Now this is the way to address texting while driving

[Shrek]

Scottsboro Alabama chose the better answer when the issue of cellphone distracted drivers was brought up.

http://www.waaytv.com/news/local/sto...XIyNWWZWw.cspx

When I saw this it reminded me of the idiot we used to pass on our way home from 3rd shift 20 years ago who had his newspaper spead out across his steering wheel on his way into Huntsville every morning.

[Tricky Grama]

We've nearly been hit so many times by fools texting. I can't believe there's not more accidents.

[Gary in ohio]

Why do you need more laws, EVERY place has a "must control" law. The reason your unable to control your vehicle is unimportant. PEOPLE need to be held accountable to there driving.

[fishhead]

We also need to ban cell phone talking while driving. I've had yak-a-lots look right at me and pull out.

A kid that worked for our company was hit by Little Miss Yak-a-Lot when she ran a stop sign. He took car of that and before he could make it to work another Little Miss Yak-a-Lot ran a red light and nearly T-boned him.

It's as dangerous as drunken driving so let's see the penalties reflect that.

[SilverFlame819]

I don't think that talking or texting needs to be outlawed while driving. I agree with Gary on this one. Morons who obviously suck at texting or talking while driving need to be more honest with themselves about what they can or cannot handle. I have had my cell phone for about 8 years now. I can text with my eyes closed. I don't have to look at the phone at all to see what I'm typing and can pay perfect attention to the road. I only check my texts when I'm on a straight-away and the road is clear. I have never come even close to hitting a person while texting. I don't text while pulling out of driveways, or parking, or any other incredibly stupid times to be texting.

On the other hand, I have friends who can't even answer their cell while being parked without endangering your life.

Stupid drivers just need to get what's coming to them more often. My terrible-driver friends NEVER get pulled over. I have one friend who goes EVERYWHERE at about 90 MPH. It's horrific and scary to drive with her. Road rage + extreme speed = accident waiting to happen. And she NEVER gets pulled over! I go 2 miles over the speed limit and get pulled over every time. It's infuriating. My friends all tell me I drive like a grandma, but I have more tickets than them.

So I would have to completely disagree with making more laws on this one. We just need to start ticketing more clueless, self-absorbed drivers!

[Callieslamb]

Changing radio stations can also distract a driver as can misbehaving children in the back seat......maybe we can ban those too?

Or just go to one-fits-all - Failure to maintain control. Oh, we already have that one, don't we?

[SilverFlame819]

Come to think of it, my family got hit once by a lady messing with her baby in the back seat...

[Tricky Grama]

I remember when I was learning to drive-yes there WERE cars then-the primary causes of accidents were kids & insects.

[mommathea]

Today while out shopping I was almost hit by a car...a young girl driving while smoking and doing something with her phone. Then she almost lost her phone out the window while she gave me the bird while I honked at her.

[Shrek]

Originally Posted by Tricky Grama

I remember when I was learning to drive-yes there WERE cars then-the primary causes of accidents were kids & insects.

Did your family own a Flintstone mobile too?

My gf ,mother and maintenance contractor all disliked that I programmed my cell phone as a 1990s era pager.

My contractor was riding with me one day and heard my phone go "beep beep beep" and asked if I was going to answer it.

I got a kick out of the look he gave me when I said "Someone just paged me. When I get to a pay phone in a parking lot, I will pull in and call."

He said "Nobody uses pay phones anymore, stupid" as I steered into a convienence store parking lot.

He rolled his eyes after I backed my truck into a parking space and pulled out my phone and looked at the top cover display to see who called and said " Now I will unfold my pager to transform it into the pay phone I pay $29 a month for to not have to carry a roll of quarters and call the person who paged me. When I am done using my pay phone I will go into the store to buy a danish and a small cup of coffee to enjoy for a few minutes before we get back in traffic. I will even spring for yours since your on my timeclock right now".

As we sat there spending a 10 minute break discussing how I let the rest of the 21st century rat race buzz by while I went with the level of technocrap I preferred , his phone started ringing and he forwarded it straight to his voice mail saying he would call them back after his coffee break.

When we got back to his shop he pulled out his phone and asked me which settings I selected to put my phone into pager mode because he had forgotten how laid back life was in the pager days compared to what most consider normal now.

Two months later he still uses his cell in pager mode , makes his living and his blood pressure is down about 15 points.

My gf and mother on the other hand still harp on me about not answering my phone immediately but if they beeper bang me, a simple button push on the side of the phone puts it in silent mode and I don't even have to hear the four beeps.

[fishhead]

It's a myth to say you can talk on the phone or text without losing your concentration on the road. Studies have proven that to be false.

If it's important pull over and talk. If it's not SHUT UP and drive!

[mnn2501]

Originally Posted by fishhead

it's a myth to say you can talk on the phone or text without losing your concentration on the road. Studies have proven that to be false.

If it's important pull over and talk. If it's not shut up and drive!

amen!

[Wags]

Smoking, eating, kids, insects, lack of sleep etc, can all cause accidents. I don't think we need additional laws, maybe just an update on definitions.

[katydidagain]

Originally Posted by Callieslamb

Changing radio stations can also distract a driver as can misbehaving children in the back seat......maybe we can ban those too?

I keep my eyes on the road pretty much when changing stations (red lights are sometimes your friend) and can let it go without consequences if needed so, yes, it's a distraction but not the same as texting or phoning which I don't do when driving. As for handling a misbehaving child, well, I always pulled over to change a diaper or nurse when DS was young; I'm a pretty good multitasker but I never quite figured out how to do either of those 2 jobs while in heavy traffic.

[Jena]

I rear ended someone a few months ago because I was screwing around with my iPod while driving. No one got hurt, except for my truck. $1500 to fix her and lesson learned.

I saw a cop typing on his laptop while driving. I pulled up next to him, honked and started shaking my finger at him! He just gave me a blank look.

[suzfromWi]

Cell phone use while driving is against the law in our town....That includes texting...Ive still seen them doing it....

[Shrek]

Originally Posted by Jena

I rear ended someone a few months ago because I was screwing around with my iPod while driving. No one got hurt, except for my truck. $1500 to fix her and lesson learned.

I saw a cop typing on his laptop while driving. I pulled up next to him, honked and started shaking my finger at him! He just gave me a blank look.

A guy who had his car totaled courtesy of a nearby towns police department told us that they had to pick up the tab because the cop rear ended him as he was running a tag on a car he had passed on a side steet before the red light they had to stop for on his in cruiser terminal and the accident was recorded on the dash cam

He told us that the push bar on the cop car tore the rear end of his car up worse than a can opener.

[ChristyACB]

People being distracted and losing control is the problem...we just have more ways to do it now.

People talking to each other in the car is no different than someone yakking on the handfree coming out of their radio.

Yelling at kids, trying to get kids to behave, worried about the grocery bag that has fallen over and is now spilling contents, coffee cups that lose lids...

..and don't even talk about messing with the GPS or Maps before that.

Distracted driving is the problem and people will find infinite ways to be distracted.

[Beeman]

More laws, that's the answer!

Let me know how this works out, I'm betting it's a money maker for the town. I like the part about anything the officer considers a distraction. Did the town outlaw street signs and billboards first? No cute saying signs in front of churches? Maybe they should outlaw pretty women they are defiitely a distraction.