Texting and Driving

[unsinkable]

Here's a question. Do any of you check what time it is while you are driving? How do you do that without taking your eyes off the road for a split second? And how is that different from taking a quick glance at a text?

 

I am not surprised by the completely black & white response here, the "it only takes a split second," but I think it is illogical and possibly a bit hypocritical. I don't believe anyone here actually never takes their eyes off the road for a split second while they are driving.

Right?

 

No one checks their mirrors? Your eyes aren't on the road.

 

People are so invested in being preachy and toeing the party line they're not even being logical.

 

I don't text or read texts while driving. I don't talk on the phone. But I certainly know I've taken my eyes off the road in front of me.

[msrift]

It's more than taking your eyes off the road for a second (or more). Your brain actually interprets data differently, and this is not anything new to those researching the phenomenon. Studies have shown the same thing over and over again, some as far back as 2002.
 

"Even though your eyes are looking right at something, when you are on the cellphone, you are not as likely to see it. This is a variant of something called inattention blindness.'

 

Drivers who were listening to music, audio books or talking to a passenger did not suffer the same problem, he added.

ETA: This is why hands-free devices are just as dangerous as handheld phones. It's not the manner of holding the conversation, it's the phone call itself.

[Annie G]

Here's a question.  Do any of you check what time it is while you are driving?  How do you do that without taking your eyes off the road for a split second?  And how is that different from taking a quick glance at a text?

 

I am not surprised by the completely black & white response here, the "it only takes a split second," but I think it is illogical and possibly a bit hypocritical.  I don't believe anyone here actually never takes their eyes off the road for a split second while they are driving.

 

I take my eyes off the road.   I could (and years ago did) read short texts while driving.  I think lots of people can read short texts with no problem. But I understand why it's easier to teach our kids/why the laws say to not text AT ALL while driving because where's the dividing line between a short text and a long one?  

 

Our cars have bluetooth capabilities and I find it distracting.  But technically it's legal where I live. I don't use it enough to be able to make/answer/hang up a call without taking my eyes off the road. I rarely use it. 

 

What  I think is really dangerous is using a GPS or a cell phone with a map app on it. Perfectly legal in my area but it's SO easy to get distracted using those. At least for me...probably other people can use it just fine. 

[OneStepAtATime]

Right?

 

No one checks their mirrors? Your eyes aren't on the road.

 

People are so invested in being preachy and toeing the party line they're not even being logical.

 

I don't text or read texts while driving. I don't talk on the phone. But I certainly know I've taken my eyes off the road in front of me.

Of course people check their mirrors.  That is part of driving a car safely.  And yes there are other things that come up where you have to glance at something.  I don't think anyone is arguing that.  But honestly, at least for me, and many studies will back me on this. glancing at a dashboard clock, glancing at my mirrors, etc. is far different then taking the time to read a text message off of a cell phone.  I am not as aware of what is happening outside my car or of what I am doing to control the car.  I am reading tiny text off a very small screen and interpreting what I am reading.  It is distracting and unsafe, at least for me.  Maybe everyone else has no issues but i just don't see it.  

[unsinkable]

I take my eyes off the road. I could (and years ago did) read short texts while driving. I think lots of people can read short texts with no problem. But I understand why it's easier to teach our kids/why the laws say to not text AT ALL while driving because where's the dividing line between a short text and a long one?

 

Our cars have bluetooth capabilities and I find it distracting. But technically it's legal where I live. I don't use it enough to be able to make/answer/hang up a call without taking my eyes off the road. I rarely use it.

 

What I think is really dangerous is using a GPS or a cell phone with a map app on it. Perfectly legal in my area but it's SO easy to get distracted using those. At least for me...probably other people can use it just fine.

GPS can distract your vision and your hearing, unless you turn the voice off. But then you're more dependant on looking at it. And more likely to take your eyes off the road.

[Annie G]

I've actually never texted, but my iPhone does have messaging capabilities. So I always feel weird taking about texting when only one person has my cell number and the bulk of the messages to me are IM, not actual keyboard texting. But that's neither here nor there.

 

The reason exaggeration bother me is that I have a very sensitive conscience to lying and joking and exaggerating crosses the line for me. That was one of those things that changed drastically when I became saved, but now I'm really hyper aware of it. It has nothing to do with driving, I was speaking about why I tend to post very detailed things - simplication can lead to oversimplication, and I'm not cool with that personally. It's a total aside.

 

 

Um...IM is texting. 

[SKL]

I never have to decode a short text.  I read a bunch of words at a glance.  For me and many other adults, for whom reading is automatic, it is just as quick as, and no more distracting than, checking a digital clock.

 

Being able to drive despite minor things going on around you is part of being a skilled driver.  If you can't do it and you know it, that's great that you know your limits.  Some people won't even drive at all because there is so much to remember and they don't trust themselves.  But those of us who have driven for hundreds of thousands of miles and don't have any particular attention issues can take our eyes off the road at times.  We know what times we can and what times we can't.  If there is a car in front of me or any humans on foot or bikes in the vicinity, my attention is on them because I have a high value for human life.  If there is no car near and I'm going to be on the road a while, I can take a look once in a while.  FTR I dislike technology and don't use it much at all, but that doesn't mean I am unable to do so safely.

 

I agree that trying to use the GPS with a screen is way more distracting than the other things discussed here.  I use paper printouts of the directions if I can.  I'm pretty sure the guy who rear-ended me was focused on his GPS at the time.

[Joker]

I would be a far more distracted driver without the GPS voice on my phone telling me where to go when I don't already know the way. I am horrible with directions and if I didn't have that phone voice telling me where to go I would be driving weirdly and trying to look at all the small street signs.

 

I also use the bluetooth connection in my vehicle to receive and make calls. I don't want to be completely unreachable to my dh or dds if they need me. I've never had an accident and I am very aware of how dangerous driving can be (I lost my dad and brother in a car accident because of an irresponsible driver).

 

I don't text and drive, though.

[albeto.]

I never have to decode a short text.  I read a bunch of words at a glance.  Decoding is what first-graders do.  

 

Oh this is precious, thank you!

[SKL]

By the way, I have read that in the case of long, boring car rides, it is recommended that people do "distracting" things to keep themselves awake.  This was written before there were texts, but they recommended opening the window if it's cold out, running the radio, drinking a coffee, etc.  Being 100% focused on nothing but the road can lead to falling asleep if there isn't much happening outside, and people die that way too.

 

We know there are cases of people texting and having accidents.  What we do not have statistics on is how many people have read brief texts while driving and had no bad effects.

[unsinkable]

I have to say that the people worrying about this issue and discussing it on places like this forum aren't usually the ones perpetrating the crimes. Awareness of distraction is most of the battle and the folks who seem to keep hitting us in vehicles over spilling soda and cellphones are those who don't care a lick, not the ones arguing over split seconds.

 

My poor FIL just got slammed into again last week. The lady wouldn't be one arguing over the specifics, let's just leave it at that ;). Fortunately he only has bad car damage and a tweaked neck.

People are just piling on SKL again.

 

It's a sport around here.

 

It's so old and ugly.

[albeto.]

Oh I think there are some here admitting they do it because they think they have special magical abilities that allow them to be superhuman and focus on several things at once (which I'm pretty sure for most humans is in fact impossible).

 

Or special friends who can drive for them.

[myfunnybunch]

By the way, I have read that in the case of long, boring car rides, it is recommended that people do "distracting" things to keep themselves awake.  This was written before there were texts, but they recommended opening the window if it's cold out, running the radio, drinking a coffee, etc. 

 

That's a bit of a stretch, to leap from rolling down the window and drinking coffee to text messaging. I'm pretty sure they didn't recommend reading. Anything, no matter how short.

 

I can read very quickly too, a bunch of words at a glance, but not while I am supposed to be driving, not even a text message.

 

Cat

[OneStepAtATime]

I read incredibly well.  I have been reading since I was a toddler.  And I have been driving for decades. I do not have attention issues.  That doesn't mean I would find it safe to take the time to read a text message while operating a vehicle that is moving.  While stopped at a light?  Sure.  But not while the vehicle is moving.  Whatever it is can wait, at least for me.  There are things that have to be done to operate a vehicle safely, like checking mirrors.  But I don't see the necessity of looking at text messages while driving.  It just seems like a completely unnecessary and risky distraction.

 

I agree that on long trips it is dangerous to stay too focus on the monotony of the road.  Listening to talk shows on the radio, or rolling down the window or even talking hands free over my blue tooth connection (as long as I am not in traffic in a city) are o.k. for me to stay alert.  I have even been known to sing rather loudly or recite poems, etc. But I just would not feel right about taking the risk of reading a text message while operating a moving vehicle, especially at high speeds.   But that is my comfort level.  I have no control over someone else's.

[myfunnybunch]

Right?

 

No one checks their mirrors? Your eyes aren't on the road.

 

People are so invested in being preachy and toeing the party line they're not even being logical.

 

I don't text or read texts while driving. I don't talk on the phone. But I certainly know I've taken my eyes off the road in front of me.

 

I'm not trying to be preachy or toe the line. I certainly check my mirrors, or even look at things on the side of the road. But my mirrors are in a spot that I can still at least see the road in front of me in my peripheral vision. I can't do that looking down at my phone. And, as it's illegal to drive and use the cell phone at the same time, I wouldn't dream of holding my cell phone up so that I could see the road and the phone at the same time, because right about the time I decided to do that a police officer would be sure to drive by and write me a humungous ticket. :P

 

Cat

 

[Guest submarines]

I think quickly glancing at the time is nowhere comparable to reading texts. 

 

Of course people get distracted while driving, but why go out of your way to do something that is clearly demonstrated to be a major problem.  How often do you hear of someone killing others on the road because they glanced at the time? 

 

My gut feeling is that taking the eyes off the road for a second can have different modes. 1. Glancing to look at something expected, which would be glancing at directions that you previously wrote down. I know what I wrote down and there are no surprises there.

 

2. Glancing at something that might provide unexpected information, such as a text. Yeah, you might be expecting your DH's "I'm home", but what if instead you see something else that requires more mental attention?

 

Another aspect is that when I glance at my directions, I choose when to do so. Normally at a stop sign, or when I feel the road conditions allow me to do so. The same applies to changing a radio station, or glancing at a GPS. Even if a child asks me a question, they all know that if I say "not now", it means I need to focus on the road.

 

When one is reacting to a text, one is likely to react when the text arrives, not when the road conditions allow for it.

 

[OneStepAtATime]

And for the record I am not dumping on SKL, even though she was sort of implying that anyone who is uncomfortable reading texts and driving are unskilled drivers who don't read well....

[SKL]

You don't have peripheral vision if you look at your cell phone?  I disagree.  I am sitting here staring at the computer screen and I can tell you a car just drove by out the window to my direct right.  I can see what the person in the next room (in front of me) is doing.  And my computer screen is a lot bigger than my iphone.

[SKL]

When one is reacting to a text, one is likely to react when the text arrives, not when the road conditions allow for it.

 

 

Maybe some people, but I would not assume this.  I would only check under certain circumstances.  Just because I admit to sometimes checking does not mean I check instantly every time my phone beeps, regardless of conditions.

 

I said reading a short text is a lot different from typing one.  I did not say it is always safe under all circumstances.

[msrift]

You don't have peripheral vision if you look at your cell phone?  I disagree.  I am sitting here staring at the computer screen and I can tell you a car just drove by out the window to my direct right.  I can see what the person in the next room (in front of me) is doing.  And my computer screen is a lot bigger than my iphone.

You have *greatly reduced* peripheral vision if you are talking on your cell phone. (I'd need to dig into the data to see if it applies to texting as well.) There's also the fact that you can look directly at something and not remember it because of the way your brain is processing information. 

 

 

[Dana]

You have *greatly reduced* peripheral vision if you are talking on your cell phone. (I'd need to dig into the data to see if it applies to texting as well.) There's also the fact that you can look directly at something and not remember it because of the way your brain is processing information.

 

 

I remember a study where people were supposed to watch a monitor and count certain things. They missed seeing a person in a gorilla suit walk across the screen because their focus was on their counting.

[*Lulu*]

Do I do stupid things while driving.......

 

Yes.

 

Thankfully, I survived my first decade behind the wheel. Now I do far fewer stupid things. I am fully convinced that driving with a colicky infant was the most distracted bit if driving I've ever engaged in. One screaming baby plus one mother who hasn't slept well in months........ugh.

 

Thankfully, I survived my children's infancy. And my first decade as a parent. Now, as the time when my children will learn to drive seems to be bearing down on me, I find myself becoming increasingly aware of what *I* do when I drive. I don't text, (I text from my IPad, but it has to be connected to wi-fi so, not an issue in the car), but I try not to answer my phone or have the child seated directly behind me answer if it is DH.

 

I would imagine that all of us do things that are less than stellar in terms of driving safety from time to time. That doesn't make it right, and doesn't mean if we try to justify it we should get a pass.

[myfunnybunch]

You don't have peripheral vision if you look at your cell phone?  I disagree. 

 

Is this for me?

 

Well, no, I don't, not to the same degree. My mirrors are positioned so that I can look at them by moving my eyes or head slightly. My phone is usually on the console between the seats. I would have to look down to read it, especially if I didn't want other drivers to see that I was using it.

 

My peripheral vision is quite good, according to my eye doctor, but looking at my computer is more akin to my peripheral vision while driving, as I tend to position my computer in front of me rather than down and to the side.

 

Cat

 

[Leav97]

That's a bit of a stretch, to leap from rolling down the window and drinking coffee to text messaging. I'm pretty sure they didn't recommend reading. Anything, no matter how short.

 

I can read very quickly too, a bunch of words at a glance, but not while I am supposed to be driving, not even a text message.

 

Cat

 

I watched someone playing a guitar once.  They were driving with their feet.  That might actually beat txting.

[albeto.]

And for the record I am not dumping on SKL, even though she was sort of implying that anyone who is uncomfortable reading texts and driving are unskilled drivers who don't read well....

 

This is by far the most bizarre Mommy Wars conversation I've seen. On the one hand, any fool who graduated first grade should be able to text and drive safely, on the other, a sneeze is liable to render a suburban into a roadside surface-to-surface missile. 

 

Damn!

[*Lulu*]

I watched someone playing a guitar once. They were driving with their feet. That might actually beat txting.

Think of the danger being caused by other motorists doing a double take!

[maize]

Just waiting for the day when cars drive themselves and we can all sit back and text to our heart's content...

 

Personally I think pregnancy is the biggest driving hazard I face aside from sneezes. Seems to muddle my brain. I remember one day pulling up to a stop sign and waiting...waiting...waiting--then finally realizing it was never going to turn green :D

[OneStepAtATime]

I watched someone playing a guitar once.  They were driving with their feet.  That might actually beat txting.

:ohmy:

 

This is by far the most bizarre Mommy Wars conversation I've seen. On the one hand, any fool who graduated first grade should be able to text and drive safely, on the other, a sneeze is liable to render a suburban into a roadside surface-to-surface missile. 

 

Damn!

:laugh:

[maize]

Think of the danger being caused by other motorists doing a double take!

I'm sure I became a road hazard the other day when I noticed a dog driving the car next to me...though there was a human in the seat as well. Driving with a dog sitting your lap does not sound like a safe proposition...

[Leav97]

I have a serious question.  How is it any less distracting to have somebody read a text to you or to dictate a text, vs. glancing at a text?  It isn't your eyes that need to be continuously on the road, it's your brain.  Your ears listening to a text is at least as distracting as your eyes glancing at one.  This assumes one would not try to read long texts, only those you can take in in a glance.

 

The person reading you the text has a vested interest in staying alive.  The computer doesn't really care.

[Dana]

I watched someone playing a guitar once.  They were driving with their feet.  That might actually beat txting.

 

I saw someone reading a newspaper on the highway.

 

I didn't stay around them long....

 

 

I had a friend who had been a state trooper. He told me about responding to a scene where a man was talking on the phone with his secretary while he was driving. She heard him die as he ran under a semi.

 

I think texting while driving should be prosecuted like drunk driving...but proving a case would be tough... and we don't prosecute drunk driving nearly enough.

[FaithManor]

Nm

[Leav97]

 nm

[SKL]

Like everyone, I'm sorry for any victim of any accident.  I am also sorry I commented on this post, because I should have known that expressing a different opinion about briefly glancing at a received text under select circumstances would be interpreted as "I don't value human life."

[Caroline]

Opinions are stuff like I think green is a good color for the bathroom walls. Saying texting while driving or reading texts while driving is not dangerous is against facts. Just because you have done it and nothing happened to anyone does not prove your point.

Thank you. (Out of likes.)

[SKL]

What happened was no accident.  You might as well say it was premeditated.  Someone did something they undoubtedly have been told is dangerous and wrong and the person chose not to listen.  If this happened and the reason was she had glanced at her crying baby we could have had some sympathy and called it an accident.  This was not anything like that. 

 

Well that person was typing a text.  Not glancing at one she received.  I maintain that there is a huge difference.

[OneStepAtATime]

Like everyone, I'm sorry for any victim of any accident.  I am also sorry I commented on this post, because I should have known that expressing a different opinion about briefly glancing at a received text under select circumstances would be interpreted as "I don't value human life."

SKL, I do not believe anyone is attacking you as a person.  At least I am certainly not.  But many here very much do not believe that even glancing at a text message is a risk we are willing to take while operating a moving vehicle.  I do not believe that you do not value human life.  I have read many posts of yours and think you value human life very much.  And are a loving, caring mother.

 

 But many here would not consider reading a text message while driving a moving vehicle to be safe.  They are not attacking you as a person but the action you say you are willing to take, an action that for many seems extremely unnecessary while driving a moving vehicle.  

 

Does that mean that all people who text and drive are evil and hate humanity?  No. (edited to protect those involved in recent incident),  But every time someone adds more distraction while driving, they increase the chance that something will go wrong.  And while reading a text is very tempting for me, I do not do it while the vehicle is moving.   It is an action I can choose not to do.  It is not required to safely operate my car.

 

Do I think you are a bad person for choosing otherwise (thankfully, apparently, under very controlled circumstances)?  No.  Do I think I am somehow morally superior to you?  No.  But the choices you are making are not ones I would make.  Which is what I think most everyone else was saying, too.  I am certain that there are other choices I would make in other areas that you might not.  I would hope we could accept we have different viewpoints without assuming that the disagreement means one of us is a bad person.  I am not assuming you are a bad person or do not value human life.  I understand what you are saying.  I just disagree with your conclusion and your resulting choice of action, as you disagree with mine.  I am sorry you feel ganged up on.

 

And i agree, typing a text is WAAY more dangerous than glancing at a text message.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

nm

 

[albeto.]

Like everyone, I'm sorry for any victim of any accident.  I am also sorry I commented on this post, because I should have known that expressing a different opinion about briefly glancing at a received text under select circumstances would be interpreted as "I don't value human life."

 

Did I miss someone's comment? I looked briefly and saw you are the only poster referring to valuing human life. I think it would go without saying that there are things that are more distracting and dangerous to do than texting while driving. Performing open heart surgery on the passenger during a blizzard while driving to Starbucks in the next city might qualify. But let's not get away from ourselves. When faced with a choice to do A or refrain from doing A, providing all kinds of examples that are better or worse than A is really a red herring. If you want to apologize for your contribution, apologizing for getting negative feedback to an arguably poorly reasoned red herring isn't much of an apology. If you genuinely want to apologize, you might consider apologizing for defending something that is objectively more dangerous when engaged as define (texting while driving). That apology might suggest some contriteness for potentially offending those who have suffered, or know and love people who suffer for the very preventable danger you are defending. 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

nm

[SKL]

Did I miss someone's comment? I looked briefly and saw you are the only poster referring to valuing human life. I think it would go without saying that there are things that are more distracting and dangerous to do than texting while driving. Performing open heart surgery on the passenger during a blizzard while driving to Starbucks in the next city might qualify. But let's not get away from ourselves. When faced with a choice to do A or refrain from doing A, providing all kinds of examples that are better or worse than A is really a red herring. If you want to apologize for your contribution, apologizing for getting negative feedback to an arguably poorly reasoned red herring isn't much of an apology. If you genuinely want to apologize, you might consider apologizing for defending something that is objectively more dangerous when engaged as define (texting while driving). That apology might suggest some contriteness for potentially offending those who have suffered, or know and love people who suffer for the very preventable danger you are defending. 

 

No, I don't want to apologize, I just wish I didn't wade in.

 

I NEVER said it was OK to text and drive.  I said briefly glancing at a received text is not in the same category as typing and sending a text.  In my opinion, "texting while driving" means typing and sending a text.  That is what the OP asked and that was my opinion on her question.  And nobody should be offended by my having an opinion on the definition of "text and drive."

 

To other commenters, I am not saying you all need to text and drive, or you all need to look at texts you receive.  You should decide to do what you feel safe doing, and I will do the same.  If the majority feels safer not looking at the texts they receive, then that's great.

For the record, it's very rare for me to receive any texts while I am driving.  I do not converse via text.  Usually I do not look at my phone for any purpose while driving, including to answer calls when my phone rings.  Maybe some people got the impression I was looking at my phone 100 times per trip because maybe some people receive that many texts.  But no, I am not apologizing because some people may assume things I did not say.

[Guest submarines]

We used to live overseas, where you would lose your license forever if caught using a cell phone while driving.  I did several shopping roadtrips with other ladies. It was standard procedure for the driver to hand the passenger her cell phone or put it in the cup holder at the beginning of the trip. It was the passenger's job to answer the phone.  Since the driver knew that she'd turned over that need, there wasn't the same demand to render up attention when it rang or buzzed.

 

This is something I've taken on.  My kids take my calls and read my messages.  I don't answer the phone when the car is moving.

 

So this seems like a very simple solution. Would many people use cell phones while driving if there was a chance they'd lose their license for life? Who benefits from not implementing such a law?

[chiguirre]

I did notice the other day that my driving is much worse when my kids aren't fighting, the radio isn't on, and I've got both hands on the wheel. I kept drifting out of my lane for absolutely no reason. I wonder if multitasking when not driving throws me off when I have to focus on one thing, the road, without distractions.

I think it's because you start daydreaming which is actually more distracting than talking to a passenger or singing along with the radio. I've noticed this too.

[maize]

No, I don't want to apologize, I just wish I didn't wade in.

 

I NEVER said it was OK to text and drive. I said briefly glancing at a received text is not in the same category as typing and sending a text. In my opinion, "texting while driving" means typing and sending a text. That is what the OP asked and that was my opinion on her question. And nobody should be offended by my having an opinion on the definition of "text and drive."

 

To other commenters, I am not saying you all need to text and drive, or you all need to look at texts you receive. You should decide to do what you feel safe doing, and I will do the same. If the majority feels safer not looking at the texts they receive, then that's great.

For the record, it's very rare for me to receive any texts while I am driving. I do not converse via text. Usually I do not look at my phone for any purpose while driving, including to answer calls when my phone rings. Maybe some people got the impression I was looking at my phone 100 times per trip because maybe some people receive that many texts. But no, I am not apologizing because some people may assume things I did not say.

I think I agree with you that glancing at a text or glancing to see who called is not on the same level of distraction as typing texts while driving. I'm not very tied-in technologically, am still more likely to forget my phone than take it with me when I go out; I would never attempt to type it write anything while driving. But I do sometimes glance at written directions by holding them on the steering wheel in front of me, and while I try to do so when stopped that is not always possible. It doesn't seem to me that doing so takes my attention away anymore than glancing at the clock takes my attention away, and significantly less so than noticing something odd at the side of the road.

 

The one way I can see reading a text being different is that if I am going to glance down to check a street name or exit number I will pick a moment when the road is straight and clear around me, whereas someone checking a text might simply do so when they hear it come in.

[unsinkable]

No, I don't want to apologize, I just wish I didn't wade in.

 

I NEVER said it was OK to text and drive. I said briefly glancing at a received text is not in the same category as typing and sending a text. In my opinion, "texting while driving" means typing and sending a text. That is what the OP asked and that was my opinion on her question. And nobody should be offended by my having an opinion on the definition of "text and drive."

 

To other commenters, I am not saying you all need to text and drive, or you all need to look at texts you receive. You should decide to do what you feel safe doing, and I will do the same. If the majority feels safer not looking at the texts they receive, then that's great.

For the record, it's very rare for me to receive any texts while I am driving. I do not converse via text. Usually I do not look at my phone for any purpose while driving, including to answer calls when my phone rings. Maybe some people got the impression I was looking at my phone 100 times per trip because maybe some people receive that many texts. But no, I am not apologizing because some people may assume things I did not say.

:iagree:

 

And I agreed when you said we all take our eyes off the road when we drive. To say we don't is disingenuous.

 

And my family members work putting the victims back together after texting and driving accidents.

 

And I don't text and drive or read texts and drive or talk on the phone and drive.

[BarbecueMom]

I think it's because you start daydreaming which is actually more distracting than talking to a passenger or singing along with the radio. I've noticed this too.

 

Yeah, I'm sure that I was preemptively starting an argument with my mother in my head.

 

I remember growing up watching her mouth a conversation to herself on long car rides.  She's terrifying to ride along with.

[kiana]

So this seems like a very simple solution. Would many people use cell phones while driving if there was a chance they'd lose their license for life? Who benefits from not implementing such a law?

 

Suspending a license for life is problematic (as Sparkly mentioned) because in most cases we simply do not have public transportation available. In many cases, it would cost someone a job because of lack of transportation to it. For example, where my mother lives, the nearest public transportation spot is 5 miles away over an enormous hill, as is the nearest semi-grocery store (dollar store type dealie). The nearest town with jobs is 20 miles away, and the nearest town with semi-decent public transportation is like 50.

[SKL]

I think I agree with you that glancing at a text or glancing to see who called is not on the same level of distraction as typing texts while driving. I'm not very tied-in technologically, am still more likely to forget my phone than take it with me when I go out; I would never attempt to type it write anything while driving. But I do sometimes glance at written directions by holding them on the steering wheel in front of me, and while I try to do so when stopped that is not always possible. It doesn't seem to me that doing so takes my attention away anymore than glancing at the clock takes my attention away, and significantly less so than noticing something odd at the side of the road.

 

The one way I can see reading a text being different is that if I am going to glance down to check a street name or exit number I will pick a moment when the road is straight and clear around me, whereas someone checking a text might simply do so when they hear it come in.

 

I appreciate your overall post, but I do not understand the assumption that other people hearing a text are more careless than you holding a map.  To me it is more likely that a careful driver would wait for a safe moment whether it's to look at a text or a map.  While a careless driver would not wait for a safe moment to look at a text or a map.

[Wheres Toto]

In our city they have been trialing using police on motorcycles to specifically target drivers using mobile phones. That means, as far as I know, holding the phone while moving or stationary on the road.

 

My oldest got a ticket while stopped in such bad traffic that she had put the car in park.  A motorcycle officer was driving between the rows of cars and gave her a ticket for having her phone in her hand.  She was actually getting ready to call me to let me know she was going to be really really late not texting but that's what her ticket was for.

 

I told her now she knows just being in park is not enough, she needs to pull off the road.

[maize]

I appreciate your overall post, but I do not understand the assumption that other people hearing a text are more careless than you holding a map. To me it is more likely that a careful driver would wait for a safe moment whether it's to look at a text or a map. While a careless driver would not wait for a safe moment to look at a text or a map.

I don't think I made an assumption. I said "might", and I do think the probability is higher especially if the driver is conditioned by habit to respond immediately to the sound of their phone (as some people seem to be). Certainly some drivers, maybe most drivers, would behave more responsibly.