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Nope because distraction occurs any time you take your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, and your mind off your primary task: driving safely.
Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing.
I'm surprised with all the laws in CA that banning texting while driving isn't one of them...
Did you read the OP? CA absolutely bans use of a phone while driving unless it is hands free. They just allow you to look at your GPS, which is not the same.
Young people never seem to learn the easy way, they always want to go to the school of hard knocks!
Anyway it DOES NOT MATTER what you say, what matters is what the cop says he saw you doing. Judges listen to cops.
Also can you say DUH? (You might be interested to know that digital devices and your cell phone provider have an ELECTRONIC RECORD of exactly what you were doing and at what time you were doing it!)
Not to mention many businesses have cameras these days, which many times capture things happening in the street or across the street. So if you are texting and kill someone, chances are high you will be on video and definite that there will be an electronic record of what you were doing.
Thankfully, I do not feel so "first person singular" that a call or text cannot wait.
Research has proven that most, if not all, Cell Phone Addicts have arrogantly claimed they are fully capable of chatting and/or texting while driving until AFTER a major accident.
To avoid temptation . . . all Cell Phones should be OFF while driving.
For those of you with AT&T, I would strongly recommend downloading their free "Drive Mode" app for your smartphone. It makes a lot of sense and while it's not perfect (see last paragraph about "Allow List" below), it works pretty well for me!
How does DriveMode work?
When the app is on, incoming alerts are silenced, LED notifications are diminished and incoming calls are sent to voicemail. The DriveMode main screen blocks access to the phone so you can not compose a text message or access any other applications. The app can send an auto-reply message to a incoming text or phone call from a mobile number. The app has a default auto-reply message or you can create your own personal message limited to 135 characters.
How does the Auto-Mode work?
If you have Auto-Mode enabled, DriveMode will automatically turn on when the app recognizes that your vehicle is moving 25 MPH. When the app recognizes that the vehicle is no longer traveling at 25 MPH for five minutes, it will turn off.
Auto-Mode Enabled is the default setting but you can choose to disable this. You can manually turn off DriveMode at any time from the home screen.
Can I Send and Receive Calls while DriveMode is On?
When DriveMode is turned on, you are not able to place an outbound call except to those numbers on your Allow List or to 911. You can receive incoming calls from numbers on your Allow List. You can receive all incoming calls if you are using a hands-free Bluetooth® device. You must elect this during the set up process or by going to Allow List in Settings. If you make this selection, but are not using a hands- free Bluetooth® device, incoming calls will go to voicemail unless the number is on the Allow List.
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