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

[Apple Of Sodom]

I would say getting road head is more dangerous than texting...is that a ticketable offense?

My point is that people who eat and drive say "Talking is so dangerous!"
People who talk and drive say "Texting is so dangerous!"
People who text and drive say "Slapping your kids around in your backseat is so dangerous!"

Just make it all illegal.

However, there is a special place in hell for those who drink and drive. I would vote to make it a crime punishable by death. Again, a distraction is momentary. Drunk driving lasts the entire duration of your trip.

 

[ImpulsE69]

You know why I don't want it illegal don't you?

It's probably cause. Cops know everyone has a cell phone. Guarantee it will be abused as a reason to stop people.

"oh you were looking down, you must have been texting". Don't give me the "if you are doing no wrong it shouldn't bother you" BS. Because that's what that mentality is, BS.

Police yourself and your children and quit letting the government police it for you. And while you're at it, quit worrying about what everyone else is doing. You being concerned about that person who might be texting might just distract you...

 

[BoomerD]

You know why I don't want it illegal don't you?

It's probably cause. Cops know everyone has a cell phone. Guarantee it will be abused as a reason to stop people.

"oh you were looking down, you must have been texting". Don't give me the "if you are doing no wrong it shouldn't bother you" BS. Because that's what that mentality is, BS.

Police yourself and your children and quit letting the government police it for you. And while you're at it, quit worrying about what everyone else is doing. You being concerned about that person who might be texting might just distract you...

It should be easy to prove you weren't texting in such a stop...

 

[SSSnail]

ImpulsE69, while I wholeheartedly agree that less government is better, but I cannot police the texting person that inevitably will run me over. Because frankly, considering that person choices, they couldn't give two hoots about me, or anyone else.

 

[American Gunner]

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

Wow, this may be the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Anyone can run you over. I've seen someone get in an accident reaching for a cigarette. I've been hit 2 times while sitting at a stop light because 2 different women hit the gas instead of the brake. Should women be banned from driving? (I think yes, but that's another topic).

That is the point. This is a witchhunt. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way saying I agree with it, but there is this peasants with pitchforks mentality right now that it is more dangerous than the 100 other things people do in cars because it is the "new" thing to hate on. It's only front page news because *cough* sensationalist news and the fact that teenagers do it.

Here's a newsflash, teenagers are bad drivers. They do dumb things. Texting is just one of them.


As for proving you weren't texting, I agree, very easy..but that really wasn't the point at all.

 

[purbeast0]

no and i think it's stupid to even think they are in the same category.

 

[SMOGZINN]

I think our traffic laws are all backwards. There is simply to many bad habits to try to regulate them all. Instead we need to change our driving laws to be outcome based.
So, there is no penalty for speeding, or even driving drunk, but it you cause a wreck you are punished as if you had done it intentionally.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I think our traffic laws are all backwards. There is simply to many bad habits to try to regulate them all. Instead we need to change our driving laws to be outcome based.
So, there is no penalty for speeding, or even driving drunk, but it you cause a wreck you are punished as if you had done it intentionally.

I actually really like this idea, but I have a feeling it would tie up the courts even worse than they already are.

We need automated cars. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[sixone]

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

Yes, it is. As a society, we are well aware of the dangers of texting while driving. Anyone who does it is demonstrating an educated and blatant disregard for the safety of others. That in itself is malicious.

 

[ControlD]

You know why I don't want it illegal don't you?

It's probably cause. Cops know everyone has a cell phone. Guarantee it will be abused as a reason to stop people.

This x100. Now imagine if we did what the OP suggested and simply have a "distracted driving" law on the books. You could be pulled over at any time for any reason the police feel like and it will be your word against theirs. We have plenty of bullshit reasons to be pulled over already the last thing we need is to give Barney one more.

 

[Modelworks]

I would have said no last week but this week on the way to work there was a guy driving on the middle of the road, 55MPH, I thought he was drunk, nope the guy had his hands on the top of the steering wheel with his phone in between , texting. A honk of the horn alerted him how bad he was driving and he pulled back into his lane.

I still wonder if the guy just went back to texting or maybe thought twice about what could have happened if I wasn't alert.

 

[GT1999]

Both are bad but over punished on the first issue. Eg, DUIs for people who aren't driving, don't have their keys on them or aren't even in their car. I don't agree with those, but they happen.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I would have said no last week but this week on the way to work there was a guy driving on the middle of the road, 55MPH, I thought he was drunk, nope the guy had his hands on the top of the steering wheel with his phone in between , texting. A honk of the horn alerted him how bad he was driving and he pulled back into his lane.

I still wonder if the guy just went back to texting or maybe thought twice about what could have happened if I wasn't alert.

I've seen the same thing with people talking on cell phones, yet no one has issues with that.

 

[American Gunner]

It's funny that most people are so against texting, but then when they want a new car they get these cars that are coming with more and more things in the dash to distract us. I laugh every time I see commercials showing all the stuff you can do on your touch screen in the new cars, that is as bad if not worse than texting. But no one is out raged about that.

 

[purbeast0]

Both are bad but over punished on the first issue. Eg, DUIs for people who aren't driving, don't have their keys on them or aren't even in their car. I don't agree with those, but they happen.

my friend got one of those.

he was out in the winter at a bar and was too drunk to drive so he slept in his car for a few hours. since it was winter and like 20 degrees, he turned his car on to get some heat going. he put his seat back and passed out.

he woke up to a cop knocking on his window and received a DUI for it. received a DUI for being responsible. such bullshit.

 

[DougK62]

This topic is so bizarre. Use a cell phone and everyone flips out, think of the children, new "laws" to enforce, etc. Of course, you can fiddle with your radio, change stations, put in a different CD, mess with your iPod, etc. and that's just fine.

I'll spend my time worrying about REAL issues. I wish everyone else would, too.

 

[Paul98]

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

Yeah because sitting at a light and typing a quick message is sooo much more dangerous than not being able to stay in your lane or react to things.

 

[Paul98]

my friend got one of those.

he was out in the winter at a bar and was too drunk to drive so he slept in his car for a few hours. since it was winter and like 20 degrees, he turned his car on to get some heat going. he put his seat back and passed out.

he woke up to a cop knocking on his window and received a DUI for it. received a DUI for being responsible. such bullshit.

Yep you can tank stupid laws and the vast majority of cops who would rather do that then find people who are actually doing something dangerous or bad.

 

[GT1999]

my friend got one of those.

he was out in the winter at a bar and was too drunk to drive so he slept in his car for a few hours. since it was winter and like 20 degrees, he turned his car on to get some heat going. he put his seat back and passed out.

he woke up to a cop knocking on his window and received a DUI for it. received a DUI for being responsible. such bullshit.

Did he get it reduced? It seems the villages are after DUIs merely for the high fines in instances like this. Abusing the law to get law abiding tax payers money. Mreally, it's quite sad. It also ruins your record for life in many states. Tell me that's fair to people being responsible...

In most cases, you can thank estrogen induced MADD who threaten prosecutors for these tough laws.

 

[purbeast0]

Did he get it reduced? It seems the villages are after DUIs merely for the high fines in instances like this. Abusing the law to get law abiding tax payers money. Mreally, it's quite sad. It also ruins your record for life in many states. Tell me that's fair to people being responsible...

nope not reduced at all. he wasted a few grand for the whole ordeal too.

 

[SSSnail]

You probably haven't read any news lately about drivers plowing into people on sidewalks, crosswalks, entering the wrong entrance on the freeway, etc... all because they couldn't put their phones down while driving, or because reading about what Jimmy Bob is doing because he just updated his status and he's your 436th friend on YouTwitFace.com

Until it happens to you...

You cannot possibly comparing pushing a button ala changing a radio station, which you can do if blind, to texting. Something must be seriously wrong with you. Besides, if you're too distracted to drive, may be you shouldn't.

 

[Modelworks]

I've seen the same thing with people talking on cell phones, yet no one has issues with that.

I have issues with those too. I despise cell phones . Cell phone use has become beyond ridiculous, can't go anywhere without people talking on a damn phone.
And NO, I do not own one and never will.

As an EE I have been tempted so many times to build and install a cell phone jammer in my car, if it were not for the FCC I would do it in a minute and kill all the signals within a mile.

 

[GT1999]

nope not reduced at all. he wasted a few grand for the whole ordeal too.

Wow, just wow. He wasn't even driving. Sad.

 

[DougK62]

You probably haven't read any news lately about drivers plowing into people on sidewalks, crosswalks, entering the wrong entrance on the freeway, etc... all because they couldn't put their phones down while driving, or because reading about what Jimmy Bob is doing because he just updated his status and he's your 436th friend on YouTwitFace.com

Until it happens to you...

You cannot possibly comparing pushing a button ala changing a radio station, which you can do if blind, to texting. Something must be seriously wrong with you. Besides, if you're too distracted to drive, may be you shouldn't.

Here's a CRAZY thought I just had. Now stay with me here - how about if we just punish people for poor driving? If someone runs down and kills a person because they're using the phone, let's just put him on trial for murder. Isn't that fair? What does it matter what the person was doing at the time? Crazy idea, I know! Because I can guarantee you that if you ban cell phone use - heck, get RID of all cell phones - the same people doing stupid stuff in cars will STILL find a way to do stupid stuff in cars.

But hey, let's just waste time chasing after stupid distractions and using up taxpayer dollars with more unenforceable laws. Brilliant.