Driving while texting might soon to be illegal

[Spursmania]

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A commuter is shown texting on his cell phone. The US senate introduced legislation today that seeks to ban texting while driving.
(Newscom)

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OMG! Driving while texting might soon be illegal

Democratic senators proposed a bill Wednesday that would pressure all states to prohibit drivers from texting. Fourteen states already do.
By Tracey D. Samuelson (http://www.csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/contactus.pl) | Contributor/ July 29, 2009 edition

Texting behind the wheel might soon be illegal if the US Senate has its way.
Democratic senators, led by Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York, introduced legislation today that seeks to ban texting while driving.
The legislation comes on the heels of a report released Monday which found that drivers are 23 times more likely to have an accident (http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/07/28/study-texts-while-driving-even-more-dangerous/) if texting while driving.
“Texting while driving is not just a bad habit, it’s a deadly one,” Senator Schumer said at a press conference today. “The legislation will send an important message to drivers across the country: Get your hands off the cell phone and back on the wheel.”
The sponsoring senators suggested that messaging with a cell phone while operating a vehicle is potentially even more dangerous than driving intoxicated. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) of Louisiana said new technology “cries out” for national attention.
The dangers of texting behind the wheel have received increased attention after several high profile accidents in which text messaging was thought to be to blame.
Fifty people were injured in Boston when one subway trolley collided with another in May, allegedly because the conductor was texting his girlfriend (http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/05/ems_49_taken_to.html) at the time of the accident. Last September, 25 people were killed in southern California in a commuter rail accident that has also been blamed on texting (http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0917/p25s15-usgn.html).
Under the proposed legislation, states would be required to pass their own bills banning texting and e-mailing while driving within two years or risk losing federal highway money. States would also set their own penalties and fines. Already, 14 states have banned texting while driving.
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I've seen people texting away and it's usually when they're swerving into my lane or don't go when the light has changed to green because they're not paying attention.

Should it be banned?

[Das Texan]

are they going to ban eating while driving?

shaving while driving?

putting makeup on while driving?

et al

also?

[Frenzy]

i'm all for it. If it's not important enough to call...just wait till you stop cot dayum.

[AZLouis]

My sister's fiancee was killed in a car accident when the driver of a Suburban decided it was time to text the wife to see what was for dinner.

In the moment he looked down to text traffic stopped on the 101 and the Suburban rear ended CJ's Malibu. He suffered for a few minutes before finally dying.

I always support these attempts to make them illegal.

[Spursmania]

My sister's fiancee was killed in a car accident when the driver of a Suburban decided it was time to text the wife to see what was for dinner.

In the moment he looked down to text traffic stopped on the 101 and the Suburban rear ended CJ's Malibu. He suffered for a few minutes before finally dying.

I always support these attempts to make them illegal.

Wow-that's pretty sad. If anyone from SA remembers a local Doctor last year was running in the park when a car just veered across a lane and hit him. The Doctor died. The authorities believed the driver was either texting or dialing a number on his cell.

[iggypop123]

about time. the only thing allowed should be gettnig a bj while driving otherwise ban everything

[phyzik]

this pisses me off.... it takes away one of my pass-times while driving...

Nothing better than driving up on a person fucking with their cell phone and holding your horn down while driving next to them. Makes them think twice about it the next time Im sure. The best one was an obvious soccer mom in an SUV bullshitting with her cellphone. I scared the fuck out of her so bad she dropped her phone. I was satisfied at that point and gave her a freindly smile.

seriously though, this is a very good thing but first they should have made it illegal for women to fuck with their make-up in the car. Im STILL waiting for that one. At least I still have those drivers to fuck with. Nothing better than seeing a streak of eye-liner or lipstick run across someones face.

Just to be clear, I totally fucking hate you women that do this shit. Im not talking about hate like I hate the Mavs, Im talking pure hate you should be injured severely kind of hate. I've had too many close calls with women that do this shit, thats why I make it a point to scare the shit out of them to scare them out of doing it. If its THAT big of a fucking deal to look like a slut before you get to your job, wake the fuck up earlier to take care of business.

[pawe]

this pisses me off.... it takes away one of my pass-times while driving...

Nothing better than driving up on a person fucking with their cell phone and holding your horn down while driving next to them. Makes them think twice about it the next time Im sure. The best one was an obvious soccer mom in an SUV bullshitting with her cellphone. I scared the fuck out of her so bad she dropped her phone. I was satisfied at that point and gave her a freindly smile.

seriously though, this is a very good thing but first they should have made it illegal for women to fuck with their make-up in the car. Im STILL waiting for that one. At least I still have those drivers to fuck with. Nothing better than seeing a streak of eye-liner or lipstick run across someones face.

Just to be clear, I totally fucking hate you women that do this shit. Im not talking about hate like I hate the Mavs, Im talking pure hate you should be injured severely kind of hate. I've had too many close calls with women that do this shit, thats why I make it a point to scare the shit out of them to scare them out of doing it. If its THAT big of a fucking deal to look like a slut before you get to your job, wake the fuck up earlier to take care of business.

Better stop doing it now then, we dont want another ST member getting shot.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Can you still drink and Drive in Texas? I know there was a time you could.

[Jimcs50]

I have to stop texting my girlfriend when I am driving, but it is a hard habit to break.

[Spursmania]

Yes, I have to completely stop using my cell the way I do before tragedy strikes... I know I dig into my purse when the phone rings.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

dCHdZxO4_tQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCHdZxO4_tQ

[bigzak25]

texting while driving...Jesus Christ people.

i had to carpool with wifey yesterday morning and guess what i caught her doing.

ridiculous. she got an earful fo sure!

she says bad habit, and i had to say, NO, biting fingernails is a bad habit, that's some deadly shit your doing.

[SpursWoman]

about time. the only thing allowed should be gettnig a bj while driving otherwise ban everything

I happened upon an accident many years ago in the wee hours of the morning where a big Bronco (yeah, I said many years ago) uprooted a 100 year old oak tree in someone's front yard. She bit his dick off on impact ... he bled to death and she asphyxiated on it and died ... and someone had to explain that to that girl's parents.

That scarred me for life ... so just pull the fuck over, already. :lol


And it pisses me off to no end when I see people texting & driving ... I don't even like talking on the phone unless it's extremely important. :fro

[Fillmoe]

it already is in ca

[SpursWoman]

I think it is here already in school zones I believe ...

[rjv]

needs to get done. this is out of control already.

[Cry Havoc]

are they going to ban eating while driving?

shaving while driving?

putting makeup on while driving?

et al

also?

I wish they would.

If you are driving, DRIVE. If you are doing anything else, you're essentially piloting a two-ton bullet.

I'm all for this ban. I wonder how many people have already been killed or seriously hurt because someone ELSE was texting.

[Dex]

I really thought it already was illegal.

Obviously texting and driving is stupid, but it does bring up a point. I, like a lot of people, have an iPod connector for my radio. Since all of my music is on my iPod, I use it primarily in the car. I don't want to get pulled over by some cop just for trying to change the track on my radio, but I guess it probably isn't a whole lot safer.

I guess the smart thing to do would be to set your playlist and let it be.

More interesting reading:

Texting while driving makes you 23 times more likely to crash (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/07/29/texting-while-driving-makes-you-23-times-more-likely-to-crash-115875-21555088/)

[Crookshanks]

I think it's really sad that we have to have a Federal law banning an activity that people should KNOW is dangerous. It's a shame we have to legislate stupidity.

[mrsmaalox]

I think it's really sad that we have to have a Federal law banning an activity that people should KNOW is dangerous. It's a shame we have to legislate stupidity.

Sure it's ridiculous. It's been a real long time since I've taken a philosophy course, but aren't these measures necessary because of the fallacy of selective reasoning? Until our brains evolve enough to let us recognize what is good for us, we'll need someone telling us the obvious. It's human nature :lol

edit: Maybe I got that one wrong. Is it that although we know what is bad or unsafe, we just don't think it applies to us? Because we know those bad things will never happen to us?

[bus driver]

we need a law for this???
This should be common sense.
the world is full of stupid peopl.......(wait, the car in front of me is braking)

[Shelly]

Wow-that's pretty sad. If anyone from SA remembers a local Doctor last year was running in the park when a car just veered across a lane and hit him. The Doctor died. The authorities believed the driver was either texting or dialing a number on his cell.

That was just down the street from. Thank God I wasn't driving on Bandera at the time to see that. So sad.

That should make cellphones allowed only with bluetooth like in CA.

[Cry Havoc]

I think it's really sad that we have to have a Federal law banning an activity that people should KNOW is dangerous. It's a shame we have to legislate stupidity.

Uh. Speed limit?

[mrsmaalox]

You can't text or use a cell phone without a headset while driving on military bases. It's heavily enforced and you'll lose your driving privileges on post, for life.

[jack sommerset]

YESSSSSSSSSS.... Ban these fuckers for that. If you ever texted while driving you know it is dangerous. Very fucking dangerous. Eatting you can keep ur eyes on the road. Talking you can use speaker and keep ur eyes on the road.

I saw some asshole 3-4 months ago in traffic..Not highway traffic but after work traffic on 6 lane roads (40-45 mph) talking on the phone with one hand, the other hand had a burger in it and steering with it...... Here is the fucked up but funny part. For whatever reason he wanted to honk at someone so he used his HEAD.

[SpursWoman]

OMG ... I was just driving home and got stuck behind this guy that was driving so slow he was impeding traffic, which was heavy to begin with. Everyone is cursing and weaving trying to get around him, but of course he was taking the same exit as me.

We finally get through the cloverleaf/interchange thingy and I can get around his ass ... and HE'S READING A FREAKING NEWSPAPER!!!?!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I swear to Allah, I wanted to run that BMW right into a ditch. :flipoff

/rant

[Marcus Bryant]

I like it when you're angry.

[sabar]

Sure it's ridiculous. It's been a real long time since I've taken a philosophy course, but aren't these measures necessary because of the fallacy of selective reasoning? Until our brains evolve enough to let us recognize what is good for us, we'll need someone telling us the obvious. It's human nature :lol

edit: Maybe I got that one wrong. Is it that although we know what is bad or unsafe, we just don't think it applies to us? Because we know those bad things will never happen to us?

We are very evolved in rational thinking. The rational person thinks that the personal good they gain from texting outweighs the bad yet unlikely car accident they could get into.

Its a risk/reward scenario, like the many we go through every day. People just underestimate how risk it is.


Uh. Speed limit?

Speed limits don't actually reduce traffic fatalities, probably since going 70 or 120 MPH will kill you either way. Thats more of something the government legislates to ease the fear from the stupidity of people.

[sabar]

Car HUDs will be common in 30 years!

[mrsmaalox]

We are very evolved in rational thinking. The rational person thinks that the personal good they gain from texting outweighs the bad yet unlikely car accident they could get into.

Its a risk/reward scenario, like the many we go through every day. People just underestimate how risk it is.

Yea that's what I meant :lol Thanks :toast

[Cry Havoc]

OMG ... I was just driving home and got stuck behind this guy that was driving so slow he was impeding traffic, which was heavy to begin with. Everyone is cursing and weaving trying to get around him, but of course he was taking the same exit as me.

We finally get through the cloverleaf/interchange thingy and I can get around his ass ... and HE'S READING A FREAKING NEWSPAPER!!!?!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I swear to Allah, I wanted to run that BMW right into a ditch. :flipoff

/rant

That's simple to fix.

Swing out in front of him. Position your car directly in front of his.

Wait for someone to brake in front of you (to give you an excuse) and then hit your brakes. Then collect his insurance money.

[sonic21]

it's already illegal in France. i thought it was the same everywhere.

[Cry Havoc]

Speed limits don't actually reduce traffic fatalities, probably since going 70 or 120 MPH will kill you either way. Thats more of something the government legislates to ease the fear from the stupidity of people.

What are you talking about?

Modern cars, even good ones, are usually not built to handle and maneuver at 120 mph.

You cannot POSSIBLY tell me that driving 70 is just as dangerous as 120. There is absolutely no basis in science for this. If you start to spin out at 70, you have a chance of saving your car. At 120, there's no hope to recover from a loss of traction unless you're driving a high performance car with excellent tires.

I know several people that have been in high speed accidents and walked away. You won't walk away if you wreck at 120mph. There's a massive difference in speed and control.

[mrsmaalox]

Why do car manufacturers and insurance companies conduct safety tests at different speeds?

[Fpoonsie]

I happened upon an accident many years ago in the wee hours of the morning where a big Bronco (yeah, I said many years ago) uprooted a 100 year old oak tree in someone's front yard. She bit his dick off on impact ... he bled to death and she asphyxiated on it and died ... and someone had to explain that to that girl's parents.

:lmao Get tha fuck outta here! TELL me there's a link for this story.

[Spursmania]

That was just down the street from. Thank God I wasn't driving on Bandera at the time to see that. So sad.

That should make cellphones allowed only with bluetooth like in CA.

:tuI'd be OK with it.

[holcs50]

Yea in cali can't be talking on a cellphone without a headset. Not sure about texting yet-I think it's still legal. I do it on seldom occasions and when I do its either at a stop light or a circumstance I know has no potential to be a problem, and these are short texts not paragraphs. ha. Im also not an idiot and put my head completely down----bring phone up, can still type in what you want while seeing if a light turns or break lights/whatever...Its called peripheral vision. and not once while i was texting at a light have i not noticed when it turns green or when the car in front of me moves. Don't ever take your eyes completely off the road, that's just retarded.

[Cry Havoc]

Why do car manufacturers and insurance companies conduct safety tests at different speeds?

To test crumple zones to ensure that they can handle different velocities at collision speeds, and to minimize damage/repair costs at lower speeds.

[Spursmania]

Congress will pass this into law, and it will be banned within a year is my guess.

[Taco]

Can you still drink and Drive in Texas? I know there was a time you could.

There was a time you could Drink WHILE Driving :wow