PSA: Texting while driving

Gooberlx2

Lifer
May 4, 2001
15,381
6
91
Could be a repost, but I searched combos of PSA, texting, driving, brits and wales, so....

Link to Engadget.

I dunno how effective PSAs really ever are, but this is one of the better ones I've seen.

My niece was as bad and absent minded as the girls in the video, until my SIL was accidentally informed of a near mishap (overheard conversation). Niece's cell phone privileges were promptly suspended and texting removed from her plan.
 

EGGO

Diamond Member
Jul 29, 2004
5,504
1
0
Well duh they crashed, they were on the wrong side of the road, all of them!
 

RedArmy

Platinum Member
Mar 1, 2005
2,648
0
0
Originally posted by: EGGO
Well duh they crashed, they were on the wrong side of the road, all of them!

Yeah, and the steering wheels were on the wrong side of the cars! Everything was backwards in that video!
 

PlasmaBomb

Lifer
Nov 19, 2004
11,636
2
81
Edit: I just realised that Eggo meant that the people were driving on the LHS rather than RHS... :eek:

The Ka hits the Mondeo, which some how ends up going backwards... the Ka turns through 90 degrees anticlockwise and ends up sitting on the right hand side of the road in front of the Mondeo, kinda in an L shape. The red Fiesta then drives into them on the right hand side of the road (remember we drive on the left!, visible at ~36-37 seconds), and for some reason only starts braking at 27 seconds... 13 seconds after the accident, talk about slow reactions.

At about 40 seconds you see a blue Fiesta on the wrong side of the road braking...

At 1:09 a dark blue BMW arrives and the driver gets out shouting "Ring an Amblance!". (You can still see the blue Fiesta on the wrong side of the road at 1:14 and 1:44)

Moral of the story?

Don't drive Fords...
 

PlasmaBomb

Lifer
Nov 19, 2004
11,636
2
81
Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
Could be a repost, but I searched combos of PSA, texting, driving, brits and wales, so....

Link to Engadget.

I dunno how effective PSAs really ever are, but this is one of the better ones I've seen.

My niece was as bad and absent minded as the girls in the video, until my SIL was accidentally informed of a near mishap (overheard conversation). Niece's cell phone privileges were promptly suspended and texting removed from her plan.

I don't get why people don't realise they should be focusing their whole attention on the road...
 

MBrown

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2001
5,726
35
91
I was just about to post this. How did they make this and how much money went into it? I used to text while driving and realized how dumb it was after I kept drifting into the other lane, which is why I stopped.
 

MBrown

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2001
5,726
35
91
Originally posted by: MotF Bane
I'm all for making this required viewing in high school and driver's ed.

My sister had to watch something similar to this in class.
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
/obligatory "but I'm different and this doesn't apply to me because I'm better than 99% of the population and can text/drink while driving and it doesn't affect me at all."

I've actually got a friend who I refuse to drive with because they *constantly* text while driving and it makes me nervous as hell... if they can't get off their crackberry, I'd rather they be doing it from the passenger seat.
 

Snapster

Diamond Member
Oct 14, 2001
3,916
0
0
Originally posted by: MotF Bane
I'm all for making this required viewing in high school and driver's ed.

Yup, I agree.

Ask a person if they think it's fine to text and dive whilst they take their driving test, they will say no. So why do they think it is better an hour after they pass?
 

Born2bwire

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2005
9,840
6
71
I don't know if it has changed in recent years but a lot of the traffic laws are inadequate with treating texting and driving. In Champaign, a driver was texting, drifted off the road, hit and killed a bicyclist. In the end, all they could charge her with was distracted driving, just a traffic violation Last I heard the state was pushing through new laws to deal with this though.
 

ProfJohn

Lifer
Jul 28, 2006
18,161
7
0
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
I don't know if it has changed in recent years but a lot of the traffic laws are inadequate with treating texting and driving. In Champaign, a driver was texting, drifted off the road, hit and killed a bicyclist. In the end, all they could charge her with was distracted driving, just a traffic violation Last I heard the state was pushing through new laws to deal with this though.
That doesn't sound right.

If I am driving down the road playing with my radio and run someone over all I get is 'distracted driving' ??

Perhaps that was the only ticket they could get her with, but I am sure they could still throw a manslaughter charge at her.
 

Snapster

Diamond Member
Oct 14, 2001
3,916
0
0
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
I don't know if it has changed in recent years but a lot of the traffic laws are inadequate with treating texting and driving. In Champaign, a driver was texting, drifted off the road, hit and killed a bicyclist. In the end, all they could charge her with was distracted driving, just a traffic violation Last I heard the state was pushing through new laws to deal with this though.

They need to be more strict. I see people eating, drinking, reading paper, shaving, doing makeup, listening to iPod/watching TV, texting whilst driving a car (manuals so no excuse of having extra hand free like the US).


 

Born2bwire

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2005
9,840
6
71
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
I don't know if it has changed in recent years but a lot of the traffic laws are inadequate with treating texting and driving. In Champaign, a driver was texting, drifted off the road, hit and killed a bicyclist. In the end, all they could charge her with was distracted driving, just a traffic violation Last I heard the state was pushing through new laws to deal with this though.
That doesn't sound right.

If I am driving down the road playing with my radio and run someone over all I get is 'distracted driving' ??

Perhaps that was the only ticket they could get her with, but I am sure they could still throw a manslaughter charge at her.

No they couldn't. Actually, now that I pull up a recent article, the driver only got hit with "improper lane usage."

http://www.news-gazette.com/ne...by_pending_texting_law

The whole thing was really fucked, the judge at sentencing spoke at how he wished he could charge her with more.
 

Demo24

Diamond Member
Aug 5, 2004
8,356
9
81
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
I don't know if it has changed in recent years but a lot of the traffic laws are inadequate with treating texting and driving. In Champaign, a driver was texting, drifted off the road, hit and killed a bicyclist. In the end, all they could charge her with was distracted driving, just a traffic violation Last I heard the state was pushing through new laws to deal with this though.

I would have thought the driver would have gotten vehicular manslaughter in that case. Far as I know that would happen down here in the event of a case like that.
 

Xonoahbin

Senior member
Aug 16, 2005
884
1
81
Texting while driving is like doing anything else while driving.. eating, drinking, changing the music dial, reading your GPS unit, makeup, whatever. The problem is that most people can't handle any of these activities while driving safely. You CANNOT TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OF THE ROAD! If you don't take your eyes off of the road, you're likely to be fine. I used to be able to text without looking on my old phone, so I would sometimes text while driving. That being said, I'd only do it on open stretches when I wasn't really around other people. With my Blackberry, I can't text while driving anymore because I have to look at the keys (and use two hands..) I think people just generally need to stop being dumbasses with devices that take their attention.
 

AstroManLuca

Lifer
Jun 24, 2004
15,628
5
81
Originally posted by: DEMO24
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
I don't know if it has changed in recent years but a lot of the traffic laws are inadequate with treating texting and driving. In Champaign, a driver was texting, drifted off the road, hit and killed a bicyclist. In the end, all they could charge her with was distracted driving, just a traffic violation Last I heard the state was pushing through new laws to deal with this though.

I would have thought the driver would have gotten vehicular manslaughter in that case. Far as I know that would happen down here in the event of a case like that.

IMO, laws should be written so that killing someone = automatic jail time and license suspension. It's up to the judge to determine how much jail time depending on the situation, but it doesn't matter how much of a freak accident it was, if the driver is at fault they need to sit and think about it for a while. I think the only situation where it wouldn't be justified is if the victim was definitely the one at fault.
 

QueBert

Lifer
Jan 6, 2002
22,983
1,179
126
Most people I know can't pick their nose while driving without almost getting in a wreck. Anything should be legal so long as you can do it without ever taking your eyes off the road.