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

That's pretty much it, yes. Distracted driving of the kind you mention poses a small tiny fraction of the danger that texting presents. I don't know why that logical factual difference escapes so many people, but apparently it does.

I've never put on makeup in the car, but it does seem incredibly dangerous. Ticket it, ban it, fine. Eating does not by itself cause the eyes to leave the road. Changing the radio station is a small blip of time.

This reminds me a lot of the FREEDOM!1!1!!! debate when seat-belt laws were introduced. Except the difference here is that you might kill another person.

 

Oh, you can use the phone.

While at a stop light, go ahead and hit your contacts list and call someone. Feel free to speak with them as you're driving. It really can wait, you know. But do it of you must.

None of that causes your eyes to leave the road for 4-5 seconds with the car in motion.

 

I'm sure you have data that demonstrates the dangers of driving while eating and driving while putting on make-up, correct?

The people calling for tougher bans on texting while driving have actual data to back up their concerns. Do you?

 

That's kinda key, dontcha think?

 

Doesn't seem to be a concern for some folks around here.

 

So I've noticed ... (and LTL, I hope you know I wasn't being snarky to you)

 

People can text without taking their eyes off the road, too.

 

I got it ... Yes I wouldn't think that would be such a debatable point, whether preventing death is good. But, live and learn.

 

Even talking on a hands-free cellphone has been proven to be distracting enough to impair a driver. You don't have to take your eyes off the road to be distracted enough to cause or avoid an accident.

 

Which brings us back to eating and makeup and radios and heaters. Ban one, ban them all.

In fact, if you don't put your seatbelt on before the car is in motion, putting it on while you're moving is a distraction that could kill you and others, so might as well ban belting while in motion, too.

 

I see tony is typing with his fingers in his ears again.

 

And I don't have to take my eyes off the road while I'm typing, either.