What's it Gonna Take?

[nissangirl74]

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/ ... 09712.html

How bad does it have to get before people put their damn phones down? This scares me so much for when our kids start to drive.

[themadscientist]

When cell phones are outlawed.

[TurboSauce]

Flame me if you must but, even though I agree with the whole no cellular (e.g. no calls/texts) use while driving, sometimes I need to send a text to my mom, brother, or friend who i'm heading over to, just to let them know where I am etc/etc, most of the time I bring the car to a complete stop while i'm doing such (the few exceptions are when i'm literally the only car on a road that I know well, and i know wont be busy and its usually under 20 mph). The same thing for talking on the phone when driving, unless its urgent I usually wait till I can park my car to talk on my cell phone, FYI I don't text much, maybe about 10-12 texts a week. I usually just make phone calls, and I myself find it annoying when someone's driving whilst talking on their cellphone because they DO NOT pay attention I've seen so many careless drivers come very close to damaging my car because they were on their cell. If anyone calls me whilst i'm driving I may answer to see if its urgent then if not I tell them i'll call them back later.


So whilst I'm guilty of texting whilst driving per se, I'm still against people doing it.
And just because I do it at slower speeds doesn't make it safe either. I nearly ran my car off the road once and just about sh*T my pants (t'was when I decided to just pull over)

What I think would be a cool feature is if calls/texts can not be sent or received at speeds over 5/10 miles per hour sure if you're riding shotgun or in the backseat sucks for you, but in the long run it could save your life.

[nissangirl74]

You can't suspend cellular service when the phone is in motion and penalize people in the car who aren't driving. You just have to make the punishment so severe that no one will risk it.

[themadscientist]

You will never completely eliminate. Show me a success with drunk drivers and I'll beleive you can effectively stop texters.

[nissangirl74]

No you won't. Teenagers and drunk people have a lot in common: most of them think they are ten foot tall, bullet-proof, and immortal. When in actuality, they are unstable, emotional, and all around s*** drivers.

[Bubba1]

No you won't. Teenagers and drunk people have a lot in common: most of them think they are ten foot tall, bullet-proof, and immortal. When in actuality, they are unstable, emotional, and all around s*** drivers.

I agree, we'll never completely eliminate the problem due to the "stubborn idiot" factor. But Since the DUI fines have gotten considerably more expensive in recent years (at least in PA), I believe the numbers are going down. Perhaps hitting cell phone/texting while driving offenders equally hard in the wallet with $1500 fines insterad of $100 fines, that will get the point to sink into into their Nala-like skulls and make them think more before doing it.

[sx moneypit]

I am completely against using a cellphone while driving and i really don't understand all this texting s***. Why the f*** can't you just make a phone call?

[krash]

I'm inclined to say "who gives a flying fart" let them weed themselves out. Unfortunatley, some idiot can go slamming into an innocent bystander and kill them, so that sucks. Theres no way to really stop it. No one cares. Not to say I'm guiltless, I'll either call or voice text while I'm driving if need be.

Laws will be made, they wont be enforced, things will happen, more laws, etc etc. Vicious cycle. VA has a no cell phones something law, MD has a hands free only law from what I remember. Nobody cares about it. Police don't do anything about it, no one is going to take the time and pull you over solely for a cell phone.

What we need to do, is make the driving tests much HARDER. I was practically asleep when I took mine. If we can at least get the non-drivers off the road, then the people that are texting while driving at least have some hope of not killing someone.

[Rex]

I think the laws should be penal enough to put a stop to it, but I think it's too easy to focus on the teen/new driver.

How many of you have seen sales/business people talking, texting or even reading/writing email while driving? I seriously think that's a bigger issue, as we should be able to "mentor" the younger drivers to better habits.

[Marenta]

The problem is that those drunk and texting drivers rarely kill themselves, they always end up hitting that Toyota Corolla with a family of 4 and kill them.

[Jesda]

Harsher laws likely wont have a major effect, but education and fear and shame will.

Fear works like nothing else, especially fear of death. Public awareness campaigns increased seat belt use from 20% in 1980 to 80%+ today. Show the gory photos on TV. Blood, guts, all of it.

[krash]

Blood, guts, all of it.

Sounds delicious. The cat is marinating right now, you in?

[AppleBonker]

Harsher laws likely wont have a major effect, but education and fear and shame will.

This. Big, heaping loads of shame.

What we need to do, is make the driving tests much HARDER. I was practically asleep when I took mine. If we can at least get the non-drivers off the road, then the people that are texting while driving at least have some hope of not killing someone.

I didn't even have to take one. I did well enough in my class that is wasn't necessary. But I agree that they need to be harder. I've said it before, but I'd gladly sacrifice a week of my time to take a week long driving test (I know that becomes cost prohibitive so it'll never happen, but still). Also, I almost think they should test the driver's ability to drive whilst texting/eating/reading the paper/putting on makeup. I know it's not allowed, but everyone pretty much does it. Prove that you are capable before getting that license.

I'm inclined to say "who gives a flying fart" let them weed themselves out. Unfortunatley, some idiot can go slamming into an innocent bystander and kill them, so that sucks.

And I'd agree with this, too. One dead texting teen will never grow up into a texting, terrible driver of an adult. If only there was a way to keep them from taking innocent people with...

[TurboSauce]

You can't suspend cellular service when the phone is in motion and penalize people in the car who aren't driving. You just have to make the punishment so severe that no one will risk it.

Is it really a punishment so that you can only use your phone at less than 10 miles per hour? I see it as more of a prevention, because the only thing that will legit stop people is something that makes it so they can't rather than being punished for it.
Same thing with airplanes, I believe the main reason you can't use them, is because you can't get service anyway.

If you punish a child for an act there is a 50% chance they realize what THEY did wrong,
and then there's a 50% chance that they don't see what they're doing wrong, and just think you're being a d!ck.

And that's how the majority of the population think. pretty much the entire " f*ck the police" movement thinks that way.

[themadscientist]

I am completely against using a cellphone while driving and i really don't understand all this texting s***. Why the f*** can't you just make a phone call?

+1

I watched a guy have a 20 minute conversation texting back and forth what would have been a 30 second call.

[numbnuts240]

if a dialogue requires more than two responses from me, i'm calling. if it's a one question/answer thing, i text. they both have their places, but a 2-hour text session is stupid, as is a one response phone call asking if milk should be picked up on the way home from work.

texting/phoning while driving is something i totally abstain from. unfortunately, there's not much that could be done to stop it, or even reduce it. the first step is to get the cops who should be enforcing the illegality of the acts to quit it themselves. fat chance there.

[Razi]

Texting and crashing my car is not worth whatever the hell I'm texting about.
I'll text em when I'm stopped or at my destination.

[carloslebaron]

The phones of texting drivers must be confiscated by the police officer right at the place of the violation. With this measure the life of the offenders will be miserable for a few hours or days until they acquire a new phone.

The new law must enforce the destruction of the devices -including their SIM card- so the violators will have it hard to recover.

This measure must be in conjunction with a greater penalty.

If any emergency happens after the phone has been confiscated, and the violator was uncommunicative to respond such a situation due to the confiscated phone, the violator won't be able to sue the city/police/State by this inconvenience, and by having been found in violation, the offender must assume all the consequences.

I guess that enforcing such a law will make to decrease texting while driving...I'll hope...

[TurboSauce]

The phones of texting drivers must be confiscated by the police officer right at the place of the violation. With this measure the life of the offenders will be miserable for a few hours or days until they acquire a new phone.

The new law must enforce the destruction of the devices -including their SIM card- so the violators will have it hard to recover.

This measure must be in conjunction with a greater penalty.

If any emergency happens after the phone has been confiscated, and the violator was uncommunicative to respond such a situation due to the confiscated phone, the violator won't be able to sue the city/police/State by this inconvenience, and by having been found in violation, the offender must assume all the consequences.

I guess that enforcing such a law will make to decrease texting while driving...I'll hope...

So if somone was texting and driving, had their phone confiscated and got ran off a cliff it's okay that they now have no means to contact anyone?
true. I guess they'll be found once their dead anyway right?

[numbnuts240]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqcUrmVKjjM[/youtube]

[bigbadberry3]

Question for elder members, was there a rise in traffic accidents when drive thrus were implemented?

[Razi]

People get in accidents at drive-thrus?

[themadscientist]

The phones of texting drivers must be confiscated by the police officer right at the place of the violation. With this measure the life of the offenders will be miserable for a few hours or days until they acquire a new phone.

The new law must enforce the destruction of the devices -including their SIM card- so the violators will have it hard to recover.

This measure must be in conjunction with a greater penalty.

If any emergency happens after the phone has been confiscated, and the violator was uncommunicative to respond such a situation due to the confiscated phone, the violator won't be able to sue the city/police/State by this inconvenience, and by having been found in violation, the offender must assume all the consequences.

I guess that enforcing such a law will make to decrease texting while driving...I'll hope...

So if somone was texting and driving, had their phone confiscated and got ran off a cliff it's okay that they now have no means to contact anyone?
true. I guess they'll be found once their dead anyway right?

Hyperbole, table two.

[themadscientist]

People get in accidents at drive-thrus?

Yeah, they buy terrible food.

[Razi]

[nissangirl74]

Question for elder members, was there a rise in traffic accidents when drive thrus were implemented?

What does this have to do with the price of eggs in China?

[AZhitman]

Guess who has NO problem whatsoever with driving alongside someone who's a$$-deep in texting, and waiting for them to shade over into my lane so I can wake them the F*** up with the horn?

<-- THIS guy.

And then they get to deal with me mad-dogging them until I'm good and ready to move along. Call me immature, but I don't want one of these imbeciles hitting my loved ones.

Hit MY car. I dare you. My attorney will subpoena the cell records so fast their head will spin, and they'll owe me half of everything they own.

Unfortunately, the only ones who suffer are the insurance companies, who pass those costs down to us.

If YOU people reading this thread don't do something about inattentive drivers (including yourselves), then who will?

p.s. I rarely agree with Carlos, but in this instance, I do. AND, if the driver is under 18, the parents should have to come to court.

[bigbadberry3]

Question for elder members, was there a rise in traffic accidents when drive thrus were implemented?

What does this have to do with the price of eggs in China?

My point was texting is a distraction. New too many people.

I was wondering if when people started going to drive thrus and eating while driving, accidents spiked?

[Jesda]

Blood, guts, all of it.

Sounds delicious. The cat is marinating right now, you in?

See you in 10!