Texting while driving more dangerous than driving while drunk

[Cyrus]

If you ask me, you should just enforce reckless driving laws, and not make a new silly law about texting.

Also, a quick question: How can they say that texting is 3x as dangerous as drunk driving? That's not a fair comparison, is it? How on Earth can they compare the two? Number of crashes? I imagine that the people who drive drunk are already worse drivers than people who merely text while driving (because even if texting is more dangerous, only an idiot would be drunk and drive whereas a reasonable but uninformed person could occasionally text while driving). Also, drunk driving is, to my knowledge, more heavily enforced than any texting laws. That means they catch it more often and artificially reduce the danger. Anyway, maybe they took things like this into consideration.

People do other dangerous things while driving... I think it's silly to make so specific a law. That's all I'm saying.

I'm sure they do controlled tests on a track with test subjects and triggered events you have to avoid.

 

[AUMathTutor]

That may be. Is that how the study was carried out? Do you know?

I sort of assumed they were just looking at statistics, but then again, I guess they could have done a controlled test.

Then again, there is the potential for some pretty severe bias in a study like this. I'd be interested if anybody could briefly explain how they came up with the results...

 

[Cyrus]

According to the article:

To get the data, the institute installed video cameras and sensors in long haul trucks and personal vehicles and watched the results for up to 18 months.

[1] http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2009/07/28/texting-while-driving-more-dangerous-than-being-drunk.aspx

 

[AUMathTutor]

http://www.vtti.vt.edu/PDF/7-22-09-VTTI-Press_Release_Cell_phones_and_Driver_Distraction.pdf

Looking at this page, it seems like the way they did this was to watch real drivers in the real world, and it looks like the way they're getting the number 23 is from "how long the driver takes his eyes off the road".

If somebody else can make heads or tails of their method, let me know. If it's what I said, I remain unconvinced.

 

[moose]

The legal limit is .08 right? At .08 you don't really feel too much different than completely sober. Driving at .08 is obviously stupid, but driving at around .15 is very dangerous. I understand that the study was comparing it to the legal limit, but still... Also, being drunk is something you can't turn off. Texting is something that lasts a few seconds. It's hard to compare the two as a whole.

I read some article saying that while texting people look at their phone for 5 out of 6 seconds. When I text, I don't look at my phone whatsoever. I want to have a HUD on my windshield that displays text messages people send me.

 

[Borg]

I am really inspired by the way everyone here analyzes issues like this by actually examining the data. I hadn't come across anyone texting while driving until yesterday. She was hanging well back from the cars in front of her while making a left turn. When I got around her, I saw why. I still think that texting while driving is ridiculously dangerous but, I'm taking the 23 number with a grain of salt.

 

[russ_watters]

Texting is something that lasts a few seconds. It's hard to compare the two as a whole.

I read some article saying that while texting people look at their phone for 5 out of 6 seconds.

Texting only lasts for a few seconds when you only send one text. What if you send 20?

When I text, I don't look at my phone whatsoever.

My phone doesn't allow that as the keyboard is on the touch-screen, but yeah, some people can do that [/quote] I want to have a HUD on my windshield that displays text messages people send me.[/QUOTE] That would help make texting less dangerous, but it would still be more dangerous than not doing it. A better solution would be voice texting - your phone reads you the text message and you dictate a response to it.

 

[russ_watters]

I am really inspired by the way everyone here analyzes issues like this by actually examining the data. I hadn't come across anyone texting while driving until yesterday. She was hanging well back from the cars in front of her while making a left turn. When I got around her, I saw why. I still think that texting while driving is ridiculously dangerous but, I'm taking the 23 number with a grain of salt.

Yesterday, I was driving behind perhaps the worst I'd ever seen*. I was in traffic and stuck behind a guy for perhaps 10 minutes and he was constantly drifting back and forth, favoring the center of the road (meaning he drifted a few feet into the next lane, then moved back - never drifted off the road)...drifting toward whatever car or truck was next to him. I'm not certain he was texting, but he was holding something in his right hand.

*He was marginally worse than a guy I saw once who I'm pretty sure was doing lines of coke off a cd case.

 

[Borg]

Yesterday, I was driving behind perhaps the worst I'd ever seen*. I was in traffic and stuck behind a guy for perhaps 10 minutes and he was constantly drifting back and forth, favoring the center of the road (meaning he drifted a few feet into the next lane, then moved back - never drifted off the road)...drifting toward whatever car or truck was next to him. I'm not certain he was texting, but he was holding something in his right hand.

*He was marginally worse than a guy I saw once who I'm pretty sure was doing lines of coke off a cd case.

Gee, I'm missing all the fun. I get to work at 4:30 am when most these people aren't up yet and the drunks are already off the road. Seriously though, those people are scary!

 

[KingNothing]

I like to text while driving drunk and high, and twice the speed limit through a school zone which is under construction.

Statistics, please?

 

[russ_watters]

You're already dead.

 

[moose]

Texting only lasts for a few seconds when you only send one text. What if you send 20? My phone doesn't allow that as the keyboard is on the touch-screen, but yeah, some people can do that

That would help make texting less dangerous, but it would still be more dangerous than not doing it. A better solution would be voice texting - your phone reads you the text message and you dictate a response to it.

Voice texting would indeed be nice. Many phones can read the text messages, but there aren't very many that allow you to speak back to it and it uses voice recognition back to text.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Voice texting would indeed be nice. Many phones can read the text messages, but there aren't very many that allow you to speak back to it and it uses voice recognition back to text.

http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article.php/3639896

Think about when you're driving in your car, for example, and you want to get an e-mail message to someone.

 

[j93]

On a related note could someone explain why texting while on a cell phone was banned after talking on a cell phone not at the same time or before.

 

[Evo]

What I can't believe is people that are so addicted to any type of messaging that they can't stop even while driving. When you are behind the wheel, the only thing you should be doing with your hands is steering. If you can't wait until you reach your destination in order to message someone, you've got problems.

 

[Pengwuino]

On a related note could someone explain why texting while on a cell phone was banned after talking on a cell phone not at the same time or before.

I don't think texting was as mainstream and on congress' radar when all the cell phone laws started passing. While this whole ruckus about texting started this year, maybe even last year... laws were passed about cell phones years ago (although as in California, the law finally took effect over a year ago I believe with around 2 1/2 years notice).

 

[BobG]

Ban automatic transmissions.

Driving with a manual transmission improves driver attention and performance on driving simulators (at least on one http://jad.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/2/212).

(You could probably make a case that adolescent males with ADHD should be prohibited from obtaining drivers licenses, since they tend to be a pretty high risk category of drivers.)

I can't see a texting ban being enforced as far as pulling offenders over. However, it is something easy to check after the fact and a heavy fine and license suspension would have an effect on drivers' attitudes. (And the hell with limiting this just to texting - talking on a cell phone should be banned as well. The name of "missed caller" should be right there to look at and a driver can pull over if it's that critical that they talk to that person at that particular time.)

 

[waht]

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090731/capt.316a291a1bfe4224bf22a184604f2b0e.texting_tow_truck_in_pool_nyr104.jpg?x=400&y=275&q=85&sig=qNwxCxf63XQh0kThi4t4vg--

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Most-Emailed-Photos/ss/1756;_ylt=AqzAHWSnbaIe_B8SvXW.L9qaK8MA#photoViewer=/090731/480/316a291a1bfe4224bf22a184604f2b0e

July 30, 2009. Police said that the Buffalo-area tow truck driver was juggling two cell phones, texting on one and talking on another, when he slammed into a car and crashed into the swimming pool.

 

[BobG]

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090731/capt.316a291a1bfe4224bf22a184604f2b0e.texting_tow_truck_in_pool_nyr104.jpg?x=400&y=275&q=85&sig=qNwxCxf63XQh0kThi4t4vg--

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Most-Emailed-Photos/ss/1756;_ylt=AqzAHWSnbaIe_B8SvXW.L9qaK8MA#photoViewer=/090731/480/316a291a1bfe4224bf22a184604f2b0e

I wonder if the driver of the gray car was texting, too?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Texting while driving PSA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGE8LzRaySk