Texting while driving is banned in Florida too but it's not enforced. How easy is it for someone to say they were checking their email not texting. You aren't required to use a hands free device or anything like that.
I'm at the point where I think phones should automatically disable texting when moving >10 mph. Yes, I realize this would inconvenience passengers, but drivers have proven themselves unable to be responsible and it would save lives.
What about people on public transit? I would be irritated if I couldn't email or text on my phone while on the train because of features like this.
I don't even necessarily think it's just texting that's a problem. People are constantly surfing the internet, responding to emails, etc while driving.
True. The same could be said for all of those services. Need to look up an adress? No problem. Just pull over and do it while stopped so you don't kill someone.
My car doesn't allow me to use GPS when it is moving. As soon as it starts rolling forward from a stop, it locks the entry/search function. Annoying as hell when I'm a passenger but it's better than the alternative if I am the driver. I wish there was a sensor that would allow it to function for a passenger but I'd rather have it set up how it is now than permit me to operate it while moving. (Me=anyone that owns a car with a GPS that functions like this.) I'm not familiar enough with other cars to know if this is standard but I sure hope so. Being a pedestrian or a bicyclist is dangerous enough without adding to it.
If texting/talking while driving laws were strictly enforced with harsh penalties, then it would nearly stop. But the cell phone companies don't want that and in fact they have lobbied hard against those laws.
I'm at the point where I think phones should automatically disable texting when moving >10 mph. Yes, I realize this would inconvenience passengers, but drivers have proven themselves unable to be responsible and it would save lives.
What about people on public transit? I would be irritated if I couldn't email or text on my phone while on the train because of features like this.
Yeah, I thought about that after I posted. Which is sad, since I often commute by bus.
I don't know what the best solution is, but it's absolutely infurating to me that so many drivers are risking *my* life because they can't be bothered to pay attention while operating their vehicles. Maybe mandatory confiscation of your phone and your car if you injure someone while texting (or using the internet) while driving?
I think we should just suspend people's licenses all the time. First time you're caught with a moving violation--$500 fine, second time $1000. Third time, automatic 1 year suspension. I don't give a fuck if you lose your job either.
The problem with just suspending a license is that people still drive all the time with suspended licenses. It's a lot harder to text while driving if you have neither a phone nor a car.
I'm being partly tongue-in-cheek because I do realize that taking someone's car is pretty extreme, but so is injuring or killing someone because you are deliberately reducing your awareness. I just feel like we're really not getting through to people how dangerous this is. Maybe take a page from the anti-drinking and driving campaigns?