Dammit! Don't text and drive!

[Crossbow]

My friend's mom was just in a car accident. She's fine, although I don't know about the car.


The kid that hit her was texting while driving. He flipped multiple times. I haven't heard his condition, but I don't expect it's good.

Why is it so hard for people to understand that if you're driving, DON'T PLAY ON YOUR DAMN PHONE???

[PepperElf]

Indeed. I remember hearing a news report on the radio about a motorcyclist who lost a leg because he was hit by a car... and the driver was texting. He sued both the driver & the driver's girlfriend for the injuries; the suit against the driver was upheld, but the one against the girlfriend was not. (she wasn't responsible for whether or not her partner read/replied to her messages while driving)


But beyond that... it's not as if there's no hands-free options or anything like that.
my BF has a speaker for his car that... well frankly it sounds a bit crappy for phone calls, but it has a neat option where it announces text messages to him and asks if he wants to hear the message or not. Then it lets him reply too. All without even looking at the phone.

and on some phones (iphone for example) IIRC, it's a built-in function.

[bhskittykatt]

Glad your friend's mom is okay. Hope the kid had insurance. I'm sure he's learned his lesson. He chose the hard way apparently.

[Crossbow]

Well, apparently the kid was conscious and apologetic when they pulled him from the wreck, but I haven't heard anything else. I certainly hope he's learned his lesson.

[dalesys]

...she wasn't responsible for whether or not her partner read/replied to her messages while driving...

The trivial item that he catches hell if he doesn't respond to her texts with 3 seconds was not discovered, I'll bet.

And Private Roger Willy doesn't get a full-undress standup inspection either...

[Lovecats]

They had on the news last night that those hands free texting options aren't any safer mostly because your attention is focused where it should be - on the road.

[Eevie]

Wow. I don't understand what is so unclear about the many warnings that people are given. Not only is it dangerous, it's extremely annoying for the other drivers. I can't begin to count how many times I've been held up by some idiot texting. I've even missed an entire light because somebody wanted to finish his message before going. Any honks from the horn warrant being flipped off apparently....

[sms001]

They had on the news last night that those hands free texting options aren't any safer ...

While I certainly agree that any distraction while driving is bad, at least with hands-free your number one driving sense, sight, can still be on task. Sure, no one is on the ball if they are arguing or joking around with someone on the phone, but as someone who's done a 120 mile ride with an angry GF, or as anyone who's ridden with a toddler can tell you, not every distraction is external anyway...

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Was going around on a round-a-bout (rotary) and signaled that I was exiting, basically telling the people in the yield part of the rotary - trying to get on - that if they tried to get on now I would slam into them, so don't go.

Girl goes anyway, I nearly t-bone her, and I see she has one hand on the wheel the other hand holding her phone quickly glancing between it and the road.

*sigh*

[PepperElf]

They had on the news last night that those hands free texting options aren't any safer mostly because your attention is focused where it should be - on the road.

That's the caveat perhaps. Even with hands-free devices people need to learn when to say, "I'll contact you once I get out of this traffic."

I learned that the hard way back in... somewhere between 2002 and 2004. I was slowing down for a traffic light and looking at my radio. I'm just thankful I was down to just a few miles per hour when I hit the car ahead of me. No damage at least. (whew!)


These days... I only look at my radio when it's clear to. And I tend to prefer using the up "seek" button on it vs the individual station buttons. (Much easier to just push one button vs looking down at all the other button options). Or I just use the ipod. ... either set it up ahead of time, or mash down the home button until it goes into voice mode & I can speak my choices.

Interestingly... maybe it's just how my head is, but I actually concentrate better when I'm singing while driving. It could be how my head's wired etc, or that the act of singing means that I'm preventing myself from zoning out. Or both. *shrug*

[EricKei]

PE - Could be worse, interstate driving could be a great insomnia cure, as it is for me ~_~ I usually have the stereo blasting something nice and loud with heavy guitars and drums -- if I don't, I have to pull over every hour or so to check my eyelids for light leaks (cookies for the reference), rest for ten minutes, then drive for another hour. This happens to me even after a good night's sleep, which is part of why I avoid long trips when I can).