This Texting While Driving is really starting to get to me!

[The Annoyed Man]

Charles, that is absolutely right on!

I had purchased a car and not even a week I got rear-ended at a traffic light. The person hitting me was texting, I could see her looking down when she hit me. I motioned to her to pull into a parking lot across the street to exchange info. I went ahead and she made an immediate right and drove down Fry Rd. I chased her for about 2 miles, my brother saw her pull into a gas station and park behind a bush. I pulled in and blocked her car, I then called for a sheriff. Sheriff arrives and I explain what happened, also informed him I was carrying, no problem. He couldn't do anything because she hit me in Harris County and we were now in Ft. Bend. He told us to go back to the scene and he would follow to make sure she didn't take off again. Harris County handled the paperwork, she was a young, cute, female driving on a suspended license and the car was uninsured. I wanted her arrested but they let her go with a ticket and her boyfriend showed up to drive her home. In the end her father paid for the damage in cash.

striker55, I absolutely understand your frustration, but given the complete lack of character displayed by both her, her boyfriend, and her father, do you think another law would have deterred her behavior. I submit it would not have:

1. Driving on a suspended license.
2. Hit and run.
3. Boyfriend and father both enabling her behavior.

She's riding dirty. That's not cute. There is a certain kind of ugly on the inside that takes all the polish off the cute on the outside. Think about it for a minute......she probably learned that kind of ugly from her parents. I'll bet you $20 that she sees herself as the "victim" because you pursued her and she got caught, you dirty pig you. I'll bet that by now, her irresponsibility has already earned her a couple of kids with another one on the way.....and her sperm donor is long gone.

I became a pessimist about human behavior because it disappoints me less often.

[canvasbck]

This issue is personal to me.

In September of last year, my daughter and granddaughter were rear ended by someone who was (admittedly) texting. The lady who hit her and her 14 year old child special needs child were both life flighted from the scene. Four months later (January of this year), my wife was broad sided (at 60+ mph) on the driver's side. The girl who hit her was checking her facebook post when she blasted through the red light. The girl who hit her got a helicopter ride, no longer has a spleen, and has had multiple orthopedic surgeries. (Thank God and Volvo, all of my family members are OK)

As a libertarian, I don't want to see laws dictating exactly what you do. I do not want to see laws against texting and driving. What I do want to see is people who injure others because they are obsessed with their phones charged with assault. We do it for drunks, why not for someone who injures/kills because they couldn't put their <darn> phone down? If it can be proven that you injured/killed someone because you were intentionally ignoring everything around you, there should be consequences! Making the conscious decision to stare at the phone screen is, IMO, just as bad if not worse than deciding to drive after a night of drinking. At least with the drunk, there is a chance that they will see what's going on and react, the person who CHOOSES to stare at the phone sees nothing.

[\rant]

you are contradicting yourself. first you say you don't want to see laws against testing and driving, then you say you want them charged with assault....you have to have laws in order to charge people, so which do you want? Not sounding very libertarian...

I don't see that I'm contradicting myself at all. As a libertarian (small l on purpose), my political philosophy is that the government should leave me alone UNTIL my actions impact the well being or the rights of others. If I decide to check the navigator on my phone while out on an isolated road in the middle of nowhere and I run off into the ditch, I have not caused harm to anyone but myself...........not the government's concern. If I'm going through a school zone while checking my phone and plow through a bunch of kids, then my actions have harmed others and I should be held accountable. Being held accountable can include simple restitution and/or punitive damages.

This opinion matches up to my views on the second amendment. It should not be the government's business if I own 35 handguns, 57 long guns, 6 SBR's, 4 full auto rifles, a grenade launcher, and 15 suppressors PROVIDED that I never use any of those to harm others. It SHOULD be the government's job to lock up (for a long time) the guy who uses a gun to rob a liquor store.

[Abraham]

striker55,

Her texting and driving could've killed you or left you maimed for life...

Texting and driving in my opinion is largely unrecognized for it's incredible lethality and people doing it increases daily...

Yes, new technology could stop it, but when will that be available?

As it is, texting and driving is now one of, if not 'the' leading driving distraction killing and maiming people.

Am I in the minority of those who think something must be done NOW to at least slow it down dramatically?

Why am I so ardent about this subject?

Because as a distance bicycle rider I've been injured by distracted by phone drivers.

My left shoulder is a constant reminder. It's always painful.

However, I survived.

Am I a little nuts about distracted by phone drivers?

Yes, and I have cause...

[Charles L. Cotton]

Folks, PLEASE put down the hammer and pick up a slide rule. (Let's see how many of the youngsters know what that is!)

Chas.

Slide rules were the primary computational hardware of NASA, the Neanderthal Aeronautics and Space Administration, and were wooden. Whittled down logs, you might say, and very heavy. You couldn't weigh them on bathroom scales. You had to use C and D scales.

They are banned from modern classrooms because of zero tolerance for profanity. No cursors in classrooms. But that's not the root of the problem, it's just a sine of the times.

Chas.

[Jusme]

I became a pessimist about human behavior because it disappoints me less often.

Ok, I'm stealing that one!!

[The Annoyed Man]

I remember sliderules in high school and early college, AND being slightly intimidated by my first calculator in college - a TI SR-50.

[mojo84]

Yes, new technology could stop it, but when will that be available?

It's already available and built in to smartphones. See my previous post. Wireless carriers are reluctant to implement it for fear of upsetting their customers. None of them want to be the first to do it.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Yes, new technology could stop it, but when will that be available?

It's all software so it could be as early as tomorrow. Companies could "push" the fireware upgrade. If you would put your effort into getting the feds to require this very simple software change, rather than calling for ineffective criminal laws, then the day will come sooner rather than later.

As it is, texting and driving is now one of, if not 'the' leading driving distraction killing and maiming people.

You have proven my point. You have partaken of the Kool-Aid of "distracted driving." Neither you nor the proponents of "distracted driving" laws will stop with texting.

Am I in the minority of those who think something must be done NOW to at least slow it down dramatically?

Why do you ignore the only real fix that will save lives, technology, while demanding ineffective criminal laws that will not "dramatically" lower the death or injury rate?

Why am I so ardent about this subject?

Because as a distance bicycle rider I've been injured by distracted by phone drivers.

My left shoulder is a constant reminder. It's always painful.

This explains your fervor on this issue and it is understandable. It's also why you will never serve on a civil or criminal jury that involves an accident in which texting and driving is an issue. You have an emotional investment that makes it impossible for you to be unbiased toward a defendant. In my view, it also explains why you seem to want punishment rather than prevention.

I am not opposed to stopping texting and driving in the least. I want to make a difference, not merely a point. Technology is the cure, not additional criminal laws.

Chas.

[oljames3]

I can put my phone in "drive mode" and it will auto respond to the sender with a text telling them I'm driving and will reply soon. This is a manual process I must initiate. The manufactures could make this an automatic process using the already installed technology such as the GPS and accelerometer. Once the phone is moving at a certain rate of speed it could automatically switch into drive mode.

Passengers that are not driving could have a way to override this via a manual process that takes some effort. This would not be 100% effective but would be more effective than making more ineffective laws.

My Android phone automatically goes into "Drive Mode". My wife's Altima has hands free phone for voice and text via Bluetooth. When I am driving my older Grand Caravan, I use a Bluetooth headset with voice control of my phone.

[Papa_Tiger]

Yes, new technology could stop it, but when will that be available?

It's all software so it could be as early as tomorrow. Companies could "push" the fireware upgrade. If you would put your effort into getting the feds to require this very simple software change, rather than calling for ineffective criminal laws, then the day will come sooner rather than later.

A simple auto-reply app is already available, but only for certain products and reading the comments, it seems like it is pretty buggy.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... eply&hl=en

This is just an auto-reply though, not exactly what you are advocating. Your vision is likely more than just a software change and also may require additional hardware development so it may not work on current generation or certain previous generation phones that are still in use.

AT&T has a version for their iPhones:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/at-t-dr ... 08943?mt=8

This is closer to what you want.

This is out there, but not mandated (government bureaucracy).

[Flightmare]

Cinemark had an app called "Cinemode" that would prompt movie-goers to enable this feature during movies. It would disable the ringer and you couldn't close the app during the movie. As a reward for not using your phone during the movie, users were given free things from the theater. Sometimes it would be popcorn, or a soda. The rule was, that the app was not allowed to be closed during the movie. The app somehow knew that the movie was going on. I suspect some tone beyond the bounds of human hearing.

My point for all of this is...why not get auto insurance companies do the same? Offer a lower rate or some other incentive to run their app on your smart phone? It would keep the screen from being used when it is connected to a car's hands-free set (hands free functions would still work).

[Abraham]

Charles,

O.K.

When the technology is mandated, i.e., the phone cannot be used for texting while driving, I'll lose my emotional investment. Not mandated by law, but by all phone mfg's efforts to stop the phone from being used while driving. How is that to be accomplished? Beats me. I'm no whiz at technology, but I'm sure there are those who can make it happen in the tech industry if they so choose.

Until then, I'll rail against it.

BTW, I'm not for ineffective laws against texting and driving, I'm against texting and driving per se. however it can be stopped.

If, if, technology comes around to stopping texting and driving I'll do the happy dance.

Oh, while I've been injured by distracted phone drivers, I didn't even mention how many times I've had to roll into a ditch or simply crash without injury by phone distracted drivers...

It's a constant, pervasive problem every time I go on a ride.

I'm at a point of throwing in the towel and giving up on riding because of the idiots who can't simply drive and that aint drinking any kool aid...

[bblhd672]

Apple is adding "Do Not Disturb the Driver" functionality in IOS 11 due out this fall. AT&T wireless has a free app for iPhones available.

[oljames3]

Charles,

O.K.

When the technology is mandated, i.e., the phone cannot be used for texting while driving, I'll lose my emotional investment. Not mandated by law, but by all phone mfg's efforts to stop the phone from being used while driving. How is that to be accomplished? Beats me. I'm no whiz at technology, but I'm sure there are those who can make it happen in the tech industry if they so choose.

Until then, I'll rail against it.

BTW, I'm not for ineffective laws against texting and driving, I'm against texting and driving per se. however it can be stopped.

If, if, technology comes around to stopping texting and driving I'll do the happy dance.

Oh, while I've been injured by distracted phone drivers, I didn't even mention how many times I've had to roll into a ditch or simply crash without injury by phone distracted drivers...

It's a constant, pervasive problem every time I go on a ride.

I'm at a point of throwing in the towel and giving up on riding because of the idiots who can't simply drive and that aint drinking any kool aid...

While my Android's driving mode is engaged, I can receive text messages that the car reads to me. I can send "canned" messages. The car replies to the sender, saying I am driving.

[lh1]

Folks, PLEASE put down the hammer and pick up a slide rule. (Let's see how many of the youngsters know what that is!)

Chas.

Slide rules were the primary computational hardware of NASA, the Neanderthal Aeronautics and Space Administration, and were wooden. Whittled down logs, you might say, and very heavy. You couldn't weigh them on bathroom scales. You had to use C and D scales.

They are banned from modern classrooms because of zero tolerance for profanity. No cursors in classrooms. But that's not the root of the problem, it's just a sine of the times.

I think you went off on a tangent there (***Ducks***)