Statewide Texting while Driving ban

[sidegate]

The government builds and maintains the roads. It determines who may be permitted to use them. Why should it not determine under what conditions one may use them, especially when some of those conditions (texting) have been shown to be more dangerous than already legislated conditions, such as excessive speed and intoxication?

I don't buy that a competent driver can't assess the road conditions ahead of themselves at any one time and, within their good judgement and giving due attention to untoward events, complete a text message without the inteference of city, state or any other government.

[Ross]

I don't buy that a competent driver can't assess the road conditions ahead of themselves at any one time and, within their good judgement and giving due attention to untoward events, complete a text message without the inteference of city, state or any other government.

A competent driver would realize that it's impossible to type and drive safely at the same time. A competent driver would realize that the text can wait a while, there's no need to respond immediately, and if there is, then pull over and focus on the message. A lot of this is driven by the need for immediate gratification, and the thought that "If I don't respond right now, the other person will think I'm insulting them".

[crunchtastic]

All hail Ross, for he is our grand arbiter of need. He said so himself.

I dunno, people who text me often have no actual need. Still, I'm confused. How should I vote?

It's all so confusing.

[RedScare]

I don't buy that a competent driver can't assess the road conditions ahead of themselves at any one time and, within their good judgement and giving due attention to untoward events, drink and drive without the inteference of city, state or any other government.

I see your point.

[sidegate]

I see your point.

Very cute. Please don't edit my posts. Two can play at that game.

None of us "need" to do anything. You don't need to check out that guy/girl walking down the street. You don't need to shuffle through your iPod to get that catchy song. You don't need to rummage in your glove compartment for a mint. But we all do it. The sooner people stop hand wringing over this the better.

[RedScare]

Clearly, your desire to update your Facebook status overwhelms your responsibility to pay attention while driving. But, I am curious what my needs have to do with this statute. Are you suggesting that distracted driving should be legal until you run into me? I'd rather it not get that far.

[sidegate]

Clearly, your desire to update your Facebook status overwhelms your responsibility to pay attention while driving. But, I am curious what my needs have to do with this statute. Are you suggesting that distracted driving should be legal until you run into me? I'd rather it not get that far.

Actually I don't use the Facebook app on Android, it's ponderous and drab. Not that that whether I do or not has the slightest thing to do with you.

Mindful of the need not to tempt fate I've never had an accident in the 15 years I've lived here. If you get off on pontificating about responsibility to random people on the Internet that's your business,

Texting is an easy target. People will always do dumb things when driving, no number of laws will ever stop that.

[barracuda]

Maybe they should extend this ban to texting while walking. I say this after recently seeing a grown woman walk right into a crowd of people while busy staring at her phone. Good thing she wasn't driving.

[Ross]

All hail Ross, for he is our grand arbiter of need. He said so himself.

Absolutely. Thanks for the support.

[dbigtex56]

Maybe they should extend this ban to texting while walking. I say this after recently seeing a grown woman walk right into a crowd of people while busy staring at her phone. Good thing she wasn't driving.

You make a good point. People need to pay attention. Even in pre-mobile technology days, pedestrians (well, the smart ones) knew enough to not get so engaged in conversation as to ignore their surroundings. Cell phones made matters worse; texting, more so. I see people on the street who are utterly oblivious. It's a matter of common sense, not paranoia. I am, by nature, not a crook; yet, I notice stupid behavior by people, behaviors which make one susceptible.

"If I chose to," I think, "I could rob you, right now." (But I don't.)

The difference is that a pedestrian, generally, puts only himself at risk. If you're gonna act stupid, you might get mugged, or run over. But, few distracted pedestrians kill multiple other people. So far as I'm concerned, distracted drivers can kill themselves by the score. But their stupidity kills others.

I object.

[ricco67]

You make a good point. People need to pay attention. Even in pre-mobile technology days, pedestrians (well, the smart ones) knew enough to not get so engaged in conversation as to ignore their surroundings. Cell phones made matters worse; texting, more so. I see people on the street who are utterly oblivious. It's a matter of common sense, not paranoia. I am, by nature, not a crook; yet, I notice stupid behavior by people, behaviors which make one susceptible.

"If I chose to," I think, "I could rob you, right now." (But I don't.)

The difference is that a pedestrian, generally, puts only himself at risk. If you're gonna act stupid, you might get mugged, or run over. But, few distracted pedestrians kill multiple other people. So far as I'm concerned, distracted drivers can kill themselves by the score. But their stupidity kills others.

I object.

Just for the sake of satisfying my inner a-holeness, I will purposely honk if I see people crossing the street with eyes glued to the phone. More than a few jump and look for a car heading in their direction. A few even bolted to a run out of instinct to cross the street.

Yeah, I get flipped off a bit, but is satisfying for some reason.

[LTAWACS]

this does not have enough teeth.

[feufoma]

My god what mindless twits people have become when it's necessary to text conversations while driving instead of simply pulling the car over and handling the (mostly inane) communication. There is no conversation so important. Period. Even if the bill doesn't go far enough and extend to texting at a light (really, really??) and it may otherwise be tough to enforce-it should go on the books. Too many people have died or been seriously injured because some moron was texting instead of driving. I'm sure the opinions of the neasayers would change if someone important in their life died at the hands of one of these feckless and egocentric texting fools.

[Fringe]

Sometimes I can't believe I survived my younger years without a cell phone. It was like living in prehistoric times not being able to text or twitter every second.

[20thStDad]

I miss not having a cell phone. But I would end up getting fired for lack of response to everyone. I do enjoy being able to check scores from anywhere (except while driving...not at a light at least).

[VicMan]

I think this video says it all

Texting and driving invites disaster.

[gmac]

My god what mindless twits people have become when it's necessary to put on make-up and stuff their faces while driving instead of simply pulling the car over and fixing their faces and filling their stomachs. There is no one so ugly or so hungry that it could be so important. Period.

There is already a distracted driving statute, right? Why not just enforce that one regarding all these issues?

[TheNiche]

My god what mindless twits people have become when it's necessary to put on make-up and stuff their faces while driving instead of simply pulling the car over and fixing their faces and filling their stomachs. There is no one so ugly or so hungry that it could be so important. Period.

There is already a distracted driving statute, right? Why not just enforce that one regarding all these issues?

It's all about time savings. You're welcome to advise me to wake up earlier to get a head start, to cut one client meeting short so that I can make it across town for the next one with time to spare, or to prepare for meetings in advance instead of punching out calculations on my cell phone's app in stop-and-go traffic...but that's just not going to happen.

[dbigtex56]

There is already a distracted driving statute, right? Why not just enforce that one regarding all these issues?

Don't know. Can't say. However, I've never heard of anyone losing their license or going to jail for distracted driving.

Until the law starts treating this hazard as seriously as drunk driving, people will selfishly continue to put others at risk.

[Highway6]

Don't know. Can't say. However, I've never heard of anyone losing their license or going to jail for distracted driving.

Until the law starts treating this hazard as seriously as drunk driving, people will selfishly continue to put others at risk.

Even if this law treats texting as serious as drunk driving, people will still put others at risk because texting is just 1 of many many technological distractions available now while driving, with more coming out every year.

This law may be useful as a tool for punishment, but I just can't see it having any meaningful effect in reducing distracted driving fatalities. I do understand texting while driving is dangerous.. but your statement above, like this law, attempt to isolate texting ( an i assume smart phone use in general ).. and compared to all the other technological distractions that have been made available while driving the past 5 years, it seems like it's the equivalent of trying to curb gun deaths by only banning 9mm rounds.

I'm guessing onstar, or my entertainment console/radio will allow me to text within a few years. And even if its voice activated, it's one more non-driving activity that will spring up to distract me while I'm driving in rush hour or 80 on the west loop.

EDIT: Will this law prevent all smart phone use while driving or only texting? *facetious alert* I sure hope I can still play angry birds while in traffic. :/

Edited April 12, 2011 by Highway6

[TheNiche]

I'd imagine that a diligent prosecutor could access phone records for a driver involved in a crash and check to see whether they were texting at the time. Might make for a worthy manslaughter case, with or without the anti-texting law.

[RedScare]

I'd imagine that a diligent prosecutor could access phone records for a driver involved in a crash and check to see whether they were texting at the time. Might make for a worthy manslaughter case, with or without the anti-texting law.

They can and do. It is not perfect, as one must prove that the time of the text is also the time of the crash, but phone records are routinely subpoenaed for exactly this purpose.

One might argue that using phone records for a manslaughter case is exactly why this statute is needed. One would hope that the traffic citation, or threat thereof, might avert the manslaughter in the first place.

[ricco67]

Why can't they simply make it a law that, if an accident is caused, fines and penalties are increased if shown that a driver was distracted at the time of driving? This could include any number of things that could be proven. This could eventually include Eating, texting, watching videos, phone calls, having an argument, a pet loose in the car, etc.

[TheNiche]

One might argue that using phone records for a manslaughter case is exactly why this statute is needed. One would hope that the traffic citation, or threat thereof, might avert the manslaughter in the first place.

No, the sanctity of human life (including mine) ends where my own personal or professional inconvenience begins. I thought that I'd made that clear!

[kylejack]

I noticed someone bumped this thread with a vote. Rick Perry, of course, vetoed this, as well as 3 foot passing for cyclists.

[Pleak]

I was wondering why on earth this popped up in my View New Content when the last post was almost a year old...

Now it makes sense.

[Fringe]

So that's why old crap keeps showing up on new content even though most of the time there are no messages.