Texting and driving documentary: "From One Second to the Next"

[albert77]

Everyone who is for laws banning texting and driving but has a radio (you take your eye off the road to change the volume, the station or the CD) or heater (you take your eye off the road to adjust the temperature or fan speed) in their car is a forking hypocrite.

Bingo! Beat me to it. Where does this shirt end? Do I get a ticket or go to jail for channel surfing the radio? Engaging in a conversation with a passenger? Drinking a soda? Looking at a billboard on the side of the road? Smoking? All of these activities are just as "distracting" as texting, but it's only texting that gets the nanny treatment.

Drunk driving (or driving on illegal drugs) is a whole different kettle of fish. That's a physical impairment that affects your actual ability to drive the vehicle. Texting (or changing the channel on the radio) does not.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Do I get a ticket or go to jail for channel surfing the radio? Engaging in a conversation with a passenger? Drinking a soda? Looking at a billboard on the side of the road? Smoking? All of these activities are just as "distracting" as texting.

Are they?

 

[LongTimeListener]

Do I get a ticket or go to jail for channel surfing the radio? Engaging in a conversation with a passenger? Drinking a soda? Looking at a billboard on the side of the road? Smoking? All of these activities are just as "distracting" as texting.

Are they?

No. This is the patently false information that the "libertarians" want people to believe. It isn't true in the least.

There is ample research showing texting and driving to be as dangerous as drunk driving. But this weird "FREEDOM!" cry drowns all that out.

 

[BTExpress]

Everyone who is for laws banning texting and driving but has a radio (you take your eye off the road to change the volume, the station or the CD) or heater (you take your eye off the road to adjust the temperature or fan speed) in their car is a forking hypocrite.

Go ahead and try to text someone in the 0.2 seconds it takes me to change my radio from FM to CD.

And with the radio, you know, on the dashboard your eyes are still pointed at the road.

 

[Songbird]

Ben Franklin can take "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and shove it up his freedom-hating ass. He was always a fascist anyway.

Never trust a man who will fly a kite during a thunderstorm.

He's on the $100 bill! What bill are *you* on, Bubba?

Speaking of the $100 bill ... what a great segue ... here's a new story about the Benjamin.

http://www.esquire.com/features/benjamin-hundred-dollar-bill-0913-2

 

[JR]

This is one hilarious thread.

If you think you can drive safely and text at 110 kph, you're delusional

Drivers who do that should be charged with reckless/careless driving and their licenses should be yanked.

But Zag also thinks that outlawing smoking in bars and restaurants is an infringement on rights. Always makes me laugh.

It is an infringement on OUR rights. But seeing as you are a commie who can't exist without the government telling you how to live, I can understand why you would be so confused by this.

You are so forking predictable. It makes me laugh every time

Claiming a law against texting and driving is an infringement on rights is stupendously stupid. Please

You don't even have a right to drive. You realise that, right?

And I cut out your rant about smoking in bars because we've been there before about a dozen times.

I'm about as pro capitalism as you can get.

I was a co-owner in business for 15 years and since then have been a consultant to teach small business how they can grow their market.

Government regulations against idiotic behaviour doesn't make me a commie. Grow up

 

[Bradley Guire]

I don't think I understand technology enough to see a practical point to an app. Could someone with more tech savvy explain, because here's my thought process:

For the app to work, the driver has to activate it. What stops the driver from turning the app off while driving? How does the app know the car is even moving? Plug it in to charge and then wouldn't the car need some kind of software to override the phone? What keeps someone from unplugging it? Can a phone have a sensor to realize it's moving faster than 15 mph? How does the phone know it's in a car and not on a train or a bus?

I'm not sure the app idea is even practical. Interlock devices with breathalyzers make sense. I'm not sure what can be done about phones. Society may have to just rely on appealing to people's better judgment to not do something.

My Waze app locks and won't let me put an address in if my car is moving. But I just hit "passenger" and keep typing.

I still have a dumbphone. Smartphone tech is just wizardry to me.

 

[zagoshe]

I just love that he's against all people shooting each other except "wannabe thugs." Perfectly acceptable for them to shoot each other.

Call it natural selection - and also saves lots of money in court costs and spares us the bleeding heart community leaders whining on behalf of "good kids who made mistakes" to courts in order to get them a break.,.....

 

[Bodie_Broadus]

Everyone who is for laws banning texting and driving but has a radio (you take your eye off the road to change the volume, the station or the CD) or heater (you take your eye off the road to adjust the temperature or fan speed) in their car is a forking hypocrite.

Actually, the last three cars I have been behind the wheel of have the radio controls on the steering wheel.

 

[FileNotFound]

Everyone who is for laws banning texting and driving but has a radio (you take your eye off the road to change the volume, the station or the CD) or heater (you take your eye off the road to adjust the temperature or fan speed) in their car is a forking hypocrite.

Actually, the last three cars I have been behind the wheel of have the radio controls on the steering wheel.

Between steering wheel buttons and voice commands, the only time I have to take my hands off the wheel at all is to put the car in Park when I get where I'm going.

 

[Captain Obvious]

I just love that he's against all people shooting each other except "wannabe thugs." Perfectly acceptable for them to shoot each other.

Call it natural selection - and also saves lots of money in court costs and spares us the bleeding heart community leaders whining on behalf of "good kids who made mistakes" to courts in order to get them a break.,.....

Go ahead, and text and drive on a deserted road on the side of a mountain. No tears would be shed for stupidity.

 

[Armchair_QB]

So what message is so important that you need to text it while driving?

Why can't you wait until you get home to eat?

Why can't you put on your make-up before you leave the house?

If we're going to ban it, ban it all. Or are we saying that distracted driving is ok as long as you aren't using your phone?