Texting while driving -- question

[kalanamak]

 

Not trying to minimize this at all, but I see people texting while driving all the time.

 

I have no idea how all of this happened. In one month, our lives have totally changed. I don't even recognize the 20-year old in my house anymore.

 

I do too, and I wouldn't disown a child over it. :grouphug: With their superior peripheral vision, a youth might be better at it.....

 

He'll come back into focus. Promise.

[Caroline]

 

Honestly, how do all of you know your teens don't text while driving? Just curious. Aaron always agreed that it was a stupid thing to do. I always thought he wouldn't text while driving. He, who had planned to be a police officer, is texting while on the interstate and dating a girl who is pleased with herself that she is known for her lead-foot.

 

I have no idea how all of this happened. In one month, our lives have totally changed. I don't even recognize the 20-year old in my house anymore.

 

Dawn, I don't have a teen who drives, yet. I suppose I won't know if he texts and drives unless I check his records or we have his texts forwarded to us. A friend said they taught their son to put his cell phone in the trunk when he drives. However, they also check his phone records.

 

I am sorry you are having troubles. I hope everything works out soon.

[Lolly]

This thread really upsets me. All I can think about is a teenager texting and plowing into my car and killing my husband or son. Yes, my son is only six and I do appreciate that parenting teenagers is more difficult but one thing I do know is that there are plenty of times when they seem like they aren't listening but eventually it sinks in. I would not give up. I would keep talking about it. I would not give any help in the way of finances whatsoever...NONE. I would let him know that I still love him, but I cannot sit back and condone this behavior or act like it's not happening. These are actions that not only involve him but everyone else around him. I would ask him how he will feel when he knows the he killed a baby or a child or the father of several children...or how he will spend his time when he's in jail for manslaughter and his life is ruined. If your son killed someone in my family because he made such a careless idiotic decision, I wouldn't rest until he was behind bars for the rest of his life.

 

First, this isn't even a teen. It is an ADULT. I am quite sure that you yourself actually know many, many adults who text and drive. Actually, I can guarantee it. Do you constantly stay on their backs over it? Have you even discussed it with other adults as to discover their practices? Then, to be quite honest, once they find out your going to stay on their backs forever about it they will most likely deny that they do it to your face and continue with their old habit anyway. There is no way that you can control someone else's actions to that degree.

 

That said, do you ever eat while driving? Change a cd or radio station? Fuss at the kids in the backseat? All of those things carry a heavy risk of causing an accident also. We make constant careless idiotic decisions while driving everyday.

[Lolly]

Dawn, I don't have a teen who drives, yet. I suppose I won't know if he texts and drives unless I check his records or we have his texts forwarded to us. A friend said they taught their son to put his cell phone in the trunk when he drives. However, they also check his phone records.

 

I am sorry you are having troubles. I hope everything works out soon.

 

I have 3 teens driving. I am here to tell you that there is no way, even with all of the precautions that you have listed, to know if they are using their phones while driving or not. Not even with a cell phone in the trunk. Who is to know if it stayed there? Check records? How do you know the exact times he is driving? Who says he didn't pull into a parking lot to make a call? At some point, you have to have some trust.

[Nestof3]

And you know, the woman he was texting (who knew he was driving on the interstate after having three hours of sleep and just getting through physical exams) is 25. That is hardly a teen.

 

I have 3 teens driving. I am here to tell you that there is no way, even with all of the precautions that you have listed, to know if they are using their phones while driving or not. Not even with a cell phone in the trunk. Who is to know if it stayed there? Check records? How do you know the exact times he is driving? Who says he didn't pull into a parking lot to make a call? At some point, you have to have some trust.

[Caroline]

I have 3 teens driving. I am here to tell you that there is no way, even with all of the precautions that you have listed, to know if they are using their phones while driving or not. Not even with a cell phone in the trunk. Who is to know if it stayed there? Check records? How do you know the exact times he is driving? Who says he didn't pull into a parking lot to make a call? At some point, you have to have some trust.

 

I am not saying it is a perfect system. I am saying that it will give me an idea of what is going on. Sorry to have offended you.

[Lolly]

I am not saying it is a perfect system. I am saying that it will give me an idea of what is going on. Sorry to have offended you.

 

You haven't offended me in the least. I just think that sometimes people who only have little ones are perfectly clueless when it comes to dealing with teenagers. I think one reason a lot of people have so much trouble from their teens is because they are still trying to control and "parent" them so much. I have pretty much finished that part of my job when my kids are around 14. The relationship changes drastically at around that point.