Texting?

[DrMaxwellEdison]

I have texted and driven, but I don't feel all that comfortable doing it. Typically when I do that I'm going down my drive way and someone's asking me a question... I have a hot key on my phone where I can make a quick reply I have saved where I immediately hit the send button and it sends the message "Driving TTYL" and I usually put my phone on the ledge of the instrument cluster and ignore it until I get to my destination. I feel more comfortable changing the radio station because we have a "SEEK" button. I can hear clips and choose what I want to listen to, I don't usually change the radio station my car is on, 97.9 "The Planet" because I usually don't go outside of it's coverage area. I think the most destracting thing in the car would have to be the static of station changing when you are going between coverage areas where I'm listening to my favorite station and then it starts getting both transmissions from the next radio station on the same frequency.... that distracts me the most.. just my $0.02 worth

[stdsmt22]

What about picking your nose. That can be painstakingly distracting. Maybe Uncle Sam should crack down on those nose pickers too...and what about wedgies? Lord knows that can certainly affect someones ablility to concentrate on driving. Maybe they should start revoking licenses for chronic wedgy diggers.

Come on people, this is a democracy not a police state. Are we really going to start legislating how and when people can use their cell phones. I mean really. Police officers use cell phones, walkie talkies, laptop computers, and radar guns. I find it quite ironic that the very people intended to keep our streets safe are probably the most unsafe traffic violating drivers out there. That is if we are to judge them based on their ability to drive without technological distractions.

[Dave G]

I am walking across a grocery parking lot....

I had a similar experience yesterday - walking into a store in the big crosswalk in front and some woman just breezed right through in her car, talking on the phone. Luckily she didn't hit anybody that time...

[Festiva Time]

I'm gonna say, if this is in reference to the texting while driving debate, then simply looking at your phone while driving is breaking the law since you can't prove anything beyond that. If a cop saw you looking at your phone while driving, you're busted. The only way you could possibly get out of it is to show him your in/out box and say "well there's no recent texts" but you can't prove you didn't delete them before he got up to your car.

You can Request from your service provider typed copies of all text messages before and after you were pulled over [or crashed]. I do not know if you can get them Notarized as complete and unaltered. You do have to pay a fee, which may be more than the ticket.

[skimsucka]

what if you hide your phone how can they prove what you were looking at a phone . too many grey areas with this!

just saying i refuse to text and drive my self, I'm a delivery guy i hate people that don't pay attention when they drive

[bhazard]

No way that's true...

[Pu241]

Don't worry, the Federal Government is working on a bill that will require auto makers to add a "scrambler" in every new vehicle. The idea is that cell phone signals inside the car will automatically be scrambled once the car reaches speeds over like 10 MPH.

Got a link to that info?

[blkfordsedan]

Don't worry, the Federal Government is working on a bill that will require auto makers to add a "scrambler" in every new vehicle. The idea is that cell phone signals inside the car will automatically be scrambled once the car reaches speeds over like 10 MPH.

Evidently, listening in on terrorist's phone conversations that trigger predetermined indications of suspicious content, which might save 1000s of innocent lives, is an infringement of their constitutional rights. But, scrambling the air waves to keep the general public from exercising their rights, even though there are existing laws on the books that can be enforced, is an acceptable over-extension of the Federal government.

[Pu241]

It just takes common sense...and people who can't multi task shouldn't be playing with their phones or anything else while driving.

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/06/myth-multitasking

So that means 97% of people shouldn't do anything but drive

[brickdog2000]

my view is texting while driving should be againest the law. However, talking on the phone shouldent. Cops do it all the time! Really though, think about everything else you do in your car i.e. smoking, messing with the radio, dealing with your kids or pets, drinking your coffee, ect.

[Nerd Racing]

your ipodular skillz while driving are quite a bit worse than your texting for sure!

[Evil D]

It just takes common sense...and people who can't multi task shouldn't be playing with their phones or anything else while driving.

[aglatfe1]

I text and drive all the time because I'm comfortable with doing it and driving gets boring. I have the pullout qwerty buttons so it's easier because I know the keyboard well and don't need to look at it. However, sometimes there are typos in my messages! I feel less comfortable changing the song on my ipod because i have to scroll down and decide what song I want which takes forever! I'm glad I live in PA where it's legal to do everything while your driving!

[Evil D]

What if you were looking at your ipod to change the song and they thought the light of your ipod was your phone? I always wonder about that whenever I'm driving in states where it's illegal to use cell phones!

That's exactly my point...that's another activity that is just as dangerous as texting, yet there's no law on that. Same goes for eating, changing radio stations, GPS, kids in the back seat, animals in your lap...etc etc.

These cases where people are supposedly dying because they crashed while texting...i'm sorry but they're no more common than the same thing happening because someone is doing something else that takes their focus off of driving. When i was in school, a girl wrapped her car around a pole in front of my house and died right in the street in front of me, and the police said she was playing with her radio.

People and the media are making a big deal out of texting while driving but it isn't any more dangerous than the slew of other things distracting drivers. I'm not saying the laws shouldn't apply, since people surely don't need another distraction, but i do think it's absurd to attack people who do text while driving because some of us know better than to read a 150 character text all at once and not pay attention to the road...you glance down, and if it's more than i can read in a glance then i don't read it. If i have to reply more than a simple 1-2 word answer, i wait to reply. Glancing at my phone isn't any more dangerous than glancing at my speedometer.

[drddan]

Well Here Is My Experience From Friday The 3rd of December!!!!!!!

I am walking across a grocery parking lot.... a car suddenly makes a left up the lane I am walking in..
I had to JUMP OUT OF THE WAY...The DRIVER IS ON THE PHONE!!!!!!
PUT THE DANG CELL PHONE UP!!!!! NO PHONE CALL IS THAT IMPORTANT!
Give it a break all you gadget junkies!!!!!!!