbers are greater. this is why sex offenders seems to be exploding but their percentage remains the same, just more of them because the sample is larger…how;s them statistics ??? :-P
I think that they are trying to ban Life, that’s the pro abortion and with goverment run health-care life will be way too expensive. Where is that Kool-Aid?
Doing ANYTHING that requires you to remove a hand from the wheel, or take your eyes off the road for any amount of time should become a more serious offense.
I’ve heard that being on your phone while driving/texting while driving is a chargeable offense by law. Yet, I see even more people doing it these days then before?
People need to wake the **** up!
Recent studies have shown that most studies results are now blatantly obvious and absolutely pointless.
Perhaps I’m an idiot, perhaps not…but your opinion on the subject is meaningless. Your flawed opinion based on my one post (which most assuredly and obviously was an attempt at levity) displays a most breathtaking lack of logic and a lot of gullibility on your part. Life IS, in fact, risky. From the moment we are born to the moment we die we are continually exposed to risks – many from natural sources, many from human contrivances – and a great many risks are assumed after a cost/benefit analysis (which doesn’t always work out favorably…nothing is guaranteed, but c’est la vie!)I certainly do NOT condone nor advocate adding UN-NECESSARY [sic] distractions to any already risky activity. I have never texted while driving, as you seem to imply…in fact I have never texted! I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, just in case they’re driving down the street someday and say “Hey, there’s Poster Bored! Watch out, he thinks texting while driving is OK!”, because I don’t. It’s too bad there are so many for whom logical deductive reasoning is not possible, which is precisely why I very much tongue-in-cheek proposed simply banning everything…you’ve given me reason to re-think the tongue-in-cheek part…
There should NOT be an exclusion for causing an accident for one reason. Lets say you are rear-ended due to someone texting while driving. Why should your claim not be paid because the other party was negligent. Thats why we have insurance in the first place. Now with comp and collision coverage, that might work, but I’m there with LCA, the first thing they will say is “prove I was texting while driving!”, without a court order, the adjuster wouldn’t be able to pull the records to see if they really were texting at the time of the accident.