Texting while driving - cops should pull these people over and arrest them for reckless driving.

[Deja Q]

Want a problem solved? Do something. People will continue to act dumb like this. Most people cannot be bothered to think, like the car can drive on its own or something in their eyes...

[TexasObserver]

1. It is impossible to text while driving without being a road hazard to others.

Same for these idiots who actually try to read a book while driving.

[babylonsister]

2. Senate Introduces Bill to Ban Texting While Driving

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/29/AR2009072902039.html

Introduced today-they heard you! ;)

[SoCalNative]

4. I don't disagree with a ban

while actually driving (i.e. the vehicle is in motion).

But I see nothing wrong with being able to check your email or send a quick text while stopped for a red light.

[customerserviceguy]

6. If you are stopped for the red light

it is your job to make sure you move your ass just as absolutely soon as you can when the light turns, or the guy in front of you starts through the light.

That's the rule in this part of New York.

[SoCalNative]

9. Understood

but it takes 3 seconds to type a message and far longer for a red light to change to green.

[customerserviceguy]

11. OK, Mr. "I use abbreviations"

It might take you three seconds to type something incomprehensible to the normal person, but I would submit that you are fairly extraordinary in your ability to do so.

Does it take you longer than three seconds to say the same thing into the freaking phone?

[SoCalNative]

16. If I'm on the phone it's through the bluetooth

speaker device..but until they invent hands free bluetooth for email/text/Twitter...

[Fumesucker]

20. Someone should tell all the women checking their makeup in the mirror..

<ducking, running and hiding>

:hide:

Although to be completely fair there seem to be plenty of men who can't pay attention at a red light either, I'm not sure just what the hell their reason is though..

[Hansel]

23. Or men who put contacts on as they drive down the highway?

Or take in some oral afternoon delight. When you ride the bus, you see a lot.




Edit for lousy grammar.

[Fumesucker]

25. The "contacts" thing would be unisexual..

I've been wearing glasses for fifty years and never tried contacts though.. I've had enough crap in my eyes as it is, if I had worn contacts I'd probably be blind by now, I can think of at least twice that my glasses have almost certainly saved me from serious eye damage.

As for the "afternoon delight", umm.. err.. they say discretion is wise..

[Luminous Animal]

44. I've seen plenty of men shaving while driving (n/t)

[-..__...]

10. What on earth could be that important...

that you can't wait until you reach your destination to check your email?

One driving pet-peeve of mine is people delaying traffic because they're stopped at a light and not paying attention when the light changes; then they'll give the driver's beeping their horns behind them that look of fuck you/self-righteous indignation.

[customerserviceguy]

13. Look?

Here, you'll get an actual finger!

[pipi_k]

19. I can see a few problems, actually...

First among them being that a person can lose track of his other limbs and what they're doing. A foot can inadvertently come up from the brake pedal and the car can roll into the one in front. This happened to my mom one time. Unfortunately, the guy whose car she rolled into was an attorney. And a bastard on top of it.

OK, so the person doing the texting puts the car in park or neutral while texting to avoid accidental rolling...the light changes...he quickly puts it into drive, only he's so worried about holding up traffic he doesn't notice the car isn't in drive...it's in reverse...he steps on the gas....

oops.

solution?

if the text message is that important, there are always parking lots or a place on the shoulder where a person can safely stop the car and do his texting.

IMO, a whole lot of people are dangerous enough behind the wheel without adding more for them to focus on besides their driving...

[Hansel]

22. Also, if the light changes before they are finished texting

they won't stop texting, but they will start driving. A couple of weeks ago we were almost side-swiped by some idiot who did that exact thing.

We are at the red light making a left turn and the woman in the car next to us starts texting. The light turns green and both cars take off but the woman continues to text. As she makes the turn she swerves at our car and drives us off the road. She looks up and starts giggling because she's embarrassed. She then swerves back into her own lane and nearly side-swipes the car that was behind her that has now pulled up even with her (also an idiot but that's another story). Everyone then begins swerving and honking except for us who on off the road and stunned. Luckily no one was hit, but it could have been disastrous as we were on a busy and fast highway and the woman had 3 young children in the back seat.

There is nothing that damn important that they can't wait until they are parked.

[NYC_SKP]

3. In these parts, slow car in fast or middle lane of freeway, 30 car lengths open ahead of them....

Texting while driving. Sometimes talking but usually texting--you can see them looking down toward their lap or at their phone as you pass.

I always long for an industrial strength military spec lazer vaporizer at these times.

Bddddzzzzz! Driver and vehicle-- Gone!

[Berry Cool]

15. These same people text or talk on the phone while standing in line, and don't move with the line.

And when they finally get to the clerk who's supposed to wait on them, the clerk has to wait for them to interrupt their phone call in order to make the transaction. Half the time they try to talk to both the clerk and the phone at the same time, and they act as if the clerk is the intrusion. Meanwhile, you're behind them, still waiting.

I love, love, LOVE the signs in some establishments now that say "We Will Be Happy To Serve You As Soon as You Finish Your Phone Call."

[The Doctor.]

33. Actually, I have a design for a nice, simple

Ion particle gun, capacitor-charged off the engine, under-frame mounted, forward-facing. The output is just enough to kill an engine 30 feet in front of you... as well as the cell phone and any pacemakers or other vital devices.

Best part?

No proof you had anything to do with it... the car just seems to die.

Unfortunately, I can't bring myself to market it. It really would kill pacemakers, and I'm not about that.

[NYC_SKP]

34. ooooooh!

But for that pacemaker problem, it sounds delicious! :evilgrin:

[SemiCharmedQuark]

5. You haven't lived until you've driven Downtown Chicago

The streets are treacherous at BEST of times without moron drivers texting at the same time.

[Skink]

7. Voice activated text messages.

Problem solved.

Now if we could only get the voice activated text messages to be translated and read aloud by the recievers phone.

Wait that's just like talking on the phone.

[Fumesucker]

27. Ahem...

http://jott.com/

[customerserviceguy]

8. Is texting worth it?

Is it worth having the ability to do something we couldn't possibly do twenty years ago, if it's going to kill people or seriously fuck up some expensive property? I'd venture to say that 99.999% of text messages are pure bullshit, anyway.

Why can't we just simply get rid of it? Are we waiting for a particular number of people to die first?

[Hansel]

26. Exercising a little self restraint isn't too much too ask.

I think that they need to put safety devices in cars that will scramble reception unless the car is in park and the ignition is turned off. Unfortunately, that would probably result in people putting their car in park and turning the ignition off in the middle of the highway.

If they get that scrambling device they should put it on buses too. Ah, peace and quiet.

[customerserviceguy]

43. I wouldn't have a problem with somebody else on the bus texting

but that scrambler device would be great at the movie theater. It's like shining a flashlight into the eyes of the person in the seat behind you.

[Mariana]

12. My sister-in-law ran into a telephone pole while texting.

She went right off the road and onto the sidewalk. The airbag broke her sternum. She claims she just "glanced" at her cell phone. BS. She texts all the time.

It could very easily have been a pedestrian she hit instead of a telephone pole. Next time maybe it will be.

[customerserviceguy]

14. Good point

We're clearly waiting until a certain body count is reached before we ban this insidious practice.

Or, maybe we will save a goodly number of those lives if a really important person dies from being run over by a texting driver. Or maybe it will be the loved one of a really important person, that might be more effective.

[JonQ]

17. Yep, ought to be considered impaired driving

I don't see much difference between an individual driving while texting and driving while intoxicated.

I wonder if anyone has begun collecting the stats on this? It would be hard as many would not admit it, and unlike drunk driving there isn't some test the cops can force you to take to see if you were distracted before the accident.

[Fumesucker]

28. I had a sister in law that rear ended a school bus..

And this was well before she had a cell phone..

That was far from the only traffic mishap in which she was involved.

Now she talks on the cell all the time while driving :scared:

[Blue Gardener]

35. Sounds like my sister

Worst driver ever when not on the phone, even worse when she just can't wait to make a phone call. Her insurance company dropped her for making too many claims. I swear I will never ride with her again, it terrifies me.

[MercutioATC]

18. Except "reckless operation" has guidelines.

The driver must be operating the vehicle in an erratic or "reckless" manner.

If the driver isn't doing that, they can't be charged with reckless operation.

[Hansel]

29. If you're texting while driving you are operating a car in

reckless disregard for the safety of others. You're supposed to have your eyes on the road at all times and texting is not conducive to doing this. No matter how clever.

[dugaresa]

21. texting while driving, anyone who does that has to be just stupid

not just stupid, but profoundly stupid.

Operating a vehicle that weighs thousands of pounds, where you need at least one hand on the wheel at all times if not both. The vehicle is worth money, the people (who may along for the ride) in the car are priceless, the pedestrians and other drivers out there are priceless and then for anyone to think it is okay to text and distract yourself like that? That is just dumb dumb dumb with an extra helping of dumb.

Anyone found guilty of texting while driving when an accident occurs should get a sentence equal to that of drunk driving in my opinion. Considering that a person who is sober is purposely distracting themselves from the task at hand and callously putting other people at risk in order to text some inane comment to a friend, while operating a vehicle.

[DailyGrind51]

24. And, if they cause an accident, be cuffed like any DUI suspect!

[GodlyDemocrat]

30. No to a police state

n/t

[Hansel]

31. Driving is a privilege not a right.

Other people on the road have a right to drive without someone recklessly endangering their lives. That's why we have traffic laws. This is simply a new traffic law that is necessary because some people simple have no common sense.

[GodlyDemocrat]

40. There's a difference betwwen a ticket (or warning) and arrest

n/t

[NutmegYankee]

45. You get arrested for being drunk. Why not texting?

You have been proven to drive just as badly while talking on a cell phone as if you were drunk.

Tickets are better reserved for minor infractions that are usually unlikely to kill someone like not wearing the seat belt, speeding (non-reckless), or failure to stop at a stop sign.

Jailing a person for the day and taking their license away for a few months would nip this selfishness right in the bud.

[LooseWilly]

42. Are people going to be allowed to text while riding a bicycle?

Or are they going to be given tickets for that too, since it's also a vehicle, legally speaking. (And yes, it is possible to get a DUI/DWI on a bicycle... of the cop is enough of a dick... or you're Dr. Gates.)

[CrispyQ]

32. Thanks to the DUer who posted this last week.

[MinneapolisMatt]

36. Brilliant cartoon!

Love it. :)

[paulsby]

37. i love these inane posts that have no understanding of the law

in my state, at least (and one other i have worked) texting does not meet the legal threshold for reckless in and of itself. you can't arrest people if there is no probable cause. you probably don't understand what reckless means. in my jurisdiction, you MUST show that a specific member of the public was placed in danger by the driver's action. you also have a state of mind to prove. if you can show a person texting, ended up swerving and almost hitting a guy on the sidewalk, THAT would be reckless under our statute. merely texting would not be. you are essentially advocating that cops violate the law and arrest people WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE.

[galileoreloaded]

38. If the texter is male, I vote a taser to the family jewels......

that'll teach em'.

[ConnorMarc]

39. Its Highly Dangerous and Should be Illegal Everywhere

Just earlier this year, I was texting during a red light and when I thought the light turned green I pressed gas.

Of course I hit the car in front of me, nothing to speak of no damage or anything, but the lady came out making a bunch of noise about her back hurting...although I tapped her car.

The officer wrote me a ticket of driving too close and sent me on my way.

I was scared sh!tless, becuase imagine if it were a pedestrain or if I had hit the car harder?

It was quite a lesson for me.

Even while attempting to text in regular traffic, its extremely difficult to succesfully do that and drive safely at thte same time.

I was listening to Diane Rehm's show today and they were talking about that for an entire hour, and some callers called in defending texting...citing that they should test for people to be able to drive while texting so that not everyone should be penalized for it.

Madness.

[LooseWilly]

41. Let's just cut to the chase, shall we?

I want it to be legal to run people off the road if they're not driving up to my standards. And, while we're at it... I want it to be legal for anyone who feels that I'm not driving up to their standards to try to run me off the road.

That just sounds like fun to me... :)

:applause:
:toast:
:evilgrin:

[TheKentuckian]

46. Texting and even dialing while driving is stupid but I don't get the big deal with

talking. All kinds of people are on 2 ways and CB's all around you and its not an issue. Talking to a mic and talking into the phone are the same thing, in fact I'd say the phone is better as it is cordless and doesn't require hitting the talk.

Are there accidents with people on phones? Certainly but most (if not all) of those people would be inclined to have wrecks anyway because some folks are crappy drivers. In fact, I'd say their are more wrecks caused by people messing with their stereos than all phone related accidents, including texting (which is again dumb).

[DCKit]

47. My favorite, of all time and the ONE who convinced me that cell phones should be banned in cars...

was the guy having an argument with whomever, and slammed on his breaks in the middle of a busy DC intersection... to punctuate his argument.

We may be training a whole new generation to multi-task, but people in their 40's aren't capable (yeah, I could, but I don't), and the kids I know - even my own family - are idiots who can't chew while walking gum. And I have an explanation for that....

I gave my Mom 'Harry Potter' on tape last week, and BOTH of us caught more of the nuances and text than we ever did reading the book... listening + talking takes more brain power and you can't add that to driving for most of the population without disastrous effects. 20% of the population are BushCo* Republicans - insane and/or stupid - can we allow them to talk and drive, let alone text and drive?

No, no, no, no, no....

[NecklyTyler]

48. Thinking is hard, texting is easy

Let the people who can't manage texting and driving think about it in jail