Texting & Driving...

[Black Dog]

Hey there boys n girls...  Gonna get on my Soap Box for a bit here, and hope everyone takes this as it is meant...  Some of you may remember my story last year about how I almost got smacked by a texting teen, right in the middle of my small village, in SE Wisconsin.  That event scared me so bad, I almost puked, once I realized how close I had come...

I work for AT&T, and my company has a campaign showing the dangers, results and the lasting effects Texting & Driving can have...  Please, show this to your sons and daughters (already sent it to my two boys)...  Have them send it to their friends...  Even if it keeps one of our children from getting hurt or killed, it was worth my time.

http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=2964  (no blood or gore, just sad)

Thanks for looking.

Black Dog

[R J]

It is too bad the states do not pass some legislation on texting and driving.

We have had several accidents on the bypass South of me.   SAD.

[Chiefy]

Folks around here don't even seem to be able to talk on the phone and drive at the same time, texting is much-much worse.

What the hell is everyone talking/texting about anyway??  They never stop, not while driving, eating, shopping, at the bank.  I've even noticed guys sitting in the stall at a restaurant restroom talking away.  Sheesh.

[old2soon]

Some states-don't know for sure which ones-have this on the books already. It doesn't seem to be enforced. Just remember a lot of years back with drinking and driving-we had to get a lot of people killed before they actually tried to do something. And that is a sad truth in this country. My 15 year old daughter comes home with 1 or 2 horror storys a week about friends of hers texting and driving with the close calls and we live in a small town in a rural area. It's the one thing that scares the snot outa me when i'm on my m/c or in the cage. We have lost some of our youth to texting and cell phone usage when driving. You already know what they think-ain't gonna happen to me-WRONG. Don't have a clue what it will take to get through to them-but we were all hard headed when we were younger. I'm wide open for suggestions on this matter. I'd like to see me die of natural causes-and would hope the rest of my family and friends are as fortunate. Back to our regurally scheduled programming. RIDE SAFE.

[donaldcc]

  Against the law here in CA as well as talking on phone for a few years. doesn't seem to have much effect.   

[Ramjet]

One of the few good things Georgia has done is to make it illegal to text while driving.  Now, if they would only enforce it.

[Chrisj CMA]

stebil horn.......I honked at three texters in the last few months:

one threw the phone in the back seat and had both hands on the wheel INSTANTLY

one put the phone between her legs and looked up and started driving while watching the road for a change

one just stopped texting and gave me a dirty look, but she didnt resume texting

Stebil horn 3 / texters 0...oh, and I dont care if you think Im a jerk, we had a highschool girl kill herself texting, so I may have saved one of these.......

[Big Rig]

It just ot sent to everyone on my e-mail list...I hope they pass it along.

thanks for posting!

[BradValk48237]

Against the law here in MI.....  Not that it does any good!

B

[Super Santa]

I passed a county Sheriff today who was texting and driving in the left lane.  Speed limit 55, he was doing 45.  Makes it rather hard to enforce it when they do it too.

[john]

                      
   a message from AT&T ...     
              pathetic .... 

[mario]

I passed a county Sheriff today who was texting and driving in the left lane.  Speed limit 55, he was doing 45.  Makes it rather hard to enforce it when they do it too.

wow....i suppose they laid off all the good cops and kept on the knuckelneads in this town.  i hope that's not the case.

[solo1]

In my days on the council, I found that it does no good to pass laws if they are difficult or almost impossible to enforce.  Education, for what it's worth, is the key and that won't happen.   People have no common sense anymore. Laws will not give them that.

Example.  I sat in on a roadside conference some years ago with the mayor, the police chief, county officials, and a state representative.  A  10 year old boy had walked into the side of a truck/tractor rig that was going about 20mph.  The kid crossed the busy highway 100 feet from  a traffic signal.  He was killed instantly.

The mother ,at this post conference, blamed her son's death on everything and everyone except her son's stupidity.  She  couldn't face up to thqt fact.  As a result, because of her insistence,  the speed limit was lowered to 35 mph from 40 mph.  Even if the speed limit had been 10mph and if the truck driver would have obeyed this ridiculous speed limit, her son would still have been dead.

We all knew where the fault was but we couldn't tell the mother.

I have no , I repeat no faith in the ability of drivers out there and that's what scares me when I'm riding.  Texting is the culmination of years of dumbing down of the population and the "it's not my fault" effect.

And that's how I really feel. Really!

[MarkT]

Use the technology.  Pass a law that cell phones are disabled if they are in a moving vehicle.  That could be implemented instantly, with just firmware, on existing platforms - most of the advanced phones have GPS already.  In fact, it's already available as an ap.  Make it mandatory.  Then it could be enhanced - require cars to have triangulation devices inside - so only the driver's phone is disabled.  This is so obvious it's painful.  Must be the phone lobby fighting against it or it would already be in the works.

[Daniel Meyer]

I don't think the law can help.

Drinking and driving is against the law. Has been for years.

Still encountered two different wrong way drivers on i35 on the night-run home from Hotglues. Both times miles away from any ramps, stops, or towns.

It takes some serious impairment to get on that highway (and STAY on it) backwards.

People have to care...and take responsibility for their actions.  Not sure another law is gonna make that happen.

[MarkT]

I don't think the law can help.

Drinking and driving is against the law. Has been for years.

Still encountered two different wrong way drivers on i35 on the night-run home from Hotglues. Both times miles away from any ramps, stops, or towns.

It takes some serious impairment to get on that highway (and STAY on it) backwards.

People have to care...and take responsibility for their actions.  Not sure another law is gonna make that happen.

If you are responding to me, Dan you missed my point.  The law I'm suggesting isn't for the users.  It's to make the cell phone industry DISABLE the phones if they are moving.  And as I said, it could be enhanced to disable only if they are moving and in a driver's seat - with a bit more tech installed in cars.  I agree, the law for users isn't a good idea - PITA to enforce, etc.

[Daniel Meyer]

I don't think the law can help.

Drinking and driving is against the law. Has been for years.

Still encountered two different wrong way drivers on i35 on the night-run home from Hotglues. Both times miles away from any ramps, stops, or towns.

It takes some serious impairment to get on that highway (and STAY on it) backwards.

People have to care...and take responsibility for their actions.  Not sure another law is gonna make that happen.

If you are responding to me, Dan you missed my point.  The law I'm suggesting isn't for the users.  It's to make the cell phone industry DISABLE the phones if they are moving.  And as I said, it could be enhanced to disable only if they are moving and in a driver's seat - with a bit more tech installed in cars.  I agree, the law for users isn't a good idea - PITA to enforce, etc.

Nah, not responding to you Mark...I think your post went up when I was writing mine. Just the thread in general.

Only problem I'd have with your proposal is that it would probably add significant cost to the service, and I'd get to pay it, and I already don't text and drive.

And 10 minutes after they enabled something like that there'd be a crack/hack that every aggressive texter would download and install to disable the disabler. Heck, I don't text and drive/etc and I hacked my phone so the gps doesn't work unless I enable it.

I dunno what the solution is.  Just discussing.

[Russell Rice]

I was hit head on by a 16 year old girl while she talked on her cell phone. After she hit me she stayed on the phone with her friend and I had to tell her to call an ambulance The only good thing about her and the phone was that I was able to use her cell phone to call my wife I am not sure if there is an answer to this problem. Young people seem to think it is there right to talk and text whenever & wherever they want to.Parents give there kids cell phones when there to young  and the kids rely on them to stay in touch with Mom & Dad and Mom & Dads want instant access to there kids. My Son is 17 and if I want him to do a chore around the house I text him. I am so thankfull that he does not drive because he would be one of the many teens that kill themselves because of texting and driving. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Moonshot_1]

Bumper stickers

Cell phones make me horny.

Can you text "Put the phone down and drive?"

My horn is louder than your phone.

[RoadKill]

I don't think the law can help.

Drinking and driving is against the law. Has been for years.

Still encountered two different wrong way drivers on i35 on the night-run home from Hotglues. Both times miles away from any ramps, stops, or towns.

It takes some serious impairment to get on that highway (and STAY on it) backwards.

People have to care...and take responsibility for their actions.  Not sure another law is gonna make that happen.

If you are responding to me, Dan you missed my point.  The law I'm suggesting isn't for the users.  It's to make the cell phone industry DISABLE the phones if they are moving.  And as I said, it could be enhanced to disable only if they are moving and in a driver's seat - with a bit more tech installed in cars.  I agree, the law for users isn't a good idea - PITA to enforce, etc.

Disable the phone? How about make it legal to give the driver a disability?  If my kid is kidnapped I want them to text from a moving vehicle....I want the kidnapper to have been removed from the gene pool for previous stupidity like texting and driving.  Darwin had it right. Stop fighting Darwinism with technology and legislation.

[thedon]

Black dog,
I put your link up on my facebook page. Everyone needs to see it!!!

[Jess from VA]

Bumper stickers

Cell phones make me horny.

Can you text "Put the phone down and drive?"

My horn is louder than your phone.

After some ahole rear ended my wife's Dakota at 30 (no brakes), I had to take the gate off since it was sprung.  I then made my own bumper sticker in giant bold letters across the bashed-in back which stayed on waiting for the bump shop appointment.

"CELL PHONE DRIVER WAS HERE!!'
 

My favorite would be:

"SHOOT ALL CELL PHONE/TEXTING DRIVERS ON SIGHT."

[MarkT]

Disable the phone? How about make it legal to give the driver a disability?  If my kid is kidnapped I want them to text from a moving vehicle....I want the kidnapper to have been removed from the gene pool for previous stupidity like texting and driving.  Darwin had it right. Stop fighting Darwinism with technology and legislation.

Oh come ON.  What is the percentage of your scenario in proportion to mine?  0.001% vs. 99.999%?  This reminds me of the favorite Clinton tactic of wanting to sell his agenda so he finds ONE example of it and presents that poor sucker on TV and we all get sold on having to put up with some limiting law that doesn't apply in our cases because there's ONE yahoo out there for sure who will benefit.  I call it legislating by anecdote.

The Darwin reference... HUH?  I don't know what to make of that.

Apply some common sense and balance.  Something needs to be done and I'm not gonna say we need more laws - after all I am AGAINST MORE GOVERNMENT - certainly not more laws we all have to observe - but the lessor of the evils is make the phones inoperable under normal driving circumstances.

As for Dan's comments - what's up with that, Dan?  Is it necessary for you to make a list of discredits of my suggestion?  Apparently.  Do you have a better idea?  Yeah hacks would appear.  But the users would have to make a conscious effort to violate.  And other tech could also appear, perhaps in inviolate firmware, not accessible to hacks - like reportage to the phone co that the phone is moving and active.  Linked to significant penalties on the phone bill.  Our world is techno-driven nowadays.  Keeps the engineers employed.  And the hackers some fun projects to work on.

[Daniel Meyer]

As for Dan's comments - what's up with that, Dan?  Is it necessary for you to make a list of discredits of my suggestion?  

Discussion list. Thought we were discussing. My mistake.

[RoadKill]

Maybe we just have the POTUS appoint a cell phone Czar to do helpfull things like add a warning label to phones warning about the dangers,add 3 pages to every phone bill with WARNING in large print and then we can have phone signal activated cameras taking license plate pictures. We could place a sign telling you the dangers under every "road slippery when wet" sign

and place others between the no smoking warning at the gas pump right next to the " Press for instructions in English"


   OR  
We could just remove ALL those damn signs including the one that comes on new toasters warning not to use them in the bathtub. I encourage any one with an urge to shower with a hair dryer to get the 220v AC model and that should cut down on the texting and driving as well as free up the traffic flow , cut pollution and I'll bet we see a decrease in prison over crowding soon as a bonus !

[Sludge]

Black Dog, thats a good video.

Given the level of technology present, I would think there would be an easy to implement feature to phones and new cars to prevent cell phone use while driving.  The phone GPS knows if it is moving or not on most phones already.  The car has anti theft features where it knows if the key inserted in the switch is the one for that car.  They use proximity of an RFID tag for this.  Perhaps an RFID relationship between the drivers position in a car and handheld devices would be in order.  If you occupy the drivers seat the proximity via an RFID tag would disable that device if it senses it is in motion.  911 calling would be the only feature still active on the drivers phone while in motion.  Just no other functions.  A stopped vehicle could have full functionality for handhelds in the drivers position.

Passengers would still be able to have full functionality during all modes of transport.  It doesnt seem like much of a technical problem to overcome IMHO.  Actually I think it would be in the best interests of the car manufacturers and cell phone makers to come up with a solution to this without having to be forced to do so by law.  I would think that the shield against possible future litigation would be incentive enough for them to consider an industry safety standard for this on their own.

[Big IV]

This was a good run of Zits, where the teenager is hit by a texting driver who he was texting at a red light.

[bigvalkriefan]

 

[sugerbear]

hows this for a solution

make cell phones that ONLY make calls. no texting, no internet access, no nothing, just calls.

if you NEED to check your e-mail, carry a laptop, if your business requires internet access, carry a laptop. if you can't live without talking with your friends EVERY second, take them with you.

if it isn't important enough to pull over and stop, then it isn't important enough to do while driving.
 if your caught texting or sufing while driving make it hurt.  lose your license for a year, $50,000 fine.
stop coddling! dwi, same thing putting on makeup, reading a book/newspaper, anything that takes your attention away from your primary function(driving)

it's a LOT of BULLSH$T.

[..]

Hurt someone whilst texting get a thumb cut off. 

[Bobbo]

Use the technology.  Pass a law that cell phones are disabled if they are in a moving vehicle.  That could be implemented instantly, with just firmware, on existing platforms - most of the advanced phones have GPS already.  In fact, it's already available as an ap.  Make it mandatory.  Then it could be enhanced - require cars to have triangulation devices inside - so only the driver's phone is disabled.  This is so obvious it's painful.  Must be the phone lobby fighting against it or it would already be in the works.

Your suggestion would probably be easily disabled by an app if implemented.

[Chiefy]

If law enforcement is allowed/encouraged to set up road blocks for bikers and check for something clearly dangerous like an expired insurance card,    one would think they could pull cagers over and check the call log on their cell phones (at least in states where it's illegal to drive and text.)  Guaranteed texting drivers have killed more innocents then all the expired insurance ID's combined.
 

[MarkT]

Black Dog, thats a good video.

Given the level of technology present, I would think there would be an easy to implement feature to phones and new cars to prevent cell phone use while driving.  The phone GPS knows if it is moving or not on most phones already.  The car has anti theft features where it knows if the key inserted in the switch is the one for that car.  They use proximity of an RFID tag for this.  Perhaps an RFID relationship between the drivers position in a car and handheld devices would be in order.  If you occupy the drivers seat the proximity via an RFID tag would disable that device if it senses it is in motion.  911 calling would be the only feature still active on the drivers phone while in motion.  Just no other functions.  A stopped vehicle could have full functionality for handhelds in the drivers position.

Passengers would still be able to have full functionality during all modes of transport.  It doesnt seem like much of a technical problem to overcome IMHO.  Actually I think it would be in the best interests of the car manufacturers and cell phone makers to come up with a solution to this without having to be forced to do so by law.  I would think that the shield against possible future litigation would be incentive enough for them to consider an industry safety standard for this on their own.

YEAH Sludge, that's what I'm talking about!  Seems like a no-brainer to me, and I'm not immersed in the tech world anymore.  It would be SO EASY to stop this nonsense.  Though the interests of the phone lobby might be another matter.  However, all they have to do is do some more "legislating by anecdote" - show some horribly disfigured, pregnant mom who was maimed and her unborn child killed by some texting teen, and even the phone industry doesn't want to be painted in public as being on the side of greed against her.

[RoadKill]

Do I have to sell my 68 VW beetle and buy a cell phone capable car now? Is blue tooth technology available for my 55 chevy,because the onstar aint worth a $hi# in the '72 truck!

[F6Dave]

There are so many laws on the books now that most people commit crimes daily and don't even know it.  I'd think if you were texting and driving carelessly, you could be cited for careless driving.  It isn't only texting that is a problem, it's distracted driving.  I have a new Ford with the fancy Microsoft Sync/Nav system, and operating that can be way more distracting than mere texting.

Now here's the good part.  I just read a study that found TEXTING related ACCIDENTS INCREASED in states that banned it!  Why?  Because after they banned it, people began to text by holding the phone near their knees, rather than in the line of sight, so they wouldn't be seen.

[..]

Now here's the good part.  I just read a study that found TEXTING related ACCIDENTS INCREASED in states that banned it!  Why?  Because after they banned it, people began to text by holding the phone near their knees, rather than in the line of sight, so they wouldn't be seen.

So not only are people overly egotistical in their belief that they can multi task whilst driving they are STUPID  to boot.

I looked down into a small SUV yesterday from the school bus to see a young woman sitting with her left leg tucked under her butt. A fast food coffee cup between her legs, a cigarette in her left hand and her texting device in her right hand.

She should be stopped, vehicle impounded and licence cut up on the spot.

[Jess from VA]

I like cutting off the thumb better............ right on the spot with bolt cutters.

[Daniel Meyer]

Laughing...today on the way to work, the big text board was lit up.

"Talk and text later. Drive Now"

Then it went to:

"You Talk"
"You Text"
"You die"

Am I the only one that finds texting this message to me (even if it is on a billboard) is ironic?

[Bobbo]

Laughing...today on the way to work, the big text board was lit up.

"Talk and text later. Drive Now"

Then it went to:

"You Talk"
"You Text"
"You die"

Am I the only one that finds texting this message to me (even if it is on a billboard) is ironic?

They need one that says "Stop reading these stupid signs and drive!

[Chrisj CMA]

"honk if you love Jesus...text while driving if you want to meet him now"