Texting While Driving: Do We Need a Law?

mykevermin

mykevermin

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http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/Politics/story?id=8246302&page=1

The US Transportation Secretary advocates a law banning texting while driving.

What are your opinions? Many state legislatures are discussing it currently (have any passed laws? I suspect not, but don't really know) - some think that this is more government intrusion into our personal lives, while others feel that this presents a consistent danger to others on the road by virtue of the amount of attention required to text.

What do y'all think?
 
People shouldn't do it, but I doubt a law would help much. It couldn't be enforced much in the places where it's most dangerous (i.e. interstates and other roads with higher speeds) as it would be near impossible to enforce as it's hard for cops to see what someone is doing when they drive by at high speed, especially texting with a phone in their lap etc.

It could be enforced more in the city when they see someone doing it at a stop light in the car next to them etc., but that's less dangerous so you're basically letting the people doing it will driving get a pass most of the time and just catching people at lights etc. more often.

It's just harder to enforce vs. places that require hands free to talk where it's easy to see someone holding a phone up to their ear.
 
Many states already have laws against talking on the phone while driving, wouldn't texting be covered under the same law? I'm always against government intrusion in our lives, but this only makes sense to me, as I have no problem with regulating stupidity. If you have send a text message so urgently that you can't wait until your car stops, then maybe driving isn't for you.
 
[quote name='spmahn']Many states already have laws against talking on the phone while driving, wouldn't texting be covered under the same law? I'm always against government intrusion in our lives, but this only makes sense to me, as I have no problem with regulating stupidity. If you have send a text message so urgently that you can't wait until your car stops, then maybe driving isn't for you.[/QUOTE]

Or, maybe, some people can text and drive at the same time. I do it all the time, but I also look up every 2-3 letters, and I never do it when I don't have a ton of space. Pretty reasonable, I think. Not much different than playing with your stereo or talking on the phone.
Now, if you start jumping lanes when you text, then you should be stopped. Big difference though.

Reckless driving laws cover all this garbage just fine; our politicians just love having another story about how they "care about the children" and waste taxpayer time and money.
 
Before one of our kids gets run over while swimming (yes, you read that right) something needs to be done.

I can't even believe people do this.

Liquid2, you're unbelievable. It takes 2 seconds for a kid to jump into the road. Please, seriously stop, your texting convos can not be that important.
 
We already have a law prohibiting texting while driving in TN, but since it went into effect July 1st, there has only been a few tickets given for it and I doubt that it has affected the situation as much as the police claim. It all boils down to the fact that on interstates and highways where it is the most dangerous, the cops have a split second window to see a person texting. If anything all a law would do is make people think twice about doing it, but the chances of actually being ticketed for it are slim.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']Or, maybe, some people can text and drive at the same time. I do it all the time, but I also look up every 2-3 letters, and I never do it when I don't have a ton of space. Pretty reasonable, I think. Not much different than playing with your stereo or talking on the phone.
[/QUOTE]

I see it as different as it takes your eyes of the road much longer than changing a radio station, skipping a track on a CD, or pressing the answer button no your phone as you have to look down several times, and that's all it takes to have an accident as something jumped out in front of you while you were distracted etc.

I'll confess to talking on the phone a lot while driving. But I never dial. If it rings I can grab it and hit the answer button (send key) without taking my eyes off the road and I drive with only my left hand on the wheel 99% of the time anyway.

But I've NEVER, remotely considered texting while driving. Or even opening a text message I receive while driving as that's just to discracting as it requires diverting my eyes from the road more than I'm comfortable with.
 
See, I was going to post that we don't need new laws; everyone knows it's reckless, so the existing reckless driving laws should cover it, but now I'm not so sure.

[quote name='Liquid 2']Or, maybe, some people can text and drive at the same time. I do it all the time, but I also look up every 2-3 letters, and I never do it when I don't have a ton of space. Pretty reasonable, I think.[/QUOTE]

No. Stop doing that shit. Seriously. You're gonna hurt yourself, or worse, someone else.

"... people who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash (or what they call a near-crash event) than nondistracted drivers. ...

In crashes or near-crashes, texting took a driver's focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds--enough time, the report point out, to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph.

By contrast, talking on a cell phone, which allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road, represented an increased risk of only 1.3 times that of a nondistracted driver. "

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10296992-94.html

And that's the more conservative study, that "called into question past research that indicated driving while talking on a cell phone is as dangerous as driving drunk."
 
we already have one here. i havent noticed a difference as i see people texting on the phone all the time still. same with talking on the phone, which is illegal out here without a hands free device.
 
It can't be enforced, and people should just not do it. It would be nice to say, not be able to txt call while the car is on.... but well people are still idiots.
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']we already have one here. i havent noticed a difference as i see people texting on the phone all the time still. same with talking on the phone, which is illegal out here without a hands free device.[/QUOTE]

^Don't forget to mention hardly anyone follows the "hands free law"; sadly some law enforcement doesn't either.
 
[quote name='xycury']It can't be enforced, and people should just not do it. It would be nice to say, not be able to txt call while the car is on.... but well people are still idiots.[/QUOTE]

Like speeding laws, though - it can't "be enforced" meaning enforced all the time and every time.

But it is enforced. Speeding laws have, as dmaul might say (;)), a general deterrent effect that helps us all - even if we all violate the speed limits to varying degrees.
 
Make the ticket $400 or 24 hours of pickin up trash on the freeway. It's expensive enough to bite most people in the ass while letting our young people get a breath of the fresh air on the side of a highway.
 
Its already against the law to talk on the phone without a hands free device, just do the same for texting. Sure you can text if you can do it without your hands.
 
[quote name='trq']
By contrast, talking on a cell phone, which allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road, represented an increased risk of only 1.3 times that of a nondistracted driver. "

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10296992-94.html

And that's the more conservative study, that "called into question past research that indicated driving while talking on a cell phone is as dangerous as driving drunk."[/QUOTE]

Yep the talking on a cell phone isn't all that distracting. Really not any more distracting that talking to a passenger in the car--assuming you normally drive with one hand on the wheel anyway.

The distraction comes from shit like trying to dial while driving, dig the phone out of a pocket when it rings etc. But I don't see it as a big deal to answer the phone if it's easily accessible (i..e in the cup holder beside you etc) where you can grab and answer without taking your eyes off the road.

But texting is like dialing x 10 since it requires multiple looks away from the road and more than 10 digits to enter.

[quote name='seen']^Don't forget to mention hardly anyone follows the "hands free law"; sadly some law enforcement doesn't either.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I had a cop going the opposite direction swerve toward me a while back on a city street and saw he was texting while driving!

[quote name='mykevermin']Like speeding laws, though - it can't "be enforced" meaning enforced all the time and every time.
[/QUOTE]

But speeding can be enforced with equal effectiveness on any type of road really. They can sit with a radar on an interstate with a 70 mph speed limit just as easily as a school zone with a 15 mph limit.

Where as with texting it's very tough to catch sitting on the side of the interstate and watch cars zoom by (where it's most dangerous to do) and much easier to detect in slower city traffic, at stop lights etc. (where it's relatively less dangerous).

So that's my issue with it. It's going to mainly only catch the less dangerous behaviors.
 
Am I the only one who *can* text without taking my eyes off the road?

Anywhoo, I agree - should be covered under existing reckless driving laws, can't reasonably be enforced (even after the wreck, who's to say the passenger wasn't texting for you?).

And kids that jump out in traffic... well, that's Darwin in action.
 
[quote name='prmononoke']No.

It's more government intrusion into our personal lives. We need to abolish laws, not add them.[/QUOTE]

So, then, you must think drinking and driving laws are intrusive too? We should abolish those then!


@Unclebob, no kids jumping out into the road is kids getting caught up in playing and going a little too far to catch that ball. Kids whose brakes didn't work on their bikes for that split second. Kids who tripped on the sidewalk.

Texting drivers crashing is Darwin in action.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']What ever happened to good ol' reckless driving laws? I don't see why we need to complicate things.[/QUOTE]So does no one have an answer to this?



[quote name='HowStern']Liquid2, you're unbelievable. It takes 2 seconds for a kid to jump into the road. Please, seriously stop, your texting convos can not be that important.[/QUOTE]I don't do it where kids will be around.

[quote name='dmaul1114']I see it as different as it takes your eyes of the road much longer than changing a radio station, skipping a track on a CD, or pressing the answer button no your phone as you have to look down several times, and that's all it takes to have an accident as something jumped out in front of you while you were distracted etc.[/QUOTE]What about finding a new CD and changing the disc or changing whatever is playing on your mp3 player? Is that alright?

I re-evaluate whether or not it's safe to text every time I look up. I've definitely stopped mid-message when I deem it unsafe. It takes me less than half a second to type 2-3 letters because I can feel my way around the keyboard pretty well, so that takes even more time off when I'm looking at my phone instead of the road. I also look at the road for longer than I look at my phone when I check things.


[quote name='trq']No. Stop doing that shit. Seriously. You're gonna hurt yourself, or worse, someone else.

"... people who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash (or what they call a near-crash event) than nondistracted drivers. ...

In crashes or near-crashes, texting took a driver's focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds--enough time, the report point out, to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph.

By contrast, talking on a cell phone, which allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road, represented an increased risk of only 1.3 times that of a nondistracted driver. "

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10296992-94.html

And that's the more conservative study, that "called into question past research that indicated driving while talking on a cell phone is as dangerous as driving drunk."[/QUOTE]
I don't know what assumptions they made when they did that study. I do know that it takes me far, far less than 4.6 seconds to type a couple letters. Like I said above, I'd be surprised if I spent even more than half a second looking at my phone at any given time.
 
[quote name='HowStern']@Unclebob, no kids jumping out into the road is kids getting caught up in playing and going a little too far to catch that ball. Kids whose brakes didn't work on their bikes for that split second. Kids who tripped on the sidewalk.

Texting drivers crashing is Darwin in action.[/QUOTE]

Agreed on that last point - if you text while driving and end up dead, well, that's what you get for being stupid.

However, if your kid is too "caught up in playing" that they run into the street in front of a moving vehicle, then the kid was dumb or you did a horrible job teaching them not to do so. Somehow, every day, millions of kids avoid the urge to run out into the street in front of moving vehicles. Besides, what's a kid doing unsupervised playing near the street anyway?

When I was little, the brakes actually did go out on my bike. Riding it down a small city street, I was going pretty fast. Coming up on an intersection, I couldn't stop and a truck was coming. So I jumped off the bike. The truck managed to stop in time and I walked away with a few scratches (and a new bike, with new brakes, the next day - whoo!). I was, like, 8 at the time. If I could figure that out, I figure most kids can. Those that can't - well, Darwin.
 
Here's my question for those of you who think texting while driving is ok. What if you saw somebody reading a book while driving, or the newspaper. Or even better, doing a crossword puzzle in the newspaper. At what point does it become ridiculous and cross the line?

Personally, I think simply talking on the phone can be equated to talking to another passenger in the car...aside from being an idiot and having to rummage around for your phone and generally not paying attention to what you're doing. But people do that same thing looking for CDs, cigarettes, etc. So, blaming it on the phone rather than the person is unfair.

HOWEVER, engaging in an activity that (typically) requires you to look at your screen and spell out words letter by letter is a little harder to justify as being "necessary". For that matter, why not just use your laptop while driving? Or play Nintendo DS? Regardless of whether any of you "can" do it or not, it's dumb, and you sure as hell don't need to be doing it. If it's that important, pull over, and grow the fuck up.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']Or, maybe, some people can text and drive at the same time. I do it all the time, but I also look up every 2-3 letters, and I never do it when I don't have a ton of space. Pretty reasonable, I think. Not much different than playing with your stereo or talking on the phone.
Now, if you start jumping lanes when you text, then you should be stopped. Big difference though.

Reckless driving laws cover all this garbage just fine; our politicians just love having another story about how they "care about the children" and waste taxpayer time and money.[/QUOTE]

Some people can drink and drive too, doesn't mean it should be allowed.
 
[quote name='UncleBob']Agreed on that last point - if you text while driving and end up dead, well, that's what you get for being stupid.

However, if your kid is too "caught up in playing" that they run into the street in front of a moving vehicle, then the kid was dumb or you did a horrible job teaching them not to do so. Somehow, every day, millions of kids avoid the urge to run out into the street in front of moving vehicles. Besides, what's a kid doing unsupervised playing near the street anyway?

When I was little, the brakes actually did go out on my bike. Riding it down a small city street, I was going pretty fast. Coming up on an intersection, I couldn't stop and a truck was coming. So I jumped off the bike. The truck managed to stop in time and I walked away with a few scratches (and a new bike, with new brakes, the next day - whoo!). I was, like, 8 at the time. If I could figure that out, I figure most kids can. Those that can't - well, Darwin.[/QUOTE]

That's still a dumb argument. As an adult, you have a far greater responsibility (and mental comprehension...hopefully) to be accountable for your actions than a child. I agree that the parents should be looking out for the kid and teach them good habits, but it still doesn't mean you get a pass. If you kill a kid because you're texting, and the best defense you can give the judge is "well, he didn't look either!", I hope you enjoy your stay in prison.
 
[quote name='UncleBob']Agreed on that last point - if you text while driving and end up dead, well, that's what you get for being stupid.

However, if your kid is too "caught up in playing" that they run into the street in front of a moving vehicle, then the kid was dumb or you did a horrible job teaching them not to do so. Somehow, every day, millions of kids avoid the urge to run out into the street in front of moving vehicles. Besides, what's a kid doing unsupervised playing near the street anyway?

When I was little, the brakes actually did go out on my bike. Riding it down a small city street, I was going pretty fast. Coming up on an intersection, I couldn't stop and a truck was coming. So I jumped off the bike. The truck managed to stop in time and I walked away with a few scratches (and a new bike, with new brakes, the next day - whoo!). I was, like, 8 at the time. If I could figure that out, I figure most kids can. Those that can't - well, Darwin.[/QUOTE]


Keywords "the truck managed to stop in time"

Darwin has little to do with brake efficiency.
 
We do need a law, along with no dialing cell phones while driving. 80 percent of accidents are caused by distracted drivers:

http://www.automobile.com/distracted-drivers-cause-80-percent-of-accidents.html

While I usually wouldn't care if someone is being stupid, when their being stupid causes them to endanger my life and others' lives it's time to throw the book at them. I think our requirements for driving are far too lenient in this country and driver's ed is a joke. If someone gets caught drunk driving, their license should be suspended 10-15 years, first offense, or even just suspended for life on the first offense. Idiots who text while driving should be severely dealt with as well. You think the 4,000 who died in Iraq in six years is a horrible toll? Yes, it is, but more than 10 times that many die in car accidents EVERY YEAR.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']Here's my question for those of you who think texting while driving is ok. What if you saw somebody reading a book while driving, or the newspaper. Or even better, doing a crossword puzzle in the newspaper. At what point does it become ridiculous and cross the line?

Personally, I think simply talking on the phone can be equated to talking to another passenger in the car...aside from being an idiot and having to rummage around for your phone and generally not paying attention to what you're doing. But people do that same thing looking for CDs, cigarettes, etc. So, blaming it on the phone rather than the person is unfair.

HOWEVER, engaging in an activity that (typically) requires you to look at your screen and spell out words letter by letter is a little harder to justify as being "necessary". For that matter, why not just use your laptop while driving? Or play Nintendo DS? Regardless of whether any of you "can" do it or not, it's dumb, and you sure as hell don't need to be doing it. If it's that important, pull over, and grow the fuck up.[/QUOTE]So, why can't such things be covered by reckless driving laws?
As for crossing the line: I can look away from the road for less than half a second, type a few letters, and look back at the road. You can't read a book like this, much less a newspaper. Same goes for a laptop or a DS.

I can text and drive safely. Others can't, and are reckless, which shows in their driving, and will result in them (hopefully) getting pulled over.

[quote name='docvinh']Some people can drink and drive too, doesn't mean it should be allowed.[/QUOTE]

Drinking literally impairs your judgement and reaction time. Comparing a drunk driver to a driver who looked away from the road for less than half a second is just silly.
 
[quote name='speedracer']Make the ticket $400 or 24 hours of pickin up trash on the freeway. It's expensive enough to bite most people in the ass while letting our young people get a breath of the fresh air on the side of a highway.[/QUOTE]

that would help more than the law. right now in california the hands free law is sort of like a fix it ticket, if you buy a head set after the ticket the fine is reduced to a negligible amount.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']So, why can't such things be covered by reckless driving laws?
As for crossing the line: I can look away from the road for less than half a second, type a few letters, and look back at the road. You can't read a book like this, much less a newspaper. Same goes for a laptop or a DS.

I can text and drive safely. Others can't, and are reckless, which shows in their driving, and will result in them (hopefully) getting pulled over.



Drinking literally impairs your judgement and reaction time. Comparing a drunk driver to a driver who looked away from the road for less than half a second is just silly.[/QUOTE]

Eh, I don't believe you really, but if you say so, sure. Even if you are able to now do it in half a second, at some point you had to work your way up to that point, so I'm sure you didn't start out at half a second, and by being distracted, your reaction time is slower. Actually, I'm 100 percent sure if we compared you to a driver who wasn't texting, your reaction time would be slower. I can't believe you're actually trying to argue that texting while driving is fine.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']So, why can't such things be covered by reckless driving laws?
As for crossing the line: I can look away from the road for less than half a second, type a few letters, and look back at the road. You can't read a book like this, much less a newspaper. Same goes for a laptop or a DS.

I can text and drive safely. Others can't, and are reckless, which shows in their driving, and will result in them (hopefully) getting pulled over.[/QUOTE]

But it's the constancy of it. When you look down to type a few letters every few seconds, how many times does that happen? 10-15 times to complete a text? When you look back up, how long do you look at the road? At what point are you paying more attention to your texting than you are your driving?

Obviously, you have quite a high opinion of yourself, as your "texting ability" seems to be far superior to everyone elses. But in practical terms, it doesn't matter. It's not necessary, and you'll never prove to a court that it is. If anything, it's arrogant to think it doesn't affect you in any way.
 
[quote name='docvinh']Eh, I don't believe you really, but if you say so, sure. Even if you are able to now do it in half a second, at some point you had to work your way up to that point, so I'm sure you didn't start out at half a second, and by being distracted, your reaction time is slower. Actually, I'm 100 percent sure if we compared you to a driver who wasn't texting, your reaction time would be slower. I can't believe you're actually trying to argue that texting while driving is fine.[/QUOTE]
I'm not arguing it's fine for all people at all. I'm saying that some can handle it and some can't, which is why we don't need a blanket law. Reckless driving laws cover this situation just fine. No one has presented a compelling reason as to why it does not yet.

I've spent more time distracted and looking away from the road switching CDs than I have been texting. Why is no one calling for a law against switching CDs while driving?
This is just another bullshit, knee jerk, "I want to protect the children! Reelect me!" reaction to new technology.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']But it's the constancy of it. When you look down to type a few letters every few seconds, how many times does that happen? 10-15 times to complete a text? When you look back up, how long do you look at the road? At what point are you paying more attention to your texting than you are your driving?

Obviously, you have quite a high opinion of yourself, as your "texting ability" seems to be far superior to everyone elses. But in practical terms, it doesn't matter. It's not necessary, and you'll never prove to a court that it is. If anything, it's arrogant to think it doesn't affect you in any way.[/QUOTE]

Missed the point completely. See my previous post.

But to answer your questions: 1/2) not as often as I look at my mp3 player; 3) 10-20 seconds, and I check ahead of me, behind me, and my mirrors, and reevaluate if it's safe for me to continue texting or not; 4) Never.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']That's still a dumb argument. As an adult, you have a far greater responsibility (and mental comprehension...hopefully) to be accountable for your actions than a child. I agree that the parents should be looking out for the kid and teach them good habits, but it still doesn't mean you get a pass. If you kill a kid because you're texting, and the best defense you can give the judge is "well, he didn't look either!", I hope you enjoy your stay in prison.[/QUOTE]

I agree - if you kill someone while operating a vehicle, you should be held accountable. So should the parent that wasn't watching their child.

[quote name='HowStern']Keywords "the truck managed to stop in time"

Darwin has little to do with brake efficiency.[/QUOTE]

Sorry - should have clarified - the truck managed to stop before it ran over my bike that continued going/skidding after I jumped off. Had the truck not stopped in time, I still would have been fine (aside from a few scratches). Bike, not so much.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']I'm not arguing it's fine for all people at all. I'm saying that some can handle it and some can't, which is why we don't need a blanket law. Reckless driving laws cover this situation just fine. No one has presented a compelling reason as to why it does not yet.

I've spent more time distracted and looking away from the road switching CDs than I have been texting. Why is no one calling for a law against switching CDs while driving?
This is just another bullshit, knee jerk, "I want to protect the children! Reelect me!" reaction to new technology.[/QUOTE]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't think there needs to be another law, mainly because it would be pretty tough to enforce, but to say that it's fine to do it is pretty silly.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']I'm not arguing it's fine for all people at all. I'm saying that some can handle it and some can't, which is why we don't need a blanket law. Reckless driving laws cover this situation just fine. No one has presented a compelling reason as to why it does not yet.[/QUOTE]

To the contrary. But you blithely explain away a study with a wave of your wrist and a momentary clack of your keyboard. You've done nothing to refute research, but you've convinced yourself its conclusions are, in fact, invalid.

[quote name='Liquid 2']I don't know what assumptions they made when they did that study. I do know that it takes me far, far less than 4.6 seconds to type a couple letters. Like I said above, I'd be surprised if I spent even more than half a second looking at my phone at any given time.[/QUOTE]

You should publish this refutation. It's solid stuff. Real depth of thought and analysis. Your theoretical foundation and contribution to the field of knowledge is stunning. The authors of this study should tremble in fear in the eight seconds it took you to skim a summary of it, think to yourself "welp, that's not me, so it must be invalid all across the board," and post it to the internet. Their careers are fuckin' done for, thanks to your brilliance.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']But speeding can be enforced with equal effectiveness on any type of road really. They can sit with a radar on an interstate with a 70 mph speed limit just as easily as a school zone with a 15 mph limit.

Where as with texting it's very tough to catch sitting on the side of the interstate and watch cars zoom by (where it's most dangerous to do) and much easier to detect in slower city traffic, at stop lights etc. (where it's relatively less dangerous).

So that's my issue with it. It's going to mainly only catch the less dangerous behaviors.[/QUOTE]

Police do more than simply sit on the side of the road, though.

Now, a law prohibiting texting may only mean people who text while driving will hide it even lower so that a police officer can't see them doing it from the side of the road or driving by. If there's one thing I've learned in my first year teaching, it's this: you, I, ain't nobody gonna stop people from texting when they want to. Rules prohibiting it might as well be rules against breathing as far as this generation is concerned.

That doesn't mean overlooking it should be abandoned because it's difficult to oversee. It's still extraordinarily dangerous.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']Police do more than simply sit on the side of the road, though.

Now, a law prohibiting texting may only mean people who text while driving will hide it even lower so that a police officer can't see them doing it from the side of the road or driving by. If there's one thing I've learned in my first year teaching, it's this: you, I, ain't nobody gonna stop people from texting when they want to. Rules prohibiting it might as well be rules against breathing as far as this generation is concerned.

That doesn't mean overlooking it should be abandoned because it's difficult to oversee. It's still extraordinarily dangerous.[/QUOTE]

I suppose, but they don't do much other than sit on the side/median of interstates and other highspeed highways. Maybe they'll occasionally see someone they are passing when driving somewhere texting and can pull them over I guess. I just don't like that it's very difficult to catch those doing it at high speeds, and will be more apt to catch people who only text while stopped at a red light etc (which isn't really dangerous, just annoying when they don't move when the light turns green!).

I'm not thoroughly opposed to banning it (as no one should do it) I just don't think it will have all that much impact as most of the people stupid enough to do it now aren't going to give a shit about the law, they'll just keep it low like you say.

So maybe it's just better to enforce it with reckless driving laws (as others have suggested) rather than having as specific, and hard to enforce, law against it.
 
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[quote name='Liquid 2']
What about finding a new CD and changing the disc or changing whatever is playing on your mp3 player? Is that alright?
[/QUOTE]

That's much worse and something I never do. CDs only get changed during stops (or at red light).

MP3 player I only use in the car on long drives (like 4+ hours) and I just cue up several albums to fill the time so I don't have to bother with it while driving on the interstate.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']So maybe it's just better to enforce it with reckless driving laws (as others have suggested) rather than having as specific, and hard to enforce, law against it.[/QUOTE]

The problem with this is it gives lawyers plenty of wiggle room. You're going to get all kinds of Johnnie Cochran "What is reckless, really?" defenses. Eventually, a conclusion will have to be reached of whether texting itself is too distracting to do while driving.

And in my opinion, with as many states that have outlawed simply talking on a handset while driving, I can't see any way that texting isn't thought of as being worse. This isn't just a case of politicians pulling laws out of their asses. There's already a precedent here. Easily enforcible or not, it's only a matter of time before texting while driving is ruled to be unsafe, and therefore illegal.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']To the contrary. But you blithely explain away a study with a wave of your wrist and a momentary clack of your keyboard. You've done nothing to refute research, but you've convinced yourself its conclusions are, in fact, invalid.[/QUOTE]

To be fair, I could bring up studies that show gaming promotes violence in children, global warming doesn't exist and that universal health care will be the worst thing to happen in this country ever. I can't imagine you'd give 'em much of your time.
 
Should be a law, and talking on cell phones should be a law as well. Driving is enough of a task that you should be giving it your undivided attention in the first place. Many people believe that they have far more control of their car than they really do, and that's great if you feel you have a really good reaction time, but you never know what's going to pop up in front of or behind you or even if your car is going to have a mechanical failure.

I see people constantly holding a phone to their ears as I wait to turn left at stop lights and it baffles my mind.. is your conversation really important enough to put you and anyone else near the road in a dangerous situation?

NO
 
Because nobody else would ever say this ...

Banning texting while driving is a violation of the Second Amendment.

Why?

I have a poison pen.
 
[quote name='UncleBob']To be fair, I could bring up studies that show gaming promotes violence in children, global warming doesn't exist and that universal health care will be the worst thing to happen in this country ever. I can't imagine you'd give 'em much of your time.[/QUOTE]

Depends on the source. I'm more prone to giving university-backed studies the time of day than, say, John Stossel.
 
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