Texting while driving nears a red light
Oh, the wonders of technology. Everywhere we turn, there it is. From Model A cars, we have progressed to vehicles
that tell you where you need to turn and will alert the authorities if you have a crash. They can even unlock your car remotely, if you happen to lock your keys inside. Remember how you have to reset the digital clock if the battery runs down in your car? I was looking at a customer’s Lexus the other day and every time the battery would lose voltage, the GPS would kick in and reset it to the correct time. How’s that for fancy?
Along with cars, nearly every aspect of our lives is tied to technology in some way. I remember how convenient it was when our family acquired our first cordless telephone. I could even go out in the yard and be able to carry on a conversation over the phone, as long as I didn’t stray too far away. Now we have a little thing called a cell phone. Aren’t they wonderful? Our home phone has went by the wayside, put to death by this tiny gadget I carry on my belt nearly everywhere I go. It serves me well, playing the role of an alarm clock, camera, calendar, and I can even use it to make a phone call.
One of the most used options of newer cell phones would probably be text messaging, especially for younger users. A lot of those users would much rather send and receive text messages than they would a phone call. I was talking to a customer the other day and she plainly said she preferred to receive a text message, rather than a phone call. I suppose it’s just the thing. I admit there are times when a text message is very handy. If we have gone to church and our daughter is at home because of sickness, she can send me a text message because I keep my phone on vibrate during those times. If she needs us, we can be reached and the proceedings are not disturbed. Most times however, I prefer a phone call.
The problem with all of this technology arises when they are combined. Take one driver, mix a personal communication device, together with a vehicle and normal road traffic and unless extreme care is taken, the result is an accident. When our oldest daughter started driving, we purchased her a cell phone for the simple reason of her being able to contact us if needed. One stipulation was that did not use it while driving, unless it was an emergency. Our youngest daughter was riding shotgun and if a call needed to be made, she would make it.
With the advent of text messaging, it seems to be the going thing to be texting while driving. Personally, I use my phone quite a lot while driving, but it is always with a bluetooth device and never using it to send text messages. I have seen too many times how easy it is to be distracted while driving and a lot accidents are caused by those distractions, including at least one by a train operator. Notice where the girl’s eyes are in the image to the left? Hint, they are not on the road. Many people have been killed as a result of distractions and texting while driving is a good way to get the job done.
According to The Associated Press, Congress is moving in the direction of banning all text messaging by driver’s. Let me be clear by stating up front, I do not believe any driver should be sending text messages while operating their vehicle. I also believe that such devices as DVD players that are mounted where the driver can see them should be banned from vehicles. It just doesn’t make sense to be driving down the road and watching a DVD or sending a text message. I even witnessed one driver reading a book while driving down the interstate at night. He had the book resting on the steering wheel and was splitting his attention between the road and the book, all while driving around 70 mph. Having said that, it is the purview of the states to regulate such things, leaving the federal government only one recourse.
As Mike mentioned in an earlier article about the legal drinking age in this country, the federal government enforces that by linking federal highway funds to those restrictions. If the states did not raise the age, some of the funds they were receiving from the federal government for upkeep on the roads were held back. From every indication, Congress plans to use the same tactic in forcing the states to ban texting while driving. Legislation by Senators Chuck Schumer and Amy Klobuchar would result in a 25% loss of federal highway funds for states who refuse to ban practices such as texting or emailing while driving.
Again, let me state that I do not think it is wise for someone to be sending a text message while driving. It goes against every grain of common sense I have. I do have a problem with the way Congress is going about this because I question if it is their jurisdiction to do so. I also wonder why we can’t just realize how stupid it is to text, email, or watch a movie while driving. There are much quicker and less painful ways of committing suicide and they can be done without endangering everyone who happens to be on the road with you.
What are your thoughts?
NH has recently banned “texting” while driving, which some complained violates our “live free or die” tradition. Others noted that it was never supposed to be “live free and die while killing other people on the highway because you’re a moron.”
(Possibly because that isn’t as catchy.)
Anyway … yes, I think it’s out of federal jurisdiction. But given that incidents do keep happening, I think that every state should ban texting while driving the same way they ban drunk driving and other unsafe behavior.
Just to recap — state laws should be in place (and any state not passing such laws is being irresponsible), but the federal government needs to stay out of it.
Wickle´s last blog ..“Sacred Waiting” by David Timms
Just to be clear, I do believe texting while driving should be banned. It is simply a stupid thing to do and if you have read my articles for very long, you will know that I do not use that word lightly. The main problem I have with the legislation in Congress is how it is going to hold the states over a barrel, so to speak. I do not think it is their place to do so.
I live very close to the Oregon/California border, close enough to cross it often. Cell phone use, unless it is hands free, is completely illegal in all forms in Californa. Oregon’s law doesn’t take effect until Jan 2010. Law enforcement in CA is making enforcement a priority, and using a cell phone while driving is definitely cause enough to pull you over and give you a very expensive ticket. Last time I drove to San Fransisco, I followed a car with California plates out of Oregon and into California. Mr. Man in a Suit was texting almost continuously through Oregon (his erratic speed and driving caused me and others to pass him twice). As soon as we crossed into California, though, the phone went down for good as far as I could see, and his driving and speed became more consistent. It appeared that this driver knew exactly where he could and couldn’t text, and I shook my head at how differening laws actually made him and others in his path safer within a span of 10 miles.
Here’s one case where I just want to ignore the political realities of the issue, go completely hypocritical and say “I don’t care who bans it-it needs to be done”. Locally, we said good bye to 5 teenagers who died as a result of texting-while-driving. But as I drive around here and other cities, I note that most of the offenders are adults, not teens.
Laurie, it’s sad that your community lost 5 young people like that. Something like this makes me feel like their lives were cut short.
As for Mr. Man in a Suit, I would have been very tempted to call 911 on him. I am no rat fink, but it’s a wonder he didn’t kill himself and others by his stupidity.
One more piece of legislation from the nanny state.
Commonsense says that texting and driving is dangerous, even deadly. Will the administration do “mind melds” to ensure compliance?
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Common sense? Unfortunately, American’s seem not to have any on this and many other issues of public safety. Perhaps if our populace would embrace the obvious, some of the “nanny state” laws would never come to pass. We reap what we sow.
Lots of things that should be common sense need to be banned … drunk driving, for example. Or is that nanny-state thinking?
It’s exactly the same thing.
Untrained pilots shouldn’t fly, but I’m glad that we require licenses. People should just respect each other’s property, but I’m glad that we have laws against larceny.
Wickle´s last blog ..“Sacred Waiting” by David Timms
Well said, Wickle. So many people have co-opted the term “nanny state” and have twisted the definition to fit whatever argument they’re trying to advance. The situations you bring up-and I agree that texting on a public road is one- are regulated with safety in mind. Texting while driving isn’t one of those harm-only-yourself issues like banning trans fats use in a city’s eateries. This isn’t about “political correctness” in any way, shape or form.
I agree that this issue has nothing to do with the term “nanny state”. If someone refuses to use their head for something besides a shoulder ornament and insists on endangering the lives of other driver’s by texting or the use of some other device, then passing a law to ban such practices is not the result of “nanny state” thinking. Sometimes, common sense has to be enforced.
Personally, I wouldn’t give the feds in more power in this area since I’m a states rights guy. That said if the individual states don’t step up to the plate and ban texting while driving with very stiff fines for violators, then the feds should give them a boost by with holding federal highway funds. When I say stiff fines I mean something like those for drunk driving since texting has become that dangerous.
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I personally agree with Matt. I think this is out of the jurisdiction of the feds, and should be left to the states (maybe – I’m not even sure the states should be banning it).
Where does it end? If you ban texting, do you also ban eating or drinking? How about talking to kids in the back of the vehicle? There are many other things just as dangerous as texting, but where do you stop? It’s a slippery slope.
On a side note, Del Tackett of Focus on the Family and the Truth Project had a hilarious post about the things people do while driving a while back.
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I’ll gladly concede the state’s rights issue (thank goodness my state is 3 months away from the ban) if you’ll reconsider “where does it end?”
Eating, drinking, talking to passengers-all are distractions. But the number of accidents/deaths caused have never escalated to quite the level of danger that texting- just a few years in our society- has. Really, Muskogee. If drivers by the hoards all of a sudden started reading books while driving and wreaking havoc, would you still say the same thing? It’s no different than a driver who is reading a text and answering it.
Laurie, I’m glad you’d consider reconsidering the state’s rights issue, but I’m afraid I can’t reconsider the “where does it end”/personal responsibility angle.
MuskogeePolitico´s last blog ..Mayor Hammons Announces Goals at State of the City
I will admit that I probably lean libertarian on non-social issues, so that’s part of where I’m coming from…
MuskogeePolitico´s last blog ..Mayor Hammons Announces Goals at State of the City
Let me ask you a question, Jamison. Do you believe that things like texting while driving should be left alone by the states and the federal government, leaving it up to the individual to decide if they should do it or not?
I would say… that the federal government should definitely stay out of it (like you, I especially don’t like when the feds threaten to cut funds over issues like this), and the states should as well – although I’m not going to go wave signs in protest over it. I might could be convinced to change my position on the states, though. Might. But not likely.
I guess I consider it different from banning, say, driving while intoxicated, because I see that as a moral issue.
MuskogeePolitico´s last blog ..Mayor Hammons Announces Goals at State of the City
Not going to bend to peer pressure, huh? Fair enough.
In matters of personal issues that don’t harm others, I join you in your Libertarian leanings. But public safety-in this case, reading and responding on a cellphone- is a different matter, in my book. I also see it just as much of a moral issue as drinking and driving, as the consequences are just as devastating.
My mother was killed by a drunk driver-Wyoming, late 70s, before the drunk driving laws were clear. Nothing was bringing her back, but both the criminal prosecution and the civil suit were severely undermined by the lack of clarity in the laws. Making texting illegal won’t mean nobody will ever do it, but (as in the case of drunk driving) many will stop as they are better educated. And when irresponsibility occurs and causes damage to person or property, then at least there is a remedy and a clear consequence for the action.
I could understand the difference between drunk driving and texting while driving to some degree, as pertaining to the moral issue argument. However, because texting while driving endangers more people than just the one doing the texting, I come down on the side of a ban by the states.
Just for the record, I do not eat while I am driving, unless it is something like chips. I used to, but I found it to be very dangerous and decided it wasn’t worth the risk. Besides that, I was eating the food so fast that I couldn’t even enjoy the taste.
Something like texting while driving is a completely different situation, in my opinion.
That’s why we have legislators who are supposed to be intelligent human beings. Texting isn’t talking to kids … deal with the issues separately, since they aren’t the same thing.
Wickle´s last blog ..“Sacred Waiting” by David Timms
To reiterate something I said earlier, I would be much more amenable to the states handling the issue than the federal government. If it’s going to be banned, I would much rather it be done by the states.
MuskogeePolitico´s last blog ..Mayor Hammons Announces Goals at State of the City