Keep Your Eyes on the Road

[along-for-the-ride]

"Keep Your Eyes on the Road: The Dangers of Texting While Driving

Technology is a gift especially if used correctly but if it is abused and misused, it can trigger a disaster.

Cellular phones have proven to be indispensable in this day and age where everyone is mobile and where information and facts need to be transmitted fast. Most Americans, even children have cell phones and one is considered a throwback to the dark ages if you’re not wireless and connected.

Texting in particular, is a very popular mode of communication through the cell phone. It is fun, harmless and a much cheaper way to keep your families and friends posted through text messages¦ or at least, that’s what you think.

An article from the NBC Bay Area website said that driving while texting (DWT) is as dangerous as drunk driving (DUI).

A new survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety of 2,500 U.S. residents ages 16 and older revealed that these motorists found DWT just as dangerous to their safety as DUI but more than two-thirds have admitted to using their cell phone while driving. 21 percent also came clean about being guilty of DWT.

A study recently conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute on light and heavy trucks found that drivers who texted has a risk of collision 23 times greater.

Dialing a cell phone and using or reaching for an electronic device also increased risk of collision about 6 times in cars and trucks.

According to the Institute, right before a crash or near collision, drivers spent nearly five seconds looking at their devices.

The study also found that the use of headsets in a cell phone is not substantially safer than hand-held as performing the tasks such as answering and dialing still manage to take drivers' eyes off the road.

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in fact recommends that texting should be banned for all drivers, regardless of age and experience.

Currently, there are fourteen states that ban texting while driving, California being one of them."

_______________________________________________________________

Since when did it become all right as a driver to take your eyes off the road and do something else while driving? Driving envokes a responsibilty to yourself, your passengers, pedestrians, and other drivers on the road.

When we were taught to drive, we were not taught how to drive while texting, or making a phone call, or eating a sandwich, or drinking coffee, or primping.



Now, we have to pass laws to prompt folks to use common sense.

You may very well be one of those drivers who does keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. But that doesn't mean that other driver does the same. You can still be involved in an accident with that other distracted driver.

What are your thoughts?

So let's spread the word.

To All Drivers Everywhere:

"Keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel!"

[Saint_]

Well, it's the Wild West here in New Mexico, so fat chance of any laws (at all) being passed anytime soon. But I heartily agree that texting while driving is absolutely ridiculous behavior. You wouldn't do a crossword puzzle while driving, would you?!!

I almost lost my best friend recently from that. He told me that he had veered all the way into the oncoming lane on the highway without realizing it and that another driver was forced off the road!

Me, personally, I'll still answer the phone while driving (which ain't often!) but I always put it on speakerphone to talk. (I like to pretend I'm on Star Trek...heh.):D

[along-for-the-ride]

Thank you for your response, Saint.

I see 19 folks have viewed this thread at this time.

No response is required ofcourse. I just hope that everyone who visits this thread will atleast think about my post. And yours as well, Saint.

To me, this is almost like a crusade. We've had the organization MADD (Mother's Against Drunk Drivers) for so long.

A distracted driver is a dangerous driver.

[Odie]

along-for-the-ride;1285040 wrote: Thank you for your response, Saint.

I see 19 folks have viewed this thread at this time.

No response is required ofcourse. I just hope that everyone who visits this thread will atleast think about my post. And yours as well, Saint.

To me, this is almost like a crusade. We've had the organization MADD (Mother's Against Drunk Drivers) for so long.

A distracted driver is a dangerous driver.


Just so you know about views?

Each time someone clicks previous/next thread at the bottom?

-You will see it automatically comes up into a thread, that counts as a view as well.



We have many distracted drivers here using their cell phones, texting, and talking while they drive, its illegal, but they don't care.

Even when they see scenes like yours, it never enters their minds as they think it would never happen to them.

What we need is people to just watch them alone, not Police as no one can ever have that many.

I watch all day in the summer, the amount of drivers that go through a stop sign, right in front of a school.

pay me 5.00 an hour and I will sit there and ticket them.



Two years ago, a man, aged 18, (well to me that's not a man) was drunk out of his mind, he was driving 100KM in a 40KM zone, he lost control and smashed his vehicle into a lamp post and died just two streets over.

He was lucky he never killed anyone else.



Still to this day, fresh flowers are rested beside the lamppost and I ask myself why? He was driving drunk and speeding.



Does no one care what happens to people who kill others while drivng dangerously, recklessly or drunk?

no, they don't!

[LarsMac]

I used to drive a tow truck.

I have towed cars that crashed because the driver was doing any number of things...

Lighting a cigarette/cigar/pipe/joint/...

Trying to find the next CD/tape

Trying to find another radio station

Yelling at the idiot on the radio station

Trying to find the cigarette/cigar/joint that dropped on the floor

Trying to see the address of that building

trying to open a candy bar/sandwich/beer

trying to see if that girl REALLY was not wearing a bra

Reading the tour guide

Reading the newspaper

Reading the t-shirt of that girl on the bicycle

eating a burger

eating a burrito

eating a taco

eating ice cream cone

putting cream and sugar in their coffee.

Doing their nails

Doing their hair

Doing their boy/girl friend



All this was before cell phones, and text messages, which are just a few more distractions.

It seems that when people are hurtling down the road with a ton of steel, plastic and glass, the last thing on their mind is that they are hurtling down the road with a ton of steel, plastic and glass.

[Odie]

LarsMac;1285058 wrote: I used to drive a tow truck.

I have towed cars that crashed because the driver was doing any number of things...

Lighting a cigarette/cigar/pipe/joint/...

Trying to find the next CD/tape

Trying to find another radio station

Yelling at the idiot on the radio station

Trying to find the cigarette/cigar/joint that dropped on the floor

Trying to see the address of that building

trying to open a candy bar/sandwich/beer

trying to see if that girl REALLY was not wearing a bra

Reading the tour guide

Reading the newspaper

Reading the t-shirt of that girl on the bicycle

eating a burger

eating a burrito

eating a taco

eating ice cream cone

putting cream and sugar in their coffee.

Doing their nails

Doing their hair

Doing their boy/girl friend



All this was before cell phones, and text messages, which are just a few more distractions.

It seems that when people are hurtling down the road with a ton of steel, plastic and glass, the last thing on their mind is that they are hurtling down the road with a ton of steel, plastic and glass.




There will always be distractions.

Billboad signs and some here are humongous!

Not even sure why they put them up as they already know their distracting, that's why they are made so big.:rolleyes:

It is for advertising, but c'mon..........dah!

[mikeinie]

Like this:

[Odie]

mikeinie;1285110 wrote: Like this:





you took that photo here, didn't you!:yh_rotfl

[along-for-the-ride]

Thank you for your responses.

Let us all, including myself, keep this thread in the back of our minds while we are on the road.



:driving::-4

[Odie]

along-for-the-ride;1285602 wrote: Thank you for your responses.

Let us all, including myself, keep this thread in the back of our minds while we are on the road.



:driving::-4


It's not always that easy as there are tons of distractions, but we all must give it our best.