Teens Texting And Driving Even Worse Than We Thought

Yet another fine example why only the "fittest" will survive while the weak gets wiped out!
 
I like how interaction with other individuals in the vehicle made the highest percentage. Goes to show that if we want to hound people about cell phone use, we should be making a national campaign for only single occupancy vehicles :p
pretty sure that already occurred years ago because at least in some states minors can't drive with other minors in the car alone.
 
Otherwise, these teens are literally saying through their actions that they would rather be DEAD or KILL SOMEONE ELSE rather than delay reading or responding to the last text message.

That's a mental illness.

No it isn't. The problem is that people aren't very good at risk assessment without proper training. You can say, "Texting while driving is dangerous", but really it's not very hard to do, so it doesn't feel dangerous. The problem is that it actually is safe most of the time, but it's hard to determine with high confidence when it is not safe, so it's really almost never actually safe to do. But without proper training, this isn't communicated effectively.
 
pretty sure that already occurred years ago because at least in some states minors can't drive with other minors in the car alone.

Must not have worked very well then if 15% resulted from interactions with others in the car...

I get it.. creating laws to restrict phone access makes sense as it isn't needed for vehicle operation. I'm actually all for it. I just don't see why there isn't a push for removing all the other distractions since, at least from this data, the percentages for the other accidents are pretty high too (10% looking at other things in the vehicle, 6% reaching for something in the vehicle, etc.). Do we really need radios in the car? Cup holders? If we are taking phones out of the equation as providing distractions, then we should also focus on other distractions in the vehicle also, shouldn't we?
 
Either I'm really confused or you are.

You mandate that the carriers create their devices so that only certain functionality is available while it detects its in motion. That means you can leave 911 service available, just as you can leave GPS functionality available and yet make it so you can't actually type in a street address until the vehicle comes to a stop. This isn't rocket science to accomplish.

I was originally responding to Scythe, who was talking about the Chevy program that doesn't disable cell phone usage. The car manufacturers won't be making cars that disable cell phones for the reason I brought up. You're talking about the cell phone companies setting up their phones to not allow usage by a driver while the car is in motion. You don't need to hack that; you just get a cell phone without that option. Why would someone who wants to text and drive buy a phone that won't let them?
 
The problem is that it actually is safe most of the time
Wait... WHAT?!? That's like saying that Russian Roulette is safe most of the time... five out of six times anyway. :rolleyes:

Texting is always unsafe when you're behind the wheel of a vehicle that isn't parked. At all other times, if you aren't always focused on the task of driving and aware of your surroundings, you're being unsafe. Whether or not you can close your eyes while driving for five seconds and nothing happens doesn't change the fact that its unsafe every time you do that.

For example, at 35mph, you travel over 250 feet in 5 seconds. When you looked far ahead you saw the road was straight and empty, or maybe some kid was being stupid and rode their bike into the road without looking both ways. Or perhaps nothing happened. Was it safe in either scenario? HELL NO!

Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for everyone ages 1-44 yrs old, so its about time we get serious and especially with how overcrowded our streets are and the pollution they contribute to in many of our bigger cities, its about time we started showing that driving is a privilege. I bet if we removed 10% of the least safe drivers off the road next year and required them to take taxis and buses around, word would spread fast. The vast majority of our driving problems are really attitude problems first and foremost IMO.
 
No it isn't. The problem is that people aren't very good at risk assessment without proper training. You can say, "Texting while driving is dangerous", but really it's not very hard to do, so it doesn't feel dangerous. The problem is that it actually is safe most of the time, but it's hard to determine with high confidence when it is not safe, so it's really almost never actually safe to do. But without proper training, this isn't communicated effectively.

The parts of your statement that I have bolded are irreconcilable, regardless of the words you surrounded them with.
 
No way I'm ever allowing my insurance to put a camera in my car. I don't text and drive,but I do speed sometimes.
 
Well, it'd be nice if you could enforce a no-phone usage (besides emergency dial) over X speed at a carrier level for parents. So no text messages could be sent and none would be received until the phone has stopped moving for X seconds. GPS wouldn't be necessary, as the cell towers could provide basic location/speed.

Yeah, it'd suck as a passenger. But read a book or something.
 
What we really have is rampant systemic mental illness.

I will answer a voice call if there is nothing going on around me on the road. I never read texts and wouldn't even think of typing one while driving.

If you need to dial a phone number, you wait until the next stoplight where you know you have time to get it dialed before you start moving again. If the light changes and you aren't done dialing... you don't do it right now. Drop the phone on the seat and try again later.

What is the MENTAL ILLNESS that compels ANYONE to think that they MUST respond to something on a phone while driving? When did we cross the line in society when life and death decisions while driving were weighed against texting and phone calls?

Why is it that we have whole generations of human beings that can't live inside their own skin for half an hour at a stretch? They don't even understand the very concept of "JUST IGNORE THEM FOR NOW!"

I feel like I have a special power that no one else around me has. The power to just freaking ignore messages. It's like it's magic or something.

These kinds of things shouldn't be happening except in great stress situations such as someone is dying and you feel compelled to communicate while rushing to a hospital. (then you have what I would call adequate stress to easily cause bad decision making).

Otherwise, these teens are literally saying through their actions that they would rather be DEAD or KILL SOMEONE ELSE rather than delay reading or responding to the last text message.

That's a mental illness.

I'm not sure if it's a mental illness or if it's just normal human arrogance combined with a deadly piece of machinery that is trivially easy to use. Young people in particular have never been great at assessing risk vs reward and have been doing really stupid stuff a lot longer than cell phones have existed. It's not just young people who are bad at weighing risks though. Just look at how many people die from obesity, cigarettes, and alcohol, etc. Everyone knows these things are bad but people think "I'll be the exception" or "fuck it you only live once". Just by driving a vehicle you are engaging in this mindset to some extent, because it is inherently a dangerous activity to zoom around at high speeds in a 2 ton brick on wheels (mass * velocity and all that jazz).

I agree with most of your post though. It's baffling to me that people place such great importance on texting and staying connected every single second of every day, to the degree that they can't even make it through a short drive in their car without fiending for more texts. I've seen heavy cigarette smokers (2+ packs a day) go for hours without having a smoke and that's something that is actually physically addictive, yet texting is impossible to resist somehow? :confused:
 
first thing I thought too besides all of them being utterly retarded -- why all of them over correct when they realize their mistake.

Do they really think jerking the wheel 180 degrees is going to fix the problem?

Sit them down and make them play some god damn Forza or something

See I watched that and just thought typical American car, steering wheel not connected to wheels...



*runs away from thread.:D
 
Take their phones away and while you're at it, teach them to drive too. They need it.
 
In most of the world you cannot drive until you are 18. 16 is too early. Although my friend is 30 and he checks his text messages anyway.
 
I wonder how many examples of distracted female drivers they had too throw out to achieve a 50/50 balance for their video? I drive thousands of miles a month regularly and I can say outright it isn't anywhere close to an even split.
 
This video should be required to watch before getting a license. Unfortunately, kids learn from their parents, which I suppose is why these idiots are driving that way...
 
What we really have is rampant systemic mental illness.

I will answer a voice call if there is nothing going on around me on the road. I never read texts and wouldn't even think of typing one while driving.

If you need to dial a phone number, you wait until the next stoplight where you know you have time to get it dialed before you start moving again. If the light changes and you aren't done dialing... you don't do it right now. Drop the phone on the seat and try again later.

What is the MENTAL ILLNESS that compels ANYONE to think that they MUST respond to something on a phone while driving? When did we cross the line in society when life and death decisions while driving were weighed against texting and phone calls?

Why is it that we have whole generations of human beings that can't live inside their own skin for half an hour at a stretch? They don't even understand the very concept of "JUST IGNORE THEM FOR NOW!"

I feel like I have a special power that no one else around me has. The power to just freaking ignore messages. It's like it's magic or something.

These kinds of things shouldn't be happening except in great stress situations such as someone is dying and you feel compelled to communicate while rushing to a hospital. (then you have what I would call adequate stress to easily cause bad decision making).

Otherwise, these teens are literally saying through their actions that they would rather be DEAD or KILL SOMEONE ELSE rather than delay reading or responding to the last text message.

That's a mental illness.
I'm sorry, but I have to agree with everything said here. I really don't understand what is so important that someone can't detach themselves from a device for a relatively short amount of time while doing something that requires your complete attention.

The least they could do is have some semblance of self-awareness. I realized early on when I started driving that I could not carry a conversation while driving without my attention being taken away, so I respectfully ask anyone riding with me to try and not converse with myself while I'm driving.

If you know the temptation to use your phone is too great while driving, you could just lock the damned thing in your glovebox. That way you can't get at it unless you take the keys out of the ignition.

But I guess that is the underlying problem with kids these days: no self-awareness and no common sense whatsoever.
 
You're talking about the cell phone companies setting up their phones to not allow usage by a driver while the car is in motion. You don't need to hack that; you just get a cell phone without that option. Why would someone who wants to text and drive buy a phone that won't let them?
Correct, the carriers would be required by law in the United States to ensure the device is complaint in order to provide service.

Any phone they provide would of course already be appropriately configured, which covers 99%, since most people don't buy phones from third parties and rely on subsidized plans.

For the latter, they would be required to push the appropriate update for the detected OS version of the phone, the same way that they push OS updates to your device.
 
I'm sorry, but I have to agree with everything said here. I really don't understand what is so important that someone can't detach themselves from a device for a relatively short amount of time while doing something that requires your complete attention.
Exactly, because even sitting at a red light, you need to not just be aware of when the signal changes so you're not holding up vehicles behind you and ensuring the efficient flow of traffic (and preventing outright road rage), but if say there is an emergency vehicle attempting to push through you are expected to be aware of your surroundings and not have your head up your ass typing "LOL! ERMERGERD I HAVE A STORY ABOUT JENNIFER SHES SUCH A SLUT ROFLMAO! XOXOXOXOX!"
 
Maybe if they showed some videos of people burning alive screaming like banshee's, and their charred bodies afterwards with arms suspended in mid air, fists clenched, and teeth gritting, maybe then they might have second thoughts.
 
Maybe if they showed some videos of people burning alive screaming like banshee's, and their charred bodies afterwards with arms suspended in mid air, fists clenched, and teeth gritting, maybe then they might have second thoughts.
They actually literally tried that in Europe, using extremely dramatic commercials of massive carnage, but teens just laughed their asses off and mocked it.
 
They actually literally tried that in Europe, using extremely dramatic commercials of massive carnage, but teens just laughed their asses off and mocked it.

Was it fake? I mean some real ogrish type shit. Actual death is much more shocking than simulated death.
 
The first time I saw this, I nearly broke down. Since then I have stated to friends, family and even our state goverment that I believe this should be required viewing before anyone gets a driver's license.
 

I applaud the effort but I can see why kids would laugh. Until you've seen cellphone footage of gawkers at an actual accident scene nobody can recreate it just right. There's too much lack of detail that our brains are subconsciously aware of. Even something as simple as a gunshot wound which we have scene a thousand times in action movies is much more disturbing when you see it in real life (or on video), if not simply because you know it's real. They need to show kids crime scene videos of people moments after a wreck.

Not even sure that would work honestly. Probably has more to do with your upbringing and overall respect for other people in general. I'm 30 so I was a teen driver not that long ago and I'd never do shit like this. I just wouldnt. I didnt even have a cellphone back my respect for society in general and living by the code "dont be a douche" is enough to have prevented me from texting while driving. I attribute that to how I was raised. These kids #1 problem is they simply dont give a fuck, and that says something.
 
That last one. She's mowing shit down, looks up, then goes right back tot he GD phone. Sheesh!
 
Would these pieces of shit even get prison time if they were responsible for manslaughter? Or are they treated differently because they're underage?

Stupid mistakes sure, but "pieces of shit" is a little harsh. You mean to tell me that you NEVER ONCE texted or made/received a call while driving? If so I call bull shit on that one, just because you may have not been in an accident as a result doesn't make you any better than these kids.
 
Stupid mistakes sure, but "pieces of shit" is a little harsh. You mean to tell me that you NEVER ONCE texted or made/received a call while driving? If so I call bull shit on that one, just because you may have not been in an accident as a result doesn't make you any better than these kids.

Well it makes him somewhat better. Look at these fuckwits, they're staring down for like 5 goddamn seconds straight. I mean I get overestimated your abilities, but how in the world does anybody think they can drive like this? Are they just lost in the bliss of talking about tommy cheating on sarah? Do they just have no measure of time while texting? If you removed the phone and straight blindfolded them would they estimate 5-10 seconds as reasonable driving time before an accident? I just cant fathom the derp in the kids while they practically drive off a cliff.
 
Exactly, because even sitting at a red light, you need to not just be aware of when the signal changes so you're not holding up vehicles behind you and ensuring the efficient flow of traffic (and preventing outright road rage), but if say there is an emergency vehicle attempting to push through you are expected to be aware of your surroundings and not have your head up your ass typing "LOL! ERMERGERD I HAVE A STORY ABOUT JENNIFER SHES SUCH A SLUT ROFLMAO! XOXOXOXOX!"

Fool. I would like to know if Jennifer is a slut. Do you have her number? :D
 
Why target teens, old people are just as bad, especially very old people who can't see and have the reaction time of a snail.
 

Yeah, no.

PSA = fake, and everyone loves a good movie. Not hard to be completely detached from the true seriousness of situation being portrayed. If kids are stupid enough to be texting, they are also stupid enough to not understand the implications in this video either. I certainly applaud the UK for recognizing the need.

Kids (hell, anyone who is a serial texter while driving) need to see the real thing. You can't decouple yourself so easily. In fact, let's extend this idea to drunk driving while we're at it.

If your engine is on and your car wheels are rolling, turn the camera on and keep it rolling.
 
Wasn't planning on replying... didn't even watch the video.. But now I'm going to. The Pebl was the best! Speaking of which, you shouldn't even be distracted while driving with that phone. You open it one handed - glance at the screen for a split second - and put it back down by your side. T-9word was a thing, and you could write a paragraph while shifting gears because of all the ridges separating the keys. These kids are just bad drivers.

Quite true, I've been texting while driving for over a decade now and I've had no issues. But I am an exquisite form of a human being.
 
Yesterday, I walked from my car to the grocery story and was almost hit 5 times by people texting or not looking around them in a rainy parking lot. By the time I got in the store, I had to stop and collect myself because I was beginning to wonder if I was newest cast member of Final Destination. Ever since I moved to Washington, I have become certain it isn't a matter of if, but when I get hit by a car. People not only can't drive in the rain up here, but they don't pay attention to where they are going.
 
I feel like while not only are they distracted, they're just terrible drivers in general.

I mean, who taught them that they should just saw the steering wheel back and forth like a mad man when in a spin out situation? That's just a recipe for disaster.

That was my first thought as well. The first few videos are simply the vehicle drifting slowly off the road, then the accident occurs when they massively overreact and saw the wheel the other way.

Traction Control taking control away from the hands of the driver IMHO is also a major problem, once the car detects that the car is out of control, even if you knew what to do when going sideways (Power on oversteer). It takes control away from you and may just lock your brakes! My Car (For the record MK6 Golf R) has its Traction control off always in the winter. I know I can control the car that much better in a tricky situation as a throttle manipulation will save my ass over Braking any day.

Have to call BS (mostly) on this. The traction control nowadays works very, very well. I remember a demo video with a professional driver taking a sharp curve in the wet, TC on/off. TC on, kept straight but slid out of the lane about 6 feet. TC off, same speed, same approach, 720'ed out of the lane a good 15-20 feet out of the lane.
 
I heard Chevy was starting to offer a "teen driver" feature in their cars that tracks (in real time) where the car is, how many miles were traveled, speeds hit, etc. You can even set the max speed of the vehicle.

The one thing it doesn't do it disable cell phone usage which is probably the most important feature to include.

My Ford does this by the key fob RFID.
 
Also just saw a Ford car that reads and reacts to speed limit signs...I will never, ever, be buying that car! :D
 
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