Texting while driving

[Jessica.C]

In a lot of states it's already illegal, but what do you think? are any of you against the ban on texting while driving? I'm definitely not. Texting while driving costs so many lives, especially teen lives, I'm glad it's illegal now in Pennsylvania. Not that it'll affect me, I can't drive or text, but seriously it's a dangerous distraction.

[xav0989]

Where I currently live (not in the US) there is a ban on any kind of handheld device while driving. To make a call or text while behind the wheel, the driver must completely stop the vehicule in a safe manner and put it in park before picking up the cellphone. However the law permits the use of in-car bluetooth system or bluetooth headsets to make and receive calls while driving. Also the driver is required to keep at least one hand at all times on the wheel.
I am all for this type of ban, as cellphones are a distraction well behind the wheel. One of the cars I drive has a bluetooth system, and I make great use of it, as usually, calls are reserved for things more important that often require a fast answer (why else call?). I also keep my cellphone far enough from my person in the car that I am not tempted to pick it up and text while driving. Texts will have to wait for me to reach my destination.

[mobstermind61]

I also live in Pennsylvania and even since the law past that you not allowed to be using your cell phone while driving is a law that most police officers over look still, but yes testing while driving is a distraction. Ever wonder if the person driving in front of you is drunk because that person is driving all over the road, then when you go to pass that car for your safety you notice that he was only on his cell phone. I understand why you would bring this up because people in this world are getting careless about there life, and the lives of other people that have to drive on the same road as they are. tis tis

[Darkmere]

I like to think of it as taking a real keyboard and taping it to your steering wheel. If you cant type out a paper while maintaining the current course of a vehicle is a safe manner I seriously doubt you can text and drive safely. So I def support no texting and driving. But .... doesnt mean I dont find it amusing to watch people try.

[mcroyalty87]

When I used to have my Nokia 5300, or my Sidekick Slide, I txted all the time while I was driving. The thing is, these phones have actual tactile buttons that you can actually press and feel...... that means I didn't actually have to look at the actual phone in order to text and send it.

NOW A DAYS , I have an iPhone AND I drive up and down I10 a lot. Txting on a touchscreen phone requires a different level of concentration, and I DO NOT do it while I'm driving. I WILL bust it out at red lights though lol

[dhennen]

It strikes me that if you don't have time to drive while driving, you need to take a giant step back and see what's gobbling up your life. This applies to the fool I saw in the next lane over talking on one phone, texting on another, and driving the car (sort of) while his passenger sat idle in the shotgun seat. It also applies to the folks I see shaving, putting on makeup, reading the newspaper, etc.

Maybe laws eliminating any of those distractions will not only make our lives safer, but better balanced, as well.

[kinley3]

I'm not against banning texting while driving. As everyone before me has stated, it's a distraction. But more importantly, it's negligent behavior. You could easily total your car, seriously hurt yourself or someone else, kill yourself or someone else, or all of the above. Is sending a text really that important? It can wait.

As for a ban on using cell phones in any capacity in the car, I think that's ridiculous. Talking on a cell phone while driving is no more dangerous than talking to someone in the passenger seat. You can still look at the road and you have a hand on the wheel. Who really uses two hands to drive anyway?

[garrettroyce]

Everything anyone does behind the wheel of the car is distracting and therefore a hazard to the lives of everyone on the road. Changing the climate control, putting a CD in the player, talking on the phone, picking your nose, ANYTHING takes your mind off of the road long enough for an accident to happen. Blinking your eyes takes about 100ms. The average time it takes a human to spot a situation that requires adjusting the vehicle is about 250ms. So, you add 40% to your reaction time if you BLINK at the wrong time. I will guarantee that no one spends less than 100ms doing anything distracting in the car, so we're looking at adding 50-1000% or more JUST TO THE REACTION TIME, not to mention the time it takes to get both hands on the wheel and actually doing a life-saving maneuver.

I admit, I'm a huge hypocrite in this area, and there's no justification to it whatsoever, but the bottom line is driving a car is EXTREMELY dangerous in the first place. Why would you do ANYTHING to increase your risk of disability, death, manslaughter, or even just a small fine? Does $100 to say "lol" to your friend sound good? How about being a vegetable for the next 50 years for answering the phone instead of waiting 5 minutes? It's a very very silly behavior we've made socially acceptable....

[ante.allah.fjante51]

I would have to agree with garrettroyce, texting while driving is plain stupid and it should be a higher sentence than it already is (I live in sweden), you get a fine, yes that's it... I personally think it should count as reckless driving, you'd loose your license

on that matter anything that takes your hands off the wheel should be illegal, for instance I saw someone who seriously tried to text, read the paper, put on make-up, raise their child, consume breakfast and taking of a sweater at the same time while driving (needless to say I stayed at a distance) I can't understand why people would do something that reckless.....

now I will admit, I would probably also do something equally stupid, like drinking coffee while driving, but at least I would see the road.

[kinley3]

By that logic, garrettroyce, cars should have one seat only, with no air conditioning, heat, cruise control, flashers, or radio. Windows should be fixed and manual transmissions should be banned. Would you ban windshield wipers in case it started raining and someone had to turn them on while driving?

My point is that literally anything you do in a car can be more or less of a distraction, but there's a great deal of difference between pulling out your phone and texting and changing the channel on the radio. You just can't put those on equal footing, because it's a slippery slope when you start naming distractions in a car. Where does it stop?