Texting while driving.

To be honest where do you draw the line? As It's kind of hard to ban everything but driving for the driver... Texting is technically still legal here as only ''holding'' a phone is illegal, which means that if you have a holder on your windscreen you can text all you want. It's a bit silly though as I'd consider looking at my ( touchscreen) phone for ages far more dangerous than just holding a phone against my ear and speaking while watching the road.

But if you ban this, then you might as well ban looking & messing with your stereo, lighting a fag, etc... But I don't think this is even enforceable, in fact I think they did want to ban most things like that but they dropped it as ''impossible to enforce''.
 
Or ban scratching your ear, picking your nose?

Fundamentally all they need to do is punish people who can't control their vehicle - I can't even speak on the phone never mind text without losing concentration of what I'm doing, so I don't.

If others can though - whatever - I accept we are all different.

If you do mow down some school kids and nuns while texting though I'd expect a pretty harsh punishment (what do you get for death by dangerous driving anyway?)
 
Viper² said:
That's been argued to death on here and proven to be a load of tosh.
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What exactly is a load of tosh? A simple message that people texting instead of concentrating on the road runs you at a much higher risk of getting involved in a car crash? Typically causing serious injury and death to others. Why is that not possible? I'm curious as to why you would think this is a load of tosh? Are you retarded? Do you lack any form of common sense? What exactly is it that you don't get?
 
smoking whilst driving should be banned, it's far too involving

I take the odd swig of water from a sports cap bottle during long trips.
 
I disagree with the legislation. It is also barely enforced. There are much bigger problems to worry about than if someone is having a conversation at the same time as holding a piece of plastic to their ear whilst driving. The law isn't taken seriously at all by the public or the enforcement agencies.
 
It is fine as it is. Texting is more than likely going to require most people to look away for quite a few seconds where as changing the volume on the radio isn't quite as distracting.

It isn't going to be a 100% fair law unless we ban everything or make everything legal. A line has to be drawn somewhere.

As hands free kits are available for not very much money it isn't the worst policy ever to not be allowed to use a phone as I do agree they are quite dangerous and one of the bigger distractions and you are possibly going to kill someone else if it happens.


If you stop people smoking and drinking and listening to music it creates much more problems but with hardly any increase in safety.
 
You have to wonder when people have had enough of all the restrictive laws and prefer to live with the risks rather than their freedom being taken away like smoking in a car.

Mr Banker in his Merc S class or Audi A8 is not that easily willing to give up his expensive cigars while driving I think. I mean when you take a look at certain drivers in their cars, I doubt they are willing to give up some things like smoking and prefer the dangers of it.

I mean, you can keep banning things, but at a certain point people will have enough of it, and the majority might want their freedom back.


For me, driving would certainly be less attractive if I couldn't skip to my favorite song or drink or eat anything in the car.
 
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There is an absolutely massive difference from smoking a cigarette or drinking a drink, to texting away while driving.. Think about this.. How many times have you been hooted from behind while at a set of lights cos you are reading an email on your phone???
 
thedoc46 said:
There is an absolutely massive difference from smoking a cigarette or drinking a drink, to texting away while driving.. Think about this.. How many times have you been hooted from behind while at a set of lights cos you are reading an email on your phone???
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Errrr ? I don't read emails on my phone in my car, talking ( handsfree) is already quite distracting for me, my convo's often go like "UHMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, errrrrrrrrr, yes, one sec ........ blahblah blah" when I'm at a crossroad or when changing lanes etc.

Texting while driving isn't that much different from messing with your sat nav or lighting a sig. imo though, all 3 require concentration and take your eye sight off the road.
 
ghop said:
Texting will take your eyes off the road for much longer though.
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Depends if you can blind type or not surely? Because if you can you only have to look for a second to see if you wrote what you wanted ? And even then, you don't have to look at the phone all the time, I remember I used to message quite a bit back when I used to cycle to and from work, my eyes were: 2 seconds phone, look forward, 2 seconds phone, look forward, 2 seconds phone, forward, etc...

Guess it depends on the person how they write/type messages.

I mean I know, I've read some articles too that people may not look at the road for 5 seconds when writing texts, but this differs from person to person.
 
snowdog said:
Depends if you can blind type or not surely? Because if you can you only have to look for a second to see if you wrote what you wanted ? And even then, you don't have to look at the phone all the time, I remember I used to message quite a bit back when I used to cycle to and from work, my eyes were: 2 seconds phone, look forward, 2 seconds phone, look forward, 2 seconds phone, forward, etc...

Guess it depends on the person how they write/type messages.

I mean I know, I've read some articles too that people may not look at the road for 5 seconds when writing texts, but this differs from person to person.
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Only in Holland would someone ride a bike and text :D Hats off to you for mastering it.. But there's only so much damage you can do losing the front end while reading that text from that lady you've been smooching over. i'm of the attiude that my wife and kids could be in that car that some **** hits head on, cos he's /ahe is arranging a night out while driving at 50mph down the road. Therefore ban it entirely. No excuses. We've all done it, some of us have even nearly crashed.. I've become a little more sensible in my old age and now know it can wait til i'm out of the car. Not worth losing everything over a poxy text message. I live in the USA, make one mistake here and hurt someone and they'll sue you for everything.
 
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Ill admit that if i'm running the short distance to work/uni or whatever and get a 3 word text asking where are you, ill simply say on my way which I can more or less type out without looking while im stuck at a red light. I've only ever answered my phone to literally say im driving, on my way, if someone is expecting me, and then chuck the phone in the centre console or whatever.

I wouldn't ever have a conversation with someone, either talking or text, and I only do the above if I'm sat at a red light for about 4 secs max. I do however see the problems with it and to be honest I don't like doing it, but I can't see how stuck stationary sending a 3 word text is going to cause me to smack into someone if my handbrake is on....

I do regular 3 or 4 hour drives up the motorway and usually dont stop unless im tired, and before I set off I get whatever munchies I want and open then beforehand, and set up hands free and satnav, so that my eyes dont ever have to leave the road.

My mates don't like long drives with me though because if my phone rings I make them answer it for me, no matter who it is :P
 
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