Texting driver kills 13 people

[dank69]

Making licensing more restrictive will never happen, it will hurt both government (loss of tax revenue) and energy corporations (less oil sales). Not a chance.

What should happen, IMO

1. Criminal charges for drunk driving, everytime. Jail time, everytime.

2. Tougher consequences on phone use.

I'm not sure an IQ will help much, I see some pretty stupid shut on the road....and most of the time it's a car you wouldn't think it's a low IQ person driving

Cell phone use pales in comparison to drunk driving, which we as a society have shown we will accept with sometimes little consequence. So I don't expect much to change.

I prefer voice to text if I'm sending a message, phone is hooked up through cars bluetooth, easy peasy

Of course it will never happen. As JMC mentioned, driving is considered a fundamental right. Luckily for us self driving cars will be the rule instead of the exception within a decade. My 5yo daughter will probably never even consider getting a license.

 

[Sheep221]

#1: As to truck size; in most states (pretty much all of them), a vehicle has to have a gross weight (combined or single) of greater than 26,000lb or a gross axle weight greater than 8,000lb (not 100% sure on the axle weight) to require a CDL.

#2: From the video I saw of the accident. It was a full-size conversion van, which are routinely used to transport up to 15 people(without requiring a CDL). Models such as: Chevy-GMC Express/Savanna, Dodge/Mercedes/Freightliner/International Sprinter/Ram Van, Ford Econoline and Transit are nowhere close to buses, but are regularly used.

As to texting while driving not being banned in Texas... Well, it's Texas.

I know that, that's why I'm glad Europe licenses are much more strict, some of that would be:
Commercial license is required for driving anything heavier that 7700lb and minimum age 21. And also for anything that carries more than 9 people.
Which means if you don't drive semi-truck rig or transit bus regularly, you are banned from driving most american pickups as well because they are heavier than 7700lb, this means that many guys like this are basically not allowed to buy them.
Getting a commercial license is very expensive and lengthy thing, and every 5 years health evaluation and re-testing is done which basically is turn off for everyone not being commercial driver, which is good.
Over here, driving is not a right you can have just because you are citizen or commodity you can buy and abuse, it's pretty easy to lose your license if you are caught driving recklessly, if you don't want to obey traffic code and rules of the road, you won't be driving, period.
Vans cannot be retrofitted to transporting people from cargo box, vans can transport people only if manufacturers make passenger version of them and seating is restricted to 9 people max(incl driver).
Texting or calling with phone in your hand is banned in entire region and fines are high if you get caught.
Laws like these, do save lives long term.

 

[JMC2000]

I know that, that's why I'm glad Europe licenses are much more strict, some of that would be:
Commercial license is required for driving anything heavier that 7700lb and minimum age 21. And also for anything that carries more than 9 people.
Which means if you don't drive semi-truck rig or transit bus regularly, you are banned from driving most american pickups as well because they are heavier than 7700lb, this means that many guys like this are basically not allowed to buy them.
Getting a commercial license is very expensive and lengthy thing, and every 5 years health evaluation and re-testing is done which basically is turn off for everyone not being commercial driver, which is good.
Over here, driving is not a right you can have just because you are citizen or commodity you can buy and abuse, it's pretty easy to lose your license if you are caught driving recklessly, if you don't want to obey traffic code and rules of the road, you won't be driving, period.
Vans cannot be retrofitted to transporting people from cargo box, vans can transport people only if manufacturers make passenger version of them and seating is restricted to 9 people max(incl driver).
Texting or calling with phone in your hand is banned in entire region and fines are high if you get caught.
Laws like these, do save lives long term.

Sigh... What works in Europe doesn't always work in America.

I should've explained what a "conversion van" was. A conversion van is not converting a cargo van into a multi-passenger van, it's customizing a passenger van with additional comforts usually not equipped on one straight from the factory. Comforts such as TVs with optional satellite, seats with better upholstery (or just plain better seats), mini blinds/shades on the windows, etc...

For restrictions on pickups, to bar people from buying them, the commercial weight classification would have to be lowered to 6,000lbs, as trucks like the Silverado/Sierra 2500/3500, F-350 Super Duty weigh less than the 7700 in your example.

And yes, as I said before, you can order 15-passenger vans from the manufacturers:
http://www.chevrolet.com/express/passenger-van
http://www.ford.com/trucks/transit-passenger-van-wagon/2017/features/capability/

What I'm really getting at is all the restrictions in the world can't prevent horrible accidents when one of the drivers is doing something stupid.

You can have hefty fines for handheld phone usage while driving, and people will still have the "its only a problem if I'm caught" mentality. There's even hefty fines for CDL holders using a phone while driving, yet some people will still do it, because of their crappy mentality.

 

[mxnerd]

Truck driver absolutely should be blamed.

I also think law should be changed that so every passenger should wear seatbelt.

In this case, all passengers were dead! What does that tell us?

 

[JMC2000]

Truck driver absolutely should be blamed.

I also think law should be changed that so every passenger should wear seatbelt.

In this case, all passengers were dead! What does that tell us?

I was sure that even in Texas all occupants of vehicles other than buses are to wear seatbelts whenever the vehicle is in motion, right?

 

[mxnerd]

I was sure that even in Texas all occupants of vehicles other than buses are to wear seatbelts whenever the vehicle is in motion, right?

I was talking about bus passengers. And every bus chair should equip with seatbelt.

 

[Darwin333]

It doesnt matter if Texas has no ban on texting, he'll still be charged with reckless endangerment or something similar.
But yeah, I would not be surprised if he ends up with a minor sentence.


I kinda feel a bit sorry for people addicted to their phones.
Then I remember I'm addicted to porn and the pity turns to sympathy.

Of course, my porn addiction hasnt killed 13 senior citizens on a bus ride.

No, you have killed billions upon billions of potential babies you monster!!!!

 

[Darwin333]

Pneumatic finishing nailgun.

Red hot iron poker.

 

[Darwin333]

Jesus Christ, you feel guilty about your sexual attraction to other people.... the very instinct that ensures humanity does not go extinct. Name one other animal that feels bad about enjoying sex. This is all just an aftereffect of the thousands of years of cultural shaming of sex.

Well technically it could be argued that porn kind of hurts that because it helps one have sex with themselves instead of a member of the opposite sex...

 

[shortylickens]

https://play.puppiesway.com/video/1...texting-driver-killed-13-elderly-churchgoers/


If you can suffer through the ads and the annoying reporters, theres about 3 seconds of useful video there.