Text while driving

[TNRobocop]

There is no way I am going to "catch" someone DWT.

More likely I will cite the individual at the scene of a wreck as that would be a contributing factor if they admit it.

As far as talking on the phone while driving I have no problem with. I am always on the phone for professional reasons. I use a blue tooth, but I rarely see issues with people talking and driving. Maybe it's just my experiences.

[mdmoseley]

This will be near impossible to enforce. We can only look at their phone if we ask for consent. Even if we see someone messing with their phone all they have to say is they were making a call etc and not let us look at their phone.

[TargetShooter84]

^^^ My point exactly.

For all we could know, we all would say "Yes Officer, I was looking at the phone to dial numbers..."

This law is only out to get our money....

[Motasyco]

Drivers that use cell phones while driving have driven my insurance rates up. In the common sense catagory it rates right there alongside drunk driving. Just my opinion.

[3pugguy]

Drivers that use cell phones while driving have driven my insurance rates up. In the common sense catagory it rates right there alongside drunk driving. Just my opinion.

may i ask what statistics you have to back up that assertion? i would be very interested if there is empirical data. that asked, i would say if a person is not using handsfree, including voice dialing, that is just plain stupid and could be an issue.

but so could fiddling w/a car radio or cd player...as others has noted, common sense cannot be legislated and our LEOs are already over-taxed. more "feel good" laws won't change or fix the lack of basic safety (don't people take driver's ed anymore?). Or maybe some HS physics and understand how much force is imparted by a moving vehicle hitting another object.

[Motasyco]

may i ask what statistics you have to back up that assertion? i would be very interested if there is empirical data. that asked, i would say if a person is not using handsfree, including voice dialing, that is just plain stupid and could be an issue.

but so could fiddling w/a car radio or cd player...as others has noted, common sense cannot be legislated and our LEOs are already over-taxed. more "feel good" laws won't change or fix the lack of basic safety (don't people take driver's ed anymore?). Or maybe some HS physics and understand how much force is imparted by a moving vehicle hitting another object.

I believe I stated that it was "just my opinion". I also believe that is the intention of these forums, to voice our opinions. It is a fact that my insurance rates have increased and I have no violations that would justify such increases. I am a technical and safety instructor for a company that has literally thousands of vehicles on the highways nationwide. Defensive Driving is one of the courses I instruct. I am passionate about safe driving. I also have a steel rod from my knee to my hip as a result of being hit by a distracted driver.

Here's some statistics I was able to quickly locate at:

Car Accident Cell Phone Statistics & Driver Text Message Facts

And this doesn't include teen driver statistics involving cell phones while driving.

Adult Driver Cell Phone, Texting, and Car Accident Information

• Talking on a cell phone causes nearly 25% of car accidents.
• One-fifth of experienced adult drivers in the United States send text messages while driving.
• A study of dangerous driver behavior released in January 2007 by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. found that of 1,200 surveyed drivers, 73 percent talk on cell phones while driving.
• The same 2007 survey found that 19 percent of motorists say they text message while driving.
• In 2005, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that ten percent of drivers are on handheld or hands free cell phones at any given hour of the day.
• A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Motorists found that motorists who use cell phones while driving are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.
• In 2002, the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis calculated that 2,600 people die each year as a result of using cellphones while driving. They estimated that another 330,000 are injured.
• According to the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, drivers talking on cell phones are 18 percent slower to react to brake lights. They also take 17 percent longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked.
• An estimated 44 percent of American drivers now have cell phones in their automobiles.
• Of cell phone users that were surveyed, 85 percent said they use their phones occasionally when driving, 30 percent use their phones while driving on the highway, and 27 percent use them during half or more of the trips they take.
• 84 percent of cell phone users stated that they believe using a cell phone while driving increases the risk of being in an accident.
• The majority of Americans believe that talking on the phone and texting are two of the the most dangerous behaviors that occur behind the wheel. Still, as many as 81% of drivers admit to making phone calls while driving.
• The number of crashes and near-crashes linked to dialing is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening. Dialing is more dangerous but occurs less often than talking or listening.
• Studies have found that texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with eyes off the road.

As stated above, insurance companies pay close attention to these statistics. To think this would not impact our insurance rates would be naive.

All this said, I agree with your statements wholeheartedly.

[3pugguy]

And i agree our intent is to discuss, thus i asked for anything you had to highlight the insurance rate issue (of course, it could be an issue of accidents in a particular area and risk; guess if an underwriter is a member here, they could shed light0.

I think we are, as we used to say in the Navy, in violent agreement on the issue. I share you opinion that operating a vehicle is serious business and any type of distraction is a danger. Jeez, my F150 weighs in a about 3 tons - at 70 MPH, if it hit something, the sheer physical force is devastating.

Old vets like me (or not so old, LOL) who have seen an A10 Warthog live fire demo can attest to the ability of a large object at high speed wrecking havoc; the depleted uranium rounds an A10 fires into tanks cause the tank to implode - thru the sheer force of the round hitting the tank.

And I have been hit twice by people not paying attention, although I was lucky and did not get so seriously injured as you.

Thanks again for the info - I will drill into it more (always take the Mark Twain view on statistics, ha ha), but know that I do drive safely and if I have a long call to make, pull over (I don't want to BE a statistic or hurt someone else).

Have a wonderful Fourth of July! God Bless America and all of our citizens, with a special thought to please keep our GIs safe (and watch over their families) as they toil for our safety and security at home and abroad.

Barry

[Motasyco]

Old vets like me (or not so old, LOL)

Old vet like me too! In fact, it looks like I have a couple years on you! I love a good debate. Thanks for participating. I hope you have a wonderful Independence Day as well.

[TargetShooter84]

For those that receive Car and Driver issue this month - there's an article with statistics about texting while driving compared to drinking and driving.....personally done by Car and Driver staff

[Motasyco]

For those that receive Car and Driver issue this month - there's an article with statistics about texting while driving compared to drinking and driving.....personally done by Car and Driver staff

Can you give us a short summary? You know, like a book report.