Governator bans texting while driving in Calif.

Problem I have is that while there are thousands of things that distract a driver - food, radio, backseat drivers, pets, makeup - why are we out to ticket just the cellphone users?

If distractions are a problem, couldn't you make a law that says you can be pulled over if you're doing anything a cop determines is unsafe? Or are laws like that already in place, but just aren't being enforced often enough?

 

When the arguments for texting and driving stop sounding like the arguments for drinking and driving, let me know. "I can handle it, so they should let me do it" isn't good enough.

 

**Raises hand** (sheepishly)

 

I seriously cannot believe people are arguing for texting while driving.

What is so fucking important that you are risking other people's lives for when you text?

What cannot wait until you stop or until you pull over?

Mazel tov if you can text without looking at it, but how the fuck do you read the message you are replying to without looking at your phone?

 

When the arguments for banning cell phones can't be applied to banning every other distraction that could possibly cause an accident, let me know.

 

While some don't have to look at their phone while texting, I bet you sure as heck do to read what the person on the other end sent you back, and that means you aren't looking where you should be.

I bet there is a distinct breakdown in ages of those that think texting while driving is OK and those who feel it is a bad idea (of which I happen to be one but can't cast the first stone, either). I don't know what the gap break would be and know it wouldn't fall 100 percent on either side, but my guess is about 30.

 

Well, if you're so good at it, why don't you keep doing it? I mean, people don't throw hissy fits about speeding like the ones folks do on this topic...they just figure they'll get away with it until they either have an accident or get pulled over. Some continue doing it after that. What's different about this? For those who are confident in their abilities, just keep doing it -- legally or illegally -- and either you'll be fine or the same things could happen as if you were speeding.

 

I've always said, the easiest way to spot a drunk at night time is how they obey the law. They come to complete stops at stop signs, stop at yellow lights, drive the speed limit exactly.

When you are sober, you speed, you do a California stop, you run that yellow light.

Though, I guess a cop can't pull someone over for appearing to obey the law.

 

In general, the act of changing a radio station, disciplining a child and grabbing a burger/sandwich takes far less time proportionately than viewing a text and replying back. And this gets compounded when this plays out into multiple texts.

The amount of seconds one's eyes are not on the road are going to be much higher for texting than the examples cited. I don't think you really want to try and run these situations as comparisons, because if you were to really track it in a structured, scientific manner, the texting is going to come up as the runaway leader in terms of accident risk.

 

Wow, I haven't heard that phrase used since my mom said it like 10 years ago.

Anybody know where that originated? Just seems funny to me, living here now.

 

You mean "pull off the road at a convenient, safe spot and then check the map," right?

 

Yeah, here we call it an "us" stop.