Shall We Lock Them Up?

[Athena]

Have you ever texted while driving? You probably knew you shouldn't, but figured it would be quick, you'll just drive a little slower and look up constantly, and you'll be fine. Incidentally, this is the same logic used by a lot of drunk drivers, except, maybe they even have a slightly better excuse...because they're drunk. They probably think they're funnier and better looking than they really are, too.

A new study (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080918/wl_uk_afp/britaintransportsociety;_ylt=Am4XTR5eftyqG5MAteMHD LUDW7oF) found that texting (or reading texts) while driving is SIGNIFICANTLY more dangerous than driving under the influence of either alcohol or weed.


LONDON (AFP) - Texting behind the wheel is more dangerous than driving while under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, researchers said Thursday.

Research carried out on 17 young drivers (aged 17-24) using a simulator found that reaction time slowed by 35% when they were writing or reading text messages while driving. In comparison, reaction time deteriorated by 21% for those under the influence of cannabis, and by 12% at the legal alcohol limit.

Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) -- which carried out the study for the RAC Foundation -- also found that steering control worsened by 91% for those who were distracted by texts, compared to 35% when cannabis was involved.

The tests also showed that texters were less able to maintain safe distances from other cars and they tended to drift out of their lane more often.

So, essentially, people who text while driving are making the conscious and sober decision to put others at risk. If we lock people up for DUI, shouldn't we lock them up for texting, too?

[polis]

Have you ever texted while driving? You probably knew you shouldn't, but figured it would be quick, you'll just drive a little slower and look up constantly, and you'll be fine. Incidentally, this is the same logic used by a lot of drunk drivers, except, maybe they even have a slightly better excuse...because they're drunk. They probably think they're funnier and better looking than they really are, too.

A new study (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080918/wl_uk_afp/britaintransportsociety;_ylt=Am4XTR5eftyqG5MAteMHD LUDW7oF) found that texting (or reading texts) while driving is SIGNIFICANTLY more dangerous than driving under the influence of either alcohol or weed.



So, essentially, people who text while driving are making the conscious and sober decision to put others at risk. If we lock people up for DUI, shouldn't we lock them up for texting, too?

how are we going to prove they were TWD'ing? Look at their phone bill?
I think in most cases, when someone who has been involved in accident because they were texting, they are charged with something such as reckless driving.

I don't think I have ever heard someone locked up for eating and driving at the same time, which is the equivalent to texting and driving...

[katyk]

Did you hear about this story where a commuter train and cargo train crashed and killed 25 people? It's big news here. The theory is the conductor was texting right before the crash.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-traincrash18-2008sep18,0,6806620.story


Federal investigators said Wednesday that records from Metrolink engineer Robert M. Sanchez's cellphone show that he sent and received text messages while on duty Friday, the day he was involved in a catastrophic train collision in Chatsworth.

However, investigators have not yet analyzed the records to determine whether Sanchez was using his phone at the time his train slammed into an oncoming Union Pacific freight train in an accident that left 25 people dead and 135 others injured.

The article doesn't say it (or it might and I missed it) but I think he was one of the people dead. But if this is true, then texting while driving anything should be seriously investigated further and laws passed.

[Athena]

I don't think I have ever heard someone locked up for eating and driving at the same time, which is the equivalent to texting and driving...

But it's intentional, dangerous behavior. More dangerous than DUI, in this study.

Let's say two people are pulled over for swerving. One is at .10BAC, the other was clearly texting. The drinker will likely be taken to jail and charged with a criminal offense, while the texter will get a ticket and be released. Should this be like this, even though texting is more dangerous than drunken driving in this case?

[brokenandtwisted]

I actually believe this. Especially cell phones as well. When you're drunk (not that I've ever driven drunk) I'm to assume you're at least looking at the road, right? Concentrating on driving? But when you're texting/talking, at that moment you're processing the conversation and a response, thereby not focused on driving.

So yeah, I think it's much more dangerous...

[WhatThe]

I think we should all consider the new safety data and please stop texting and driving. We should at least wait for a stop light to do our texting. I have been guilty of texting and driving. Common sense should have told me this is a bad idea, so now I wait. And yes, now that we know the dangers, we should be locked up.

One time, I was behind a driver who was clearly texting. The reason I know this is because I could see his phone. He was holding it up high in his line of vision instead of in his lap or on his seat. The funny part is that I figure he was actually safer texting the way he was - instead of moving his head up and down, he was only diverting his eyes for a split second back and forth.

The train engineer has no business being on his cell phone while on duty as far as I am concerned.

[katyk]

What do you think about the new CA law that banned talking on the cell phone while driving unless you're using a wireless head set? For me personally, it didn't effect me at all. I never talk on the phone while I'm driving. But there were lots of people up in arms over it.

Part of me thinks the law was sponsored by Blue Tooth. (insert laughing smilie here).

But seriously, I don't think the issue is having your hands free. The issue is the amount of distraction caused by talking on the phone. The same goes with talking to people in the car with you, or dealing with cranky kids in the back seat. With all those things going on already, shouldn't we just hang up the fucking phone and call people back later?

[Athena]

You're absolutely right, Katyk. A similar ban has been in effect here since, I think, July sometime. It's a secondary offense, which means they can't ticket you for it unless you're pulled over for something else, first, which further limits any effectiveness. Research has shown undeniably that it's the conversation that's distracting, not holding the phone itself. What this comes down to for me is over-regulation. To be "fair", we'd have to pass specific legislation outlawing all SORTS of things, including eating, fussing with the stereo, etc., etc. This just isn't reasonable.

For as long as driving is legal, people are going to die because of the irresponsibility of others. So, instead of spinning our wheels locking people up for events that didn't cause any damage in an effort to "prevent" such occurrences, we should extend sentencing for when people DO cause damage. For example:

My father spent a year on house arrest for DUI. He never caused an accident and wasn't even pulled over for a moving violation. His tags were expired. On the flip side of that coin, it is not uncommon for a drunk driver to hospitalize someone and get probation. And we wonder why people don't take drunk driving seriously? The average sentence for vehicular HOMICIDE is under 4 years.

I don't advocate placing even more severe punishment on texting while driving. Make it a ticketable offense. But when someone actually hits someone or something due to their irresponsibility, hold them to the fire. Do the same for DUI and speeding offenses. We shouldn't be clogging our jails and ruining the lives of individuals who didn't cause any damage. They should be punished, sure...But what happened to the punishment fitting the severity of the crime? That is something not reflected by the justice system.

[Boondock]

My sister texts while she is driving - and she's not a great driver to begin with. I've told her over and over that she's going to kill someone eventually. She just says "well I don't do it that often." It only takes once, idiot! Unbelievably she's the older sibling. Aren't they supposed to be MORE responsible?

As for the train conductor, what was he gonna do swerve?

[Just my luck sucks]

As for the train conductor, what was he gonna do swerve?

Yeah, I wondered about that too.

[Athena]

LMAO...you guys are hilarious. Actually, though, had he not been texting, he probably wouldn't have blown the red.

As for mass transportation, I believe there should be harsh penalties for irresponsible behavior enforced through the governing bodies of those industries. People who drink or text or whathaveyou on the job should get fined terribly or fired, as they are dealing with the lives of hundreds of people on a daily basis.

[Boondock]

Unless I missed an announcement somewhere, I don't think that it's been proven that he blew through the red. The signal could have been malfunctioning, obscurred by glare, or something else. Also, as far as I could tell they haven't even said that he definitively was texting at the time of the crash, just that he had been texting that day and while on duty. Personally, I think it is just as likely attributable to the swing shift he had worked or perhaps a mix of the two. I figure until the final results come out I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Athena]

According to this article (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-09-18-california-traincollision_N.htm?csp=34), it sounds like they've determined that a red was run. But you're right, they're still not sure if the text was the reason for that.

[katyk]

Ya know, in CA, they've been trying to ban cell phones on trains (for employees) for a long time. This crash gave them a perfect excuse to finally do it, even though as Boondock said, it hasn't been proven that he was texting at the time they crashed.

However, I think it's a good idea to take phones out of the hands of train conductors. Unlike the normal person driving a personal vehicle, these people are actually on the job where lots of peoples' lives are at stake. You think bus drivers would get away with it? Highly unlikely. Although most in LA drive like they are texting.

There was another crash this morning by a bus and a freaking metro train in downtown LA. No one was killed, but c'mon, something needs to be done.

I was almost hit by a bus that ran a red light a few months ago. No joke. I was cross the street, the little white man was giving me a-ok, and a bus RAN THE RED LIGHT at 40 mph. People started honking and yelling, but I doubt he noticed anything. This is in a very busy part of LA.

My boyfriend called the metro to put in a complaint since we got the bus number, and they told us "they'd look into it, but we didn't get enough info." Hello? Your bus driver almost killed us!! That's a big fucking deal and we did give you all the info we had. Bus number, street, time of day...figure the rest out! So I doubt anything happened.

A little bit off topic, but my only point is all these laws restricting drivers from being distracted should be applied to public employees on duty. No phone calls, no texting, and please, turn off the TV. Public busses in LA has fucking flat screens TV all over them, and one is in the driver's view.

[Athena]

Oh, totally. Mass transportation should have its own set of guidelines, and a much higher standard should be set. They're dealing with the lives of hundreds of people a day, not to mention potentially millions of tax dollars in lawsuits, and irresponsibility cannot be tolerated. The FAA has stricter guidelines, and the train, bus and even trucking (even though it's not mass transportation) should follow suit.

[Gilbrit]

As most state laws dictate, an operator of a moving vehicle must be in control of the vehicle at all times. If you are eating, drinking, texting or talking on the phone, you are not devoting you entire attention to maneuvering the vehicle.

If you cause an accident, you are at fault and punishable by the laws of your state.

[Aelwynn]

Ok, you guys are gonna love this. I drove the entire 23 hours home straight without stopping (aside from gas and bathroom breaks) or sleeping (I don't sleep much anyways). Hubby only drove for an hour. Mtn Dew was a good reason for that.

The entire time, every fucking car we passed that was "dangerous" (swurving/speeding a ton/not blinking before turning/running lights, list goes on) the driver was fucking texting!!! I eventually had to do 5 UNDER the speed limit because of these assclowns.

Texting while driving is TERRIBLE! I almost got hit TWICE this past trip! I was going 5 under, seat belts all on, wide awake and all that jazz. First time some asshole turned left while texting, and almost ran right into my car when I was going straight! Second time little teenie bopper is texting and drove within INCHES of my front bumper on a MAJOR HWY! She was also speeding.

In NJ and NY it is ILLEGAL to drive while texting. The cops WILL pull you over if they see you texting. In WA, Athena is right, you gotta be do something else before they pull you over.

Texting is seriously dangerous! I can type without looking at the keyboard, but does that mean I'll drive while I type one handed? Hell fucking no! These kids/adults need to learn that you need 100% FULL ATTENTION on the road!

[brokenandtwisted]

I know the opening post is British, but here's some California law:

Schwarzenegger outlaws text-messaging while driving

September 25, 2008

SACRAMENTO -- California drivers chafing at the ban on holding cellphones can soon forget about texting, too: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has banned motorists from sending, writing or reading messages on electronic devices starting Jan. 1.

Schwarzenegger signed legislation Wednesday that imposes a $20 fine for a first offense of texting while driving and a $50 fine for any subsequent violation.

As he works against a Tuesday deadline to act on more than 800 bills passed by the Legislature, Schwarzenegger also signed a measure barring companies that do business with the Sudanese government from bidding on state contracts.

Schwarzenegger said in a statement that he was "happy to sign" the prohibition against text-messaging, which surveys show is widespread among drivers.

"Banning electronic text messaging while driving will keep drivers' hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, making our roadways a safer place for all Californians," said Schwarzenegger.

The California Public Utilities Commission recently banned certain railroad workers from using text-messaging devices or cellphones on moving trains in the wake of the Sept. 12 collision between a Metrolink passenger train and a freight train. Investigators are probing whether texting by an engineer was a factor in the crash in Chatsworth, which killed 25 people and injured 135.

cont'd (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arnold25-2008sep25,0,6433956.story)

[Athena]

Schwarzenegger is such a bad conservative. He's a proper neo-con, just like Bush. It's frightening.