Should punishment for driving while texting be as severe as DUI?

[SSSnail]

I think it should be.

The outcome of the accidents caused by distracted driving are pretty much the same, the people that choose to do either have pretty much the same thought process regarding their actions and consequences.

I saw a recent campaign by the state where they display warnings such as ”Texting while driving ticket is $159, not worth it!” and think that it should be more. Should be as much, if not more than DUI. At least the DUI person had lost some of his our her cognitive reasoning when commissioning the crime. If I'm caught driving a few miles over the speed limit, the ticket sure would be a lot higher than that!

So, let's get rid of all the acronyms for doing other things while driving and just call it distracted driving, and call it a day.

 

[SirStev0]

no.

 

[rayfieldclement]

Yes there are many things that can distract like texting, using your REGULAR cell phone, eating, shaving and SEX. We need severe penalties for these distractions.

 

[drebo]

Texting, yes. Talking, no.

Texting while driving requires significant attention and vision to be diverted from the road. Talking does not.

While I don't necessarily agree with pulling someone over for texting, I feel that it should immediately decide fault and that it should be an enhancement on any crime that is otherwise committed.

 

[sixone]

Yes.

But I'm not all there, so if you agree with me, you must not be, too.

 

[Apple Of Sodom]

Are you telling me that you think a momentary distraction (looking down at phone for 5 seconds to type "yes" or "omw") is the same thing as being intoxicated for the entire time you are driving? One is a momentary distraction. The other is an altered state of mind that you cannot simply shake off. If I want to text someone while stopped at a red light I don't see an issue with that.

 

[SillyOReilly]

Yes there are many things that can distract like texting, using your REGULAR cell phone, eating, shaving and SEX. We need severe penalties for these distractions.

Simply because people do distracting things while driving does not lessen the impact of people texting.

 

[Apple Of Sodom]

On the same subject...I had a friend pulled over for texting and driving. He told the cop "I was changing my radio station." Cop didn't give him a ticket. I can see this happening more and more.

 

[SSSnail]

Yes.

But I'm not all there, so if you agree with me, you must not be, too.

While you may not be ”all there”, but you surely are ”some there” right? So, it is entirely possible that we agree on things that are ”there”.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Look folks, we will only be texting for a few more years and then everything will be voice so it really is kind of a moot point honestly. That said, to compare drunk driving to texting is like comparing rape to a consentual one night stand. Plenty of people have horrible wrecks while adjusting their car stereo, seatbelts, etc and none of this nonsense is going on.

I understand and agree that texting while driving is seriously dangerous but it is not wilfully malicious.

 

[torpid]

More severe, if you are talking about Wisconsin. Here, for some reason we let people rack up 6-10 OWIs and they still have a license.

 

[SirStev0]

On the same subject...I had a friend pulled over for texting and driving. He told the cop "I was changing my radio station." Cop didn't give him a ticket. I can see this happening more and more.

I would do the same thing. I got followed a few weeks ago because I was dialing a number.
Can't wait to get my first ticket for trying to gps something.

It is a stupid fucking law.
Texting isn't causing more accidents. Accidents are happening as usual and people are blaming it on texting instead of the 30 other things gov't usually blame.

 

[Childs]

Yes. At least a drunk is well, drunk, so his judgement is impaired. A texter has no excuse.

 

[zanejohnson]

yep i think so..

if you can get a dui for taking your prescribed meds, then yes, texting while driving should get you a dui as well.

 

[SSSnail]

Are you telling me that you think a momentary distraction (looking down at phone for 5 seconds to type "yes" or "omw") is the same thing as being intoxicated for the entire time you are driving? One is a momentary distraction. The other is an altered state of mind that you cannot simply shake off. If I want to text someone while stopped at a red light I don't see an issue with that.

More often than not, a person that text spends more than a few seconds looking at the phone. I know, I did such stupid thing a long time ago. And it only takes a split second to cause a fatal accident.

If you're on the road and you see a car driving erratically during the day, observe the driver, most likely texting.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I agree. In fact, the DUI charge itself should not be limited to controlled substances but to ANYTHING that impairs your driving. There are people who do crazy things like put make up on or change their clothes while driving, or people watching a movie on their laptop sitting on the passenger seat etc... all these things should actually count as DUI. Guess the problem with that is where do you draw the line and how do you prove it.

 

[zinfamous]

yes, absolutely. It's in fact much more dangerous than driving drunk.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Look folks, we will only be texting for a few more years and then everything will be voice so it really is kind of a moot point honestly. That said, to compare drunk driving to texting is like comparing rape to a consentual one night stand. Plenty of people have horrible wrecks while adjusting their car stereo, seatbelts, etc and none of this nonsense is going on.

I understand and agree that texting while driving is seriously dangerous but it is not wilfully malicious.

That's a good point, I'm sure there will be a surge of apps that come out which will allow you to actually talk and listen to the person on the other side. That would actually be cool, it would be like star trek or something. Everybody walking around with these voice communicator devices. :biggrin:

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Voice texting would be talking into the phone and it writes the text. I know my phone does it but not all do, thus I said in a few years they probably all will.

 

[Childs]

I understand and agree that texting while driving is seriously dangerous but it is not wilfully malicious.

I would disagree. This is as willfully malicious as it gets, aside from intentionally running someone over. You risk your life and others just to send a text message? When you don't pay attention to the road that is what you are doing.

 

[Apple Of Sodom]

Maybe we should have a steering wheel that will sense when your hand is taken off of it. If it lasts more than 5 seconds then the car slows down and shuts off.

I agree distracted driving is dangerous. The problem is that everyone blames it on a specific action. People think their particular distraction is OK while all the others are terrible. Just outlaw distracted driving altogether and make it a ticketable offense to not have both hands on the wheel and eyes forward.

 

[surfsatwerk]

I don't think you guys ever tried driving drunk to be able to make an accurate comparison.

 

[BoomerD]

Texting...yes.
Talking...no.

 

[Squisher]

Are you telling me that you think a momentary distraction (looking down at phone for 5 seconds to type "yes" or "omw") is the same thing as being intoxicated for the entire time you are driving? One is a momentary distraction. The other is an altered state of mind that you cannot simply shake off. If I want to text someone while stopped at a red light I don't see an issue with that.

Although I doubt it has been established, I'll bet there is some threshold of keystrokes per minute of driving that would give the same likelihood of causing an accident that a BAC of .08 would provide.

Pretty soon cell phone manufacturers will be required to log and make easily available to any LEO that requests a numerical keystroke history of your cell phone. It could be done via a bluetooth fob the police would carry.

"License, registration, cell phone, and blow into this device."

 

[ImpulsE69]

I only text while I'm drunk driving. It relaxes me so I can more easily hit the buttons. What am I texting about? The road head I'm getting.