Poll: Texting while Driving

[Stammer]

It cannot be done. Don't give me that look for all of you who do it. It cannot be done. It is entirely impossible to be concentrating on the road and all four hundred vehicles within the proximity of your own and also thinking of where the letters are on your cell phone.

Most accidents these days tend to be caused by people like that. I know a couple of my cousins who normally would drive safely have gotten into accidents- yes, while texting. A lady drove off of a bridge in the middle of winter and an old man and his son had to save her from the frozen river below. Two vehicles went to turn right at an intersection. The one in front stopped to let a young woman cross the street, and the one behind rear-ended him, forcing him into the woman and seriously injuring her. Just today, I was driving to work and this guy in front of me didn't take off when the light turned green. After a second, I honked. He didn't move. I noticed he was sending a text message. When I honked again, he flashed me the finger, and then took off so slowly I actually had to sit through the light a second time.

Some people say they can text and drive better than they can talk and drive. Well, even if that was the case, that's still not very good- a lot of accidents before were caused because people were too immersed in conversation.

Many accidents, many injuries, and a couple of deaths are at the guilt of texting drivers. To me, that's driving impaired because you're not fully conscious of the environment. And with that said, I really think they should make it illegal. Or at least do something about it.

 

[the monopoly guy]

Dawrinism, the fit and the smart survive.
Reverse Dawrinism, the dumb and the weak survive
Texting whilst driving, the dumbest idea ever.



ever.

 

[Churchman]

Wow, and I thought talking on the phone was bad, but TEXTING!? Damn. Darwinism will deal with it tho.

 

[smallharmlesskitten]

Illegal in NZ very shortly.

Curses. Now I'm just gonna have to read a book while driving

Anyway on a side note: The minister for Transport says the reason he took so long to Ban cellphones in cars was because he would also have to ban eating Pies while driving.

Fucked up reason

 

[Churchman]

... eating pies? thats some random logic right there.

 

[Stammer]

Well, even eating pies wouldn't be that bad. Chewing on food requires almost no concentration whatsoever. I can eat ice cream and drive no problem... so long as it's on a cone.

 

[smallharmlesskitten]

I'm not kidding. eating a steak and cheese pie while driving can cause you to crash

 

[Ultrajoe]

id say, while its stupid, its not as impossible as you make out, with muscle memory stringing together some basic button punches couldn't take more concentration than talking to the passenger.

If you need to look at the phone while you text, then its stupid.

 

[qbert4ever]

Bah. I hate texting anyways. Make the whole thing illegal and be done with it.

 

[PurpleRain]

It's already illegal in Australia. Has been for some time too.

Dawrinism, the fit and the smart survive.
Reverse Dawrinism, the dumb and the weak survive
Texting whilst driving, the dumbest idea ever.



ever.

Except in a car you can kill others to.

 

[Protagonist]

Speaking of cheese, one guy I know almost crashed because he tried to eat cheese cake while driving.
Of course this should be illegal.
Besides, its that much easier just to pull off the road to text. No distractions from your constant motion.

 

[Stammer]

id say, while its stupid, its not as impossible as you make out, with muscle memory stringing together some basic button punches couldn't take more concentration than talking to the passenger.

If you need to look at the phone while you text, then its stupid.

First of all, most people do have to look at the phone to text. Secondly, even if that wasn't the case, you're still throwing a lot of concentration down into deciding what to text, and where your finger goes next. Unless you are an absolute text messaging god (which I think you'd be better off dead anyway), a lot of the words you type are going to turn out wrong. Not every time you use the whole auto-word thing will it go to the correct word. And you're going to want to glance at your phone for a brief second.

The worst is when people do this WHILE TAILGATING. I mean, jeez. It's bad enough you have to have an extra 1-5 seconds of time before you can react, but damn if you're half a foot behind the guy in front of you.

 

[SeaCalMaster]

Text and Drive: It's still legal in the state of California! (Even though talking on the phone while driving isn't.)

 

[iamnotincompliance]

Maybe it's just because I don't a cell phone (short answer that 90% of people will except: no one calls me anyway), but I've never seen the point of texting on a phone, period. In my mind, it seems that if I'm already holding a phone, the thing to do, should I decide to contact someone, would be to call them on said phone. Besides, as soon as the politicians catch wind of this and actually do something about it, the next abomination will already be in full swing. In fact, I believe the next abomination is already here, as heralded by the new third generation iPhone: browsing the web while driving. Just wait and see, and remember that I called it.

 

[Ultrajoe]

id say, while its stupid, its not as impossible as you make out, with muscle memory stringing together some basic button punches couldn't take more concentration than talking to the passenger.

If you need to look at the phone while you text, then its stupid.

First of all, most people do have to look at the phone to text. Secondly, even if that wasn't the case, you're still throwing a lot of concentration down into deciding what to text, and where your finger goes next. Unless you are an absolute text messaging god (which I think you'd be better off dead anyway), a lot of the words you type are going to turn out wrong. Not every time you use the whole auto-word thing will it go to the correct word. And you're going to want to glance at your phone for a brief second.

The worst is when people do this WHILE TAILGATING. I mean, jeez. It's bad enough you have to have an extra 1-5 seconds of time before you can react, but damn if you're half a foot behind the guy in front of you.

now, i'm as phone-phobic as they come, i use an old nokia brick and groove out to retro-snake, my ringtone uses 3 notes and i have to use a knuckle to get one button to register, and even then while pressing hard.

But even with my 5 message a week, under 5 words a pop habit, i can text without a glance at the screen.

Its like typing, do it enough and you don't actually need to look down, try it, seriously. Right now, do it in response to this.

Are you doing it? im willing to bet your making mistakes.

Give it a week, you'll be a pro.

 

[stompy]

Yeh, I reckon your full concentration should be on the road. So, I'm all for calls and texting being banned while driving.

Anecdote

Wow... why isn't her ass in jail? Rotting, like she deserves.

 

[windfish]

Getting struck by lightening: acceptable way to die.
Skydiving incident: acceptable way to die.
Text-related car crash: stupid way to die.

Driving while intoxicated is illegal because it puts you and everyone around you at risk. Texting while driving does the same, and it should be banned.


(Freak Gardening accident: Spinal Tap way to die.)

 

[HSIAMetalKing]

I dislike texting-- unfortunately all my friends communicate almost solely by text message. So I've reached the point where I don't really have to be concentrating on the phone to send a message-- and I do frequently do so while driving.

Stupid? Perhaps. It can be useful when you don't want to turn the music down to actually talk, though.