Texting and Driving

[mlmpetert]

One thing im pretty big against is texting and driving.

Sometimes you got to enter a address for navigation or check something on your phone and your options may be limited in those situations. But I dont think theres ever an excuse to carry out a full fledged text conversation or respond to a email or mess around on your phone and look up facebook, something on the internet or even thewarpath via tapatalk. If you need to talk to someone while youre driving just pick up your phone and call or better yet wait until youre no longer moving.

I think its way worse for most people then drinking and driving is, at least at the lower ends of the illegal impairment threshold. Either way its one of those things that just arnt worth it, and not because of your own saftey but for the safety and property of others.

Heart-Stopping Video: Man Captures Teen’s Alleged Texting-While-Driving Accident | The Blaze

[saden1]

How many times do you need to escape near accidents before you stop? Too bad a semi didnt hit him...that would have shown the little fcker.

[CRedskinsRule]

How do they know he was texting/driving? the way the car was weaving, sure looked, more like either sleeping or under the influence. And I agree about the story mentioning the hypocrisy of the guy who is driving and recording and talking.

[mredskins]

I think the above is more then just a case of texting. i think you stop after some of those close calls.

I hate people that text and drive to the point where if i saw one i blow the horn or try to get their attention. My wife pointed out I am just as distracted as them if i am doing that so I quit and i just work on being a defensive driver in general. So many idiots out there.

[hooskins]

I will admit I have done it before. Have not in a while, since it is a very dangerous thing to do.

How do you enforce it though? It has to be near impossible to. Without video evidence, how would a cop's claim hold up in court?

[MTK]

Has someone been watching Oprah?

http://www.oprah.com/questionaire/ipledge.html?id=4

[SmootSmack]

I've done it. There was a time when my daily commute was about 3 hours round trip. Based on the nature of my job, I needed to be on top of what was going on and that meant reading and responding to multiple emails. I try to be smart about it though, if I need to send a lengthy text I'll pull over.

But where do you draw the line. I see people on the road putting sugar in their coffee and driving, putting on their makeup and driving, even seen people reading the newspaper (they just lay it out on their steering wheel) and driving. Unfortunately, as many laws, a law against texting and driving and cell phone use and driving is in place because of people who are incapable of doing both, or better said, incapable of realize when they can't do both.

[Daseal]

I will text/check e-mail/etc at a stoplights occasionally. When it changes I set the phone down. Put the phone up so I can look at the light or car in front of me while texting. I used to think texting and driving was the dumbest thing you could do, then I saw this

[Schneed10]

They've done studies that show texting or even talking on the cell phone (with phone up to your ear) impairs you just as much as having a blood alcohol content above the legal limit.

It's incredibly dangerous and irresponsible, I can't understand why anybody would attempt to do that while their car is moving. Stoplights fine, obviously there's no risk there.

But how the hell can you react to the unexpected when you're looking at your phone?!

People are idiots. If I could block them from doing this, I would!

[GMScud]

When the whole texting phenomenon was born, I did it while driving quite often, but I almost rear-ended the car in front of me on two seperate occasions -like I had to slam the brakes- so at point I stopped. If I'm stopped at a red light I'll fire off a quick sentence or two, but never when the car is moving. I came very close to learning the hard way about that.

[over the mountain]

Funny this thread was put up today.

I drive from Balt to DC for work so I get about 2 hours a day of 95 to 495 action.

Today I am in the far right lane of 4 on 95 S just passed the ICC connector which is still under construction. A car is in the 2nd to right lane, I am passing her on her right and there is a jersey wall right there on my right.

She decides to swerve over about 3 inches across the line into my lane. She was texting on her phone. I have my window down (b/c my A/C is broke! ohh yeah!) and I gave her a proper bird b/c my horn is broke.

The bumper stick "horn is broke, watch for finger" literally applies to me.

I do not give the bird often and reserve such use for the proper times.

[Ruhskins]

My Android phone has a cool feature that allows you to speak your text messages. Now this is good for a short message, I wouldn't recommend doing it for a long text. While I don't text a lot, this nifty little feature has helped me avoid having to text and drive.

[over the mountain]

Well one more quick story. This was a day or so after the no talking/texting while driving law was passed.

Driving home from work kinda early around 3 pm. Little traffic, cruising up 95 N doing the speed limit at 65.

I see a black honda going about 50 in one of the middle lanes. Its looks like one of my buddies cars. I slow down and pull up next to him and its him, a big fat guy glasses beard talking on the phone. So I proceed to give him a huge middle finger right next to him then sped up still giving him the middle finger.

I get no reaction from him so I slow back down to 50 mph like he was going. He slows down even more so that we wouldnt be side by side like I was trying to do. After a few seconds I just start going the speed limit again.

Mile down the road he passes me on the right taking an exit lane and gives me the bird.

So, ironically, I text him something like "hey man no talking n driving ya big dummy". he texts back "what are you talking about?", I txt back "I just passed you on 95 and gave you the bird", he texted "dude, im sitting on my couch right now I didnt have work today". I didnt flick off and try to pull up next to my buddy but some big stranger dude.

DOH! Good thing that dude wasnt in a pissy mood b/c he was a big boy and would have had every right to knock my teeth out.

PS - my eye sight is incredibly bad since my left eye got injured and I dont have glasses. Whenever a game is on, no matter how big the TV or how close im sitting I cant read the score and have to ask my lady about 10 times an hour. Oruioles games? I cant see that dang ball once its hit at all.

[saden1]

Originally Posted by Daseal

I will text/check e-mail/etc at a stoplights occasionally. When it changes I set the phone down. Put the phone up so I can look at the light or car in front of me while texting. I used to think texting and driving was the dumbest thing you could do, then I saw this

A few years ago I got into a fender-bender doing just that. I saw the light go green, the cars on either side of me move but the car in front of me didn't. No one is immune to these sort of mistakes.

[firstdown]

I'm setting up an office in my car so I don't waist time while driving. I'm having a computer, fax, scanner, copier, and a phone installed in my car with driver side access. The best way to explain the set up is for you to think of a drum set and the drums set up around the drummer. I actual came up with the idea while playing my drums. It will be so cool to check and send emails while driving down the interstate or issuing a homeowners policy while merging into trafic. I can make money while driving kind of like my own 'cash cab'. Nothing like writing car insurance while driving 65mph. It should give me a better feel for the coverages my customers needs. I'm also having a coffee machine added and because of the coffe machine I'm thinking a toilet might be a good idea. Then if another drive pisses me off I can just get in front of them and flush. Its in the design stage now but soon I shale be faxing and craping all around a town near you.