One in Three Americans Still Text and Drive

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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May 9, 2000
Messages
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After all of this time, with study after study, along with states passing numerous laws banning texting and driving, American motorists are still taking their life and yours literally in their fingers. The studies all confirm that texting is as bad as drunk driving, but it still continues at epidemic levels despite the fines and warnings.

Some states even make it illegal to use your mobile phone at all while driving, while some states will allow you to talk, but not text. However, it turns out that 1 in 3 US drivers still text when behind the wheel.
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Those are scary numbers, because it's not 1 in 3 who used to text and drive still do, 1 in 3 do it... maybe if they upped penalties beyond a slap on the wrist we'd be good, like first violation kind of put it up there with reckless driving, maybe $500 fine, after that, impound someone's car for a week (and yeah they have to pay the impound fees to get it out)
 
I wonder if there was a difference in amount of crashes since texting became widespread.
 
Until the fines for breaking these laws are more than just a slap on the wrist people are just going to keep ignoring them, like they do in my state. Drunk driving is bad but doing something equally as dangerous is just fine, apparently.
 
Don't see how scarfing down a big mac and driving is any more safe.

Distracted driving is bad, k? Slapping a $500 fine down isn't going to make it happen less either. Quoting scary numbers of how many accidents are caused by them isn't going to do anything either.

What do I suggest? No clue. People are going to do stupid shit behind the wheel regardless.
 
Ha, It's illegal in my state...But I still do it. Does that make me a badass or an idiot? I'd like to say both.
 
I like to know what's so damn important to text while driving.

As a cyclist I have been clipped three times by drivers within a one year period. Lucky for me, I suffered no lasting injuries and remembering all those broken mirrors puts a large smile on my face.
 
Illegal in GA... I see prople text and drive all the time. People text me and I usually call them back.
 
To quote a cheesy campaign, "Distracted driving is dangerous driving." Regardless of the manner of distraction. Texting, drinking, eating, make-up, shaving, in-car domestic violence, it's all the same. It's the driver's choice of course, but I prefer to keep away from such foolish people. Unfortunately, those people tend to prefer staying far too close to me (and other drivers).
 
I find it hard to believe it's this low. Practically everyone I know (friends, family, coworkers, etc) all text and drive. One in three might admit to it, but I think some might be lying. Or, I live in the area of the USA with the worst drivers in the country (which wouldn't surprise me either).
 
I blame the parents.:D

Honestly, NOTHING you have to fkg say is worth somebodies life. Crap, most of it ain't worth the electricity required.

Drive like you mean it, or take a fookin' bus.

Let's do the Speeding/DUI thing to these pricks. If you are in an accident, and you were using cellular communications at the time, you are at fault 100% of the time. No questions. And it goes on your driving record.
 
My daughter did a science-fair project about cellphones and driving.

85% of people on a cellphone have reduced reaction times. Sometimes as high as 1000% over normal conditions.

And Mythbusters says you are safer driving drunk than on a phone.
 
B!nd. said:
I was playing Poke'mon and driving. It was excellent.
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I was getting a blowjob while driving a 66 Toronado while stoned outta my gourd.

Beats video games IMO. But to each their own.

Nobody cares if you text or talk on the phone or beat off while driving. IF you are good at it.

You aren't. You just think you are. Everyone around you thinks you're a waste of sperm.
 
It's cool maybe they'll also be the same people who drink and drive they'll be dead soon enough.
 
On the one hand, it's hilarious to see a person look down at his phone for 15 seconds, and then crash into a pole.

On the other, it would piss me off if some texting jackass crashed into me.
 
I would like to the police take away their cars for a month if cought texting, might send a message.
Harsh punishment yes but if it stops even one from being killed I'd say it's worth it.

Not long ago a motorcyclist in UK was killed by someone talking on a phone.
In UK it is illegal to text or having a call while you are holding the phone, handsfree is allowed.
At first the car driver denied being on the phone, later in interrogation she admited being on the phone but later changed her statement to the phone being on her lap and on speaker.
Did not get sentenced due to lack of evidence, could not be proven she held the phone in her hand.
She is a police woman that have issued a number of tickets to people being on the phone while driving.
 
I actually tried texting and driving a while ago.

it took me 5x longer to type the message. I had to hold the phone above the wheel in my line of sight, type one letter, look at the road, type, look, type, look.

fuck it. Just make a voice call. We've all become mutes.
 
colinstu said:
Don't see how scarfing down a big mac and driving is any more safe.

Distracted driving is bad, k? Slapping a $500 fine down isn't going to make it happen less either. Quoting scary numbers of how many accidents are caused by them isn't going to do anything either.

What do I suggest? No clue. People are going to do stupid shit behind the wheel regardless.
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If you can't put your hand to your mouth without looking at it then you don't belong behind the wheel of a car anyway. Not meaning you, just in general. I can eat and pay attention to other stuff, been doing it for years. Texting without looking at my hands, not so much.
 
i just searched the net, and there are a number of free voice2text apps.

wonder why 1/3 texters aren't using them
 
dr.kevin said:
I actually tried texting and driving a while ago.

it took me 5x longer to type the message. I had to hold the phone above the wheel in my line of sight, type one letter, look at the road, type, look, type, look.

fuck it. Just make a voice call. We've all become mutes.
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I've driven cross country literally across the whole country a couple times in my life from cali to Virginia just last winter and during the whole time nothing was completing enough for me to think i couldn't at least pull over to check it out or make a call. 5 extra mins of my life is not gonna kill me, black ice under overpasses almost killed me though. so Ice > phone.
 
Note:

When we did the science fair experiment, it had NOTHING to do with looking at your hands. Or holding a hand up.

Here's the problem, the part of your brain that decodes communications is butt ass slow. And it can over-ride the subconscious brain which is relatively fast. Most folk require 0.20 seconds to move a muscle from a command input. If you are decoding communications from other people, it can increase to as high as 20 seconds. Kid you not. Most people though hit in the 0.45 second area.

ie - you travel over twice as far before reacting, on the average.

Hands-free fixes nothing. Why doesn't talking to passengers or eating do as bad? Eating is sub-conscience and your passengers can see what their surroundings are. Someone on the other end of a phone can't.

Wise up. If your is REALLY important, it's important enough to give it your UNDIVIDED attention. Or are you saying the person you're talking/texting to isn't worth 5 minutes?
 
dr.kevin said:
I actually tried texting and driving a while ago.

it took me 5x longer to type the message. I had to hold the phone above the wheel in my line of sight, type one letter, look at the road, type, look, type, look.

fuck it. Just make a voice call. We've all become mutes.
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I think a bit of context is needed for that study. I occasionally type out a message while sitting at the lights, but I'm careful to keep an eye on the lights so I'm not left dawdling when it changes to hold people up and the message is usually a response to a missed call or message with "driving, ttyl". If I don't get the message done before the lights change I just toss my phone on the other seat and keep driving.

Does that mean I'd be included in that 1 in 3?

Texting while actually moving is bloody hard. I'd never even attempt it when there's anything within cooee that I could hit (if you're driving at 2am on a 3 lane highway and there's no cars within sight, text to your heart's content :p).
 
Just read part of the study.
The study also found that 31 percent of drivers in the United States reported that they had read or sent text messages or emails while driving
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If you include reading a text then I'm guilty. If I get a call while driving I'll pick up the phone to check who it is, and if it was a text message, these new fangled phones have the message displayed on the screen for several seconds after the message is received, so yeah, I'll glance at it while I'm driving.

Big difference between briefly glancing at a text and actually trying to type one.
 
Personally, I need to refuel every 4 hours. There is little I can do about anything in-between.

So when I stop (usually under 4 hours, typical 15 minutes), I deal with calls.

If something is so important that 15 minutes is problem, they send helicopters and SWAT.

If you are so important you need to in constant communications with the world, you normally have staff to handle it.
 
Gotta love seeing Cops text and drive. Also gotta love almost getting t-boned by a cop who was texting. I was watching him the whole time hoping he'd blow his yield sign and crush me. my passenger side door is rushing slightly around the corner.
 
Tudz said:
... but I'm careful to keep an eye on the lights so I'm not left dawdling ....
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HEY! I was behind you Friday. It was a short left turn light, which everyone local knows, and you were the only one who got through the intersection, but you had to blow the yellow light to do it, and only after a dozen horns were blaring at you.

:D:D:D
 
Qinsp said:
If you are so important you need to in constant communications with the world, you normally have staff to handle it.
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That's a bit of a silly comment. Of course the world isn't going to end for most people if they don't read a text message or answer a call for 15 minutes, but it does streamline life a bit when I can message my housemate on their way home "can you pick up some milk on your way" or driving to meet up with friends give them a quick call and say "wanna catch X movie in 10 minutes at Y cinema?"

I'm personally torn on the idea of being allowed to use your phone and drive (whether it be talking or texting). Personally I don't like the idea of people doing it and it does decrease your ability to drive properly, I don't use a phone and drive in any sort of traffic as I know it decreases my ability to drive (though I might make a call if the road is empty and I have tons of space). But on the other hand it's an acquired skill, my sister talks and drives all the time and I don't feel worried when she does... because she drives over an hour to work and an hour home and in that time is setting up meetings and sorting out random things that she doesn't want to take time away from work to do.
 
Qinsp said:
HEY! I was behind you Friday. It was a short left turn light, which everyone local knows, and you were the only one who got through the intersection, but you had to blow the yellow light to do it, and only after a dozen horns were blaring at you.

:D:D:D
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I wasn't on the phone, I was just half asleep :D
 
Not everybody sucks at driving while cellphoning. But the vast majority do.

I think it has something to do with how important and how much thought you put into communications. The smarter you are, and more you think before talking, the more it interferes with driving.

I know lots of women who can talk and drive. They aren't excellent at either one, but they can do both at a modest level.
 
colinstu said:
Don't see how scarfing down a big mac and driving is any more safe.

Distracted driving is bad, k? Slapping a $500 fine down isn't going to make it happen less either. Quoting scary numbers of how many accidents are caused by them isn't going to do anything either.

What do I suggest? No clue. People are going to do stupid shit behind the wheel regardless.
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Easy, my eyes don't need to leave the road to eat. Not even remotely comparable. As someone who averages 5k miles a month, I eat in the car a ton. My eyes never need leave the road for that. Texting however is a completely different problem. People talking on their cell phones are many times more dangerous than someone eating.
 
The smarter you are, and more you think before talking, the more it interferes with driving.
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lolwut? Equating "smart" with thinking before talking AND it interfering with driving? That's like a double wammy of craziness. :p
Qinsp said:
Not everybody sucks at driving while cellphoning. But the vast majority do.

I think it has something to do with how important and how much thought you put into communications. The smarter you are, and more you think before talking, the more it interferes with driving.

I know lots of women who can talk and drive. They aren't excellent at either one, but they can do both at a modest level.
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I personally think it's just an acquired skill. Like I said, my sister (one of them, I have 3 :p) can drive and talk fine, we used to carpool to work when my house and her work were between her house and my work respectively. She could drive just fine, as well as most anyone else I know, and her ability didn't degrade with talking on the phone as far as I could see (she tended to act more like she was talking to someone else in the car, so would pause and go "umm" when something happened that needed her attention or stop listening and ask them to repeat it if she needed). BUT, I think she's the exception, she spent 2 and a half hours a day on the road and large portion of that chatting on the phone, so I think she trained herself to do it pretty well.
 
Fail said:
I can text without looking down at the phone, I'm that good.
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One of my friends could text without looking at her phone. I'm not sure if I'd take it as a mark of pride, but she seemed to be proud that she could, lol.
 
Just about every time I see a driver texting (and not able to hold their lane well) its a female driver. And the majority of the time, its a soccer mom mini van / suv. Coincidentally, they are also the majority of the highway speeders in my area.
 
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