Ban on Texting while driving? (insurance, neighborhoods, buy)

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Kippy

Perhaps you are adept at one-handed driving. There are plenty of people who plain suck at it. Watch some bozo try to make a tight right-hand turn while holding a phone with their left hand. Also, people are much less likely to use turn signals if they only have one hand available.

Then, add smoking a cigarette to the equation, which it seems like a lot of people do, and you are out of hands!

Well, that is part of the problem. It's not possible to ban all the things that cause one-handed driving. And anyway, one-handed driving has been going on since the car was invented, since you had to shift if nothing else. Some people still have to shift. But even without anything extra in the car and with auto transmission there is a ton of one-handed driving going on anytime you drive: adjust the climate controls, adjust the radio, etc.

Anyway, I'm not actually against the texting ban though. I hope it has as much effect as the seat belt requirement, in that it makes a few more people who are stupid enough to do these things (text or drive/ride without a seatbelt) think twice and comply with the law. It won't get everyone to comply. But maybe it'll get closer.

[ditchdigger]

Well, that is part of the problem. It's not possible to ban all the things that cause one-handed driving. And anyway, one-handed driving has been going on since the car was invented, since you had to shift if nothing else.

Sometimes, I drive a big truck, on-highway. From the driver's seat of a medium duty dump truck, you can look down into most passenger cars interiors. One day about 15 years ago, I saw a guy driving one handed. What the other hand was doing, I'll leave to everyone's imagination, but it shocked me enough that it damn near caused me to wreck...

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

To all you older folks reminiscing, imagine that you're cruising down the highway back in the day in the driver of your Barracuda pulled out a typewriter and just started typing away.

Nah, we were too smart to do that.

[SteelCityRising]

I work two jobs. I typically work M-F 8-4:30 at one job and then 5-10:30 at another job as well as shifts at one of my jobs on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm behind the wheel of my car pretty much just as many hours per week as I'm asleep. As such I will admit to texting while driving and will continue to do so. I've texted while driving for years and have never been in an accident that was my fault. All of my recent accidents here were determined by the police, witnesses, and insurance adjusters to be entirely the fault of other drivers. Until I actually have a close-call that may serve as a "wake-up call" to me I'll continue to text while driving. I simply wouldn't be able to maintain a healthy social life at all otherwise.

[Atheist Liberal]

Originally Posted by Kippy

It is like the seat belt law. It is not really an enforceable law, but putting it on the books will hopefully raise awareness and discourage people from doing it.

It's an enforceable law for me. Every time I get a car I will always tell my dad/mom to put their seat belt on because the car has this automatic rigging bell that goes off if you don't have it on. That rigging noise really pisses me off so I tell them to put it on. Also I can't stand it when people are texting or talking while driving. It's just so irresponsible.

[FreightTrainRunning]

I love the attitude some posters here have that somehow even though the statistics show that texting while driving is horribly dangerous that they personally have some super-human ability to be perfectly safe while doing it. Meanwhile I'll just keep jumping out of the way while idiots talking or texting try to run me down in the crosswalk.

[Caladium]

Sometimes I wonder if some of the posts I read were written while someone was driving. In addition to being dangerous, texting while driving leads to some strangely written messages. You may be able to do two different things at the same time but you won't do either one well.

[Kippy]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I work two jobs. I typically work M-F 8-4:30 at one job and then 5-10:30 at another job as well as shifts at one of my jobs on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm behind the wheel of my car pretty much just as many hours per week as I'm asleep. As such I will admit to texting while driving and will continue to do so. I've texted while driving for years and have never been in an accident that was my fault. All of my recent accidents here were determined by the police, witnesses, and insurance adjusters to be entirely the fault of other drivers. Until I actually have a close-call that may serve as a "wake-up call" to me I'll continue to text while driving. I simply wouldn't be able to maintain a healthy social life at all otherwise.

Really?

[ditchdigger]

All of my recent accidents here were determined by the police, witnesses, and insurance adjusters to be entirely the fault of other drivers. Until I actually have a close-call that may serve as a "wake-up call" to me I'll continue to text while driving. I simply wouldn't be able to maintain a healthy social life at all otherwise.

Hopefully, Karma isn't monitoring this forum. If it is, you've just set yourself up for your next "not my fault" accident--being hit by some moron who's texting while driving.

[algia]

On this I disagree with you.

I have KIDS in my car under the age of 8, what if you're texting, and rear end me and hurt me or my kids? is your family going to pay to get me fixed, or them? I don't have health insurance thanks to the overweight population making premiums impossible to afford for the normal people who respect their BMI's;

Or,

Are you going to buy me a new car? cause I sure cannot afford to buy a new car...how will you explain this to my kids? how is it their fault that you have to keep up with your social life while driving the weapon that hurt them?



See, thing is, you don't KNOW who is in front of you, and what means they have if struck by an accident on some road...You have a responsibility not only for yourself when driving, but for the other people that you share the road with. Your social life is not my problem. If you don't like having two jobs, then work harder and find one that pays for your stuff, and don't endanger others on the road who DID NOT create your employment situation.

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I work two jobs. I typically work M-F 8-4:30 at one job and then 5-10:30 at another job as well as shifts at one of my jobs on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm behind the wheel of my car pretty much just as many hours per week as I'm asleep. As such I will admit to texting while driving and will continue to do so. I've texted while driving for years and have never been in an accident that was my fault. All of my recent accidents here were determined by the police, witnesses, and insurance adjusters to be entirely the fault of other drivers. Until I actually have a close-call that may serve as a "wake-up call" to me I'll continue to text while driving. I simply wouldn't be able to maintain a healthy social life at all otherwise.