Agree that texting while driving is a very bad idea, but where do you draw the line and stop passing more new laws?
Posted on 11/02/2011 4:53:12 AM PDT by grundle
A teenage girl died Tuesday night in a one-vehicle accident in Butler County that state police said involved texting while driving.
Alexis Summers, 17, of Saxonburg, was killed when the 2003 Subaru Legacy she was driving hit a tree after 10 p.m. off Hannastown Road in Jefferson.
Her vehicle veered to the right berm of the roadway and onto a slight grass embankment, police said. Ms. Summers then apparently overcompensated while steering back onto the road. Her car spun around and hit the tree. She was pronounced dead at the scene by the Butler County deputy coroner.
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
Agree that texting while driving is a very bad idea, but where do you draw the line and stop passing more new laws?
Not having a cell phone or other texting-enabled thingie reduces the risk of this particular error.
A must see for every young driver.
AT&T Don’t Text While Driving Documentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DebhWD6ljZs
AT&T’s Txtng & Drivng Campaign Urges Consumers That ‘It Can Wait. This documentary featuring families affected by texting while behind the wheel is being distributed to educators, government officials, safety organizations and public as part of a educational awareness campaign.
It is naive to think that cops will stop someone for texting and write them a ticket. The only way to stop the foolishness of texting and/or talking on the phone while driving is to make the phones inoperable if traveling at any speed greater than 1 to 2 mph. The technology exists, it is just not used because no one would willfully buy into it. The kid is just another Darwin candidate sorry to say.
I just feel sorry for the tree. It takes a long time to grow a tree. The parents should have known or probably knew that their kid was texting while driving. There needs to be a little more chlorine added to the gene pool. At least the kid didn’t hurt anyone else when they were being stupid. They won’t do it again.
“... not having a cell phone... reduces the risk...”
I agree BUT what if you teen needs to call 911 or you for help? A lot of horrible things can happen out there (especially to a pretty teen girl). I guess a parent need to enforce “no texting or cell phone operation” while driving and really, really enforce it. By enforce, I mean threaten them with removal of the license if they are caught texting or talking on the phone. As a parent, I’d rather be seen as a total witch than a friend or pal.
—Good. Another law. I’m sure it will help a lot.—
I use my old Fender Mytouch as an “iPod” in my car now. I was trying to mess with the controls to get the right song list and had to pull over. If I lived in a state where texting is illegal and had actually caused an accident. I would have been doing nothing illegal, but what I was doing was every bit as dangerous.
Like you said, another law, I’m sure it will help.
That said, it may actually prevent some of this texting and it may save someone in an oncoming car. I’m very much against helmet laws, but you do notice that people rarely wear them where they are not required. I think the same would happen here. But, unlike helmet laws this law is not so much to protect you from yourself. Rather, it is to protect other people from you.
A better solution for the problem is a device that the technology for already exists.
A phone signal scrambler that turns on when the vehicle is in motion. Scrambles signal, phone no worky!
Stop car and the signal returns. Problem resolved.
The reason they will not do this?
Money. The phone companies want the cash generated by texts and talk time.
“Clamshell” phone with 10 numbers and a couple of menu buttons - it’s all I have, and all any “teen” under my charge will have until they are living on their own.
So take that for what its worth.
“... FR is attracting more sanctimonious hand wringer than ever”
I don’t understand what this means? If someone states that it is sad that a 17 year old girl is dead... are they a hand wringer? Is viewing the loss of a young person “over the top”? The day that FR as a whole laughs or high-five’s when a child is killed... we’re done. Teens do stupid things. Heck, five year olds do stupid things. When they do something immature or stupid and DIE... it is still a loss to their parents.
Sure you can. For example; tough drunken driving laws make a huge difference...it practically killed the nightclub business. It didn't stop all drunks, but it got the attention of otherwise responsible people.
if you're stupid enough to text while driving then you might have to pay the consequences.
Which, if it is a thousand dollar fine, is a lot less serious than getting killed or killing someone else. Some jail time wouldn't bother me one bit.
MOst newer cars have bluetooth setups that allow hands free operation of the phone — both calls and text. MY Hyundai will allow me to text message through voice activated commands.
I then observed that two of the three pharmacy techs who fill prescriptions were actually texting messages in chat with other people on their cell phones. They had them placed immediately beside the keyboards of their computer terminals. To a casual looker, they just seemed to be doing their computer work. The two techs filled two prescriptions in thirty minutes combined. One managed to down a bag of nut cluster granola and a soda while texting and filling a script combined with picking her nose several times.
Of course Rite Aid has a fifteen minute fill guarantee which I did not ask for the reward, but they just give to everyone as a five dollar store credit for the wait. It's not pro-rated for the ten hours though.
We're all doomed.
You missed the context here. The post was about someone jumping on a poster who said that it was good she did not kill or maim anyone else. The poster who said that said it was a shame she died.
AMEN! Or, if you are under 25 years of age, the cell phone (like an unsealed booze bottle)out of the drivers compartment of a vehicle.
Signal scramblers are illegal and what about non-driving passengers?
A better solution would be to require all cars manufacturers to provide hands free integrated radio systems that facilitate calls but not texts.
Or voice to text messages, my phone already does this but then again why not just call the person? LOL!
BFF has some real meaning now huh?
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