Texting While Driving?

[Tweaker]

Here's a question that I'm sure everyone has an opinion on:

Should texting while driving be outlawed?

Starting Jan. 1, California motorists will no longer be able text message from mobile phones while driving.

The state law, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this year, expands an existing driving ban on the use of cellular phones without a hands-free device. That ban went into effect in July.

Under the latest law, written by state Sen. Joe Simitian of Silicon Valley, motorists will not be able to write or read text messages while driving. State law enforcement say mobile phone use is a leading cause of accidents in California.

Article Reference:

[smurfy]

Note: I voted to ban it.
I've had similar debates here. As far as I'm concerned, most countries/states probably already have laws covering "failure to give due care and attention" while driving and police could easily use those existing laws to stop the practice.
Txt messaging is no more dangerous than fiddling with the radio/CD player in the dash, putting on make-up/shaving, turning around to growl at the squabbling kids in the back seat or any number of idiotic things I've seen people doing while they were supposed to be driving.

[Snurfen]

Why not cook a chinese in a wok whilst driving, or cut your childs hair, or do soduko on your i-phone?

I travel about 50 miles most days on the motorway/freeway/autobahn - I see people nearly tailgating others, veering across the white line, or nearly running off the shoulder REGULARLY - the main culprit? The idiots are texting. They are as bad as drunk drivers, from my observations.

If your text is that important (and 99 times out of a 100 it ISN'T) - pull off the road, park, send text, continue your journey.

[lufbra]

I voted for the third option, you see far too many "drivers" who don't know what they're doing as far as driving is concerned, yet they're on the phone. There's enough ways these days to have a "hands free" set up!!

I think it may have been early last year in New York state, where four student girls who were in a SUV were killed instantly when the vehicle crashed, they say the driver was text messaging at the time!!

[DugE]

Every year more start driving. That is more crowded highways, freeways, and roads. I know my driving capabilities on the road but I don't know every other person's capabilities. It takes all my attention just to make sure no idiot is going to run into me. I don't have time to take my eyes off the road to send text messages. I put on my seat belt, turn on the radio, ac, heat, etc., before moving the vehicle. I don't drive like accidents only happens to other people any more. In my neck of the woods people in a hurry to get where they are going usually don't get to where they are going. I usually drive 5mph above the posted speed limit and usually get passed by more people than I would believe could be so inconsiderate of themselves and others.

If you gonna drive, then drive. If you got anything else to do stop the car and do it or wait til you get where you are going. Please.

[sho-dan]

hmmm, add points, fines and get the insurances companies involved when these talkies and textens are pulled over by the cops. Maybe that might slow some down. oh oh what about those navigation systems, ah another story in the Naked City. Ban it

[peterm69]

Here's an interesting article on the subject http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7621644.stm, it's illegal to use mobiles/cell phones in the UK(with out a hands free kit) texting or otherwise, people still do it - a lot.

[Spider]

expands an existing driving ban on the use of cellular phones without a hands-free device...not be able to write or read text
messages while driving.

Ok call me Canadian but, how do you already have a law on use and you have to amend it?

This isn't to save lives, it's so insurance companies can save money by citing and existing law.
If they are amending it then someone's lawyer found a loop-hole and the insurance company
had to pay even though the driver was using a cell phone.

Insurance scenario on a two-car accident...
Insurance company: We'd love to pay those medical bills but the driver at fault was using a cell phone so their insurance
automatically becomes null and void. Sorry, no bucks for you.

[legalsuit]

Hand held phones
For what it's worth, done here there is a law against hand held mobiles (cell phones). So, a person can still use their phone inside their car, so long as they are not hand held.

If one doesn't have the appropriate gear, then a person must stop and park if they want to take a hand held call in their car.

As for texting:
Police and the general public can't believe the stupidity of people who try texting while driving, which is the cause of many accidents.

Fines are heavy for talking on hand held phones while driving. A few days ago they had a 24 hour blitz and in Sydney alone, they caught and fined over 1000 drivers!

Now that is some revenue based on stupidity of those users, who were lucky enough not to have caused an accident!.

[legalsuit]

Originally Posted by Snurfen

Why not cook a chinese in a wok whilst driving, or cut your childs hair, or do soduko on your i-phone?

I travel about 50 miles most days on the motorway/freeway/autobahn - I see...idiots are texting. They are as bad as drunk drivers, from my observations...

I think those idiots pride themselves as "multi-tasking" while risking the lives of others on the roads.

[rynprov]

Texting while driving should be outlawed. I just checked the similar article and it says that texting while driving on the roads in the province of Ontario (Canada) will be caught under the new law. The law also said to ban driving while using iPods, portable DVD players and laptop computers while driving

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourna...b-e7b852530672

I would suggest to text and chat on cell/mobile phones or to fiddle on the blackberry or smartphones or iPods ONLY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN MOTION AND IS PARKED.

[AnnMarie]

Countries that ban cell phones while driving (as at December 2008)

As far as I am concerned, it doesnt matter whether you are texting or making a call. Both distract a drivers attention from what they are doing and jeopardise innocent lives.

[Spider]

Another disagreement arising from all of this is hands-free (speaker phone) for cells in vehicles, pro or anti.

Some of the provinces here in Canada ban the cell but allow the hands-free. Sort of viewing it as "two hands on the wheel mandatory".

[renegade600]

there are already laws against it - every city already has one or two or three...

some call it inattentive driving, others call it reckless driving and there are other similar laws that can be used.

[Snurfen]

The crying shame about the issue here in the UK is; there are plenty of laws, both specifically targeting the phone's use as well as catching it under dangerous or innatentive driving, unfortunately, they do not seem to be enforced on a consistant basis.