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Grand Forks Controversy
Grand Forks City Council passed a low today about texting and driving. It is now illegal in GF.
Personally, I see both side of it.
On one side, I most likely won't stop doing it for one main reason. On the droid x, I have voice texting. I press a button, speak into the phone and press send. If I have a return text, it reads it to me out loud. So I dont' even havet o look at my screen to text. I will say I don't do it if it's heavy traffic and USUALLY do it only when I am at a stoplight.
On the other side, I am fully behind it. I have seen people in this town (major college town here in ND) drive like absolute idiots because they are yammering or texting and not paying attention AT. ALL. Not saying it's all college drivers by any means, I have seen people of all ages doing it.
I just dont' see how it's enforcable unless you are being stopped for something else. What do you think?
Re: Grand Forks Controversy
I'm 100% for it being completely illegal. Too many people drive like complete morons so I'm all for less distractions. (Remind me later to stop being a hypocrite and make zero cell phone calls while driving.)
And I give major side eye to the people (I'm thinking of my hair stylist in particular) who say they don't have to look at the keys while they type. Maybe so but most likely you are still fully engaged in what you're typing.
I agree with the not looking at keys. Even if you think you don't, your mind is still 100% about texting. A is 1 tap...z is 4 taps...etc...
But internet is NEVER on while driving and please keep in mind...driving in GF during HEAVY rush hour is like driving at midnight in MPLS...lol...pretty tame town here. But when I have drove to MPLS...the navigator is the ONLY thing on in my car!
On a side note..what is the driving age in MN? I think it's too young here and I have seen too many accidents with young kids who just don't seem to know better.
I don't see what the controversy is or why any sane person would be divided on the issue. Texting while driving is stupid, dangerous and completely unnecessary.
Sure, I suppose you could argue that your fancy dictating phone reduces the risk, but really does it? I'd imagine you still have to go into it and find the appropriate app and recipient and fiddle around with things. ALL dangerous and not something you should be doing while driving.
In the last two weeks I was 1) almost hit by an idiotic driver who was texting and decided he wanted to drive in both his lane and mine and 2) caught behind a texting driver who seemed to think that sitting at a stop-sign for an extended period of time while she typed - then slowly driving down the road while she continued to type was somehow MORE considerate than simply pulling over to take care of things.
In both the above cases it was pretty clear that the person was texting and any cop who can see 20 feet infront of them would be able to spot it. No need for a secondary reason to pull the person over. It is clear as day - sometimes even from behind - when a person is texting and driving.
I just came back from CA where not only texting and driving illegal, but being on a phone (non-blue-tooth) while driving is too. It was wonderful!! Sure people still drove like idiots, but at least there was one less distraction.
As the daughter of a woman killed by an inattentive driver, I say any law that reduces distractions while driving is a good thing.
(*and in the interests of full disclosure, I admit to talking on my cell while driving - but only when I am on a familiar route during light traffic and only when the number is on speed-dial. It is bad habit that I need to work on.)
nope...dont' have to press anything...it's installed on my phone so if I would get a text right now, it would say out loud, "you have an incoming text from XXXXX. Please stop and get me some smokes when you come out."
then i can press one button and talk and say "no problem" and press send.
So in a two way conversation I have to press one button. But as I said, it's usually not while driving. (to be honest, I text very seldom.)
and I NEVER have the internet on or emails come through while driving. If I hear the notification, I ignore it.
?
I'm hopping on raz's couch on this one.
One button or one million I'm still against it.
It's okay Ro...you can have your opinion. You'll never change mine and apparently yours won't be changed either. Opinions don't change facts and texting while driving has been proven dangerous time and time again.
I'm with Paul Harvey on this one..."Good day!"
jack | born 9.13.12 at 40w4d | 9 lbs 12 oz | 23 in
my puppy loves - chloe & jenson
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I can't quote the source on this, but I recently heard that there are more accidents in places where texting is illegal, because people still do it, they just hold their phones down, where a cop couldn't see it, but also where it averts the driver's focus downwards and completely off the road. I get it, but I still don't like the idea of texting while driving, and I agree that it should be illegal. I also agree that making it illegal isn't going to stop people from doing it.
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I am lucky enough to have Sync in my car for my phone so everything is hands free, but I really try to still not make calls and NEVER text. I think that no matter what it is distracting.
Just because you only have to hit one button or have less traffic does not make it ok. It takes that one second to hit another car or a person that is in the same place at the same time.
My daughter was hit while jogging on a paved country road by a person that was texting. She was incredibly lucky that her injuries were not life threatening, but it wasn't fun or an experience I would wish on anyone.
To a certain point, I see what you are saying Ro but the thing to remember is that the majority of people who are texting don't have your particular phone with this feature. I have an android phone as well but it does not have this feature. They make the laws to cover everyone.
I grew up in ND (Bis) and visited GF many times so I know what the traffic is like but I actually text less while driving at home. The drives are so short, it can wait. I may text while in the car here but only while the vehicle is stopped.
I appreciate the irony about rush hour in North Dakota, but distracted driving can happen anywhere. You would be surprised at how many times we have almost been hit by someone on their phone drifting into our lane somewhere between Jamestown and Bismarck ( literally middle of no where). I think instead of just Grand Forks doing it the whole state should.
I don't text while driving mostly because I am not that important and don't have that many people to talk to when I am driving, but have found myself being distracted just talking on the phone. I will never forget a time I was talking to my mom on my way home from work and realized too late that I wasn't in the right lane to merge and couldn't get over in time. It scared me that I was so into our conversation that it affected me even driving a route I drive everyday.
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My sister texted at a stop light yesterday and kept typing a bit even after starting to go so I asked, "Want me to drive?" She got the point and put her phone down. I'm nervous she does it way more than I'd be comfortable with (which is none.)
A bit of a funny spin...I don't think some people should be able to text and walk. We were at Harvard and stopped off to the side of a sidewalk to admire a building when a girl completely slammed into DH because she was texting while walking and not paying ANY attention. It was actually kind of funny because no one got hurt. It starts to scare me though when I think about people doing that in a car. *shudders*
All it takes is one person not paying attention. Rush hour or not it can happen anywhere.
This video is sort of sensationalist, but it gets the point home about how dangerous it is to text and drive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0LCmStIw9E
I've read, but I'm too lazy to find right now, that texting while driving is more dangerous than driving at the legal limit of drunkenness. (So .08.) Frankly, I think anyone who texts and drives is incredibly selfish, because not only is someone in danger of hurting himself while doing it, but there are others on the road who could be injured or killed as well. And the volume of traffic has nothing to do with it. A friend's grandfather was killed when another driver, on a rural road, crossed the center line while texting and hit him head-on.
okay, playing devil's advocate... do you people change radio stations or adjust the heat in your car when you're driving? because to me, if Ro's phone is REALLY one button to text, i don't think it's any different than looking over at the radio to flip to a new station or swap out CDs.
if you do those things, you're a hypocrite. there are plenty of legal distractions in your car.
that said, texting and driving should be illegal. and THAT said, i totally do it at red lights and i know i shouldn't. i've gotten way better (i used to text while driving all the time. now i have my son send the texts for me.)
Texting while driving should be illegal.
I purposely put my purse in my back seat so I'm never tempted to actually get my phone out and view/send a text. I have bluetooth in my car, and while I usually try to avoid using my phone for anything while driving, I will use the bluetooth feature once on a rare occasion. I just have to press one button on my steering wheel to turn it on, and press again to hang up at the end of the call. I notice that even pressing one button and then talking is a distraction, so I use that feature only rarely.
Every time I notice a driver going too slow, too fast or driving erratically, I look to see if the driver is talking on his/her phone or texting. Almost every time, the person is using a phone. I don't need any convincing other than that ... phone use while driving is dangerous.
Mr. Sammy Dog
I totally agree with this. Or using a GPS device.. Those things can be incredibly frustrating and have occasionally required pushing buttons - way more complicated than a cell phone.
They say that talking on a phone impairs a person, but does talking to a LIVE person, in the car with you, also cause impairments? I'm curious if a study has ever been done.
jack | born 9.13.12 at 40w4d | 9 lbs 12 oz | 23 in
my puppy loves - chloe & jenson
pregnancy blog | chart