Test & Measurement

I think anyone texting at the wheel should have their hand cut off, the hand should be released and the remainder burried.
Del

Del, I think the Muslims do that for some minor crimes. They behead foreigners who can't recite the Koran, blow up fellow Arab / Muslim women and children in market places. I believe they still stone their daughters to death if the daughter was raped. Family reputation and all that.

I have considerable difficulty dialing a seven digit phone number while driving, and don't even try that unless I have lots of empty road both in front and in back of me. I can't imagine trying to text while driving!

I wouldn't be quite as harsh as Del, but close!

"But statistics show that texting while driving has become the single biggest factor boosting accident rates."

Darwin - the dumbest will be weened from the gene pool eventually.

I say cars should be equipped with cell blockers...I know someone will complain about taking their freedom/rights away...well driving dangerously while I'm in your path is taking my right to life away!

Funny how e survived without cell phones etc., in cars, schools, restaurants, theaters. etc. etc. etc. only a few years back.

Many of us have probably seen people driving while on their phone. They have that blank look on their face and run a stop sign, or ignore merging traffic.

This practice shows blatant disregard for others safety. I am only somewhat concerned with the offending idiots safety.

A practical deterrent may be to enact laws against it everywhere, then anytime there is an accident the authorities would automatically check phone records. Citations would be at similar levels as DUI.

I wish there was a more immediate way to stop it but in our irresponsible societies I doubt more aggressive ways would be widely adapted.

no one should ever do this and why would you ask a leading question as if it is acceptable? I can't believe it would be legal anywhere. Even hands-free telephone conversations are dangerous as they interfere with concentration, this has been demonstrated experimentally.

What is the information content of "keeping in touch"? I'm going to be late, or other inane drivel.

I am outraged that clearly the person who started this entry doesn't think it's such a bad thing. I'm with Del on this one.

I can talk on the phone and still pay attention to the road.

Texting, no way. Unless you remember all the keys and don't need to look at the phone. Once you pull your eyes off the road, its an accident waiting ti happen.

No you can't. Not safely.

Talking on the phone is not the same as the surrounding noise in and around your car. The act of listening to what is being said on the phone takes 85% of your attention away from the road and that is what creates the hazard to the drivers around you. You're having to separate all that to be able to concentrate on what is being said over the phone.

That is why you see people driving slow in the fast lanes and not paying attention to on coming traffic when making a left hand turn or waiting their turn at a stop sign and changing lanes without looking or react more quickly to danger that is appearing right in front of them.

Although our brains process information so quickly we believe that we can do two things at once, the actuality is the brain can only process one thing at a time.

Just the activity of driving is enough to keep us more than occupied. Still we eat, drink, change the radio station , talk on phones , and yes some do text.

The more thought it takes to do each activity, the less time we actually spend attending to our driving. Personally I think texting while driving should be right up there with DUI. I agree phones should be confiscated at the time of an accident.

The only problem I see is people rack up one DUI after another with no serious consequences. How are we going to really have serious consequences for texting?

I see no need to for this technology to put people's lives at risk. If the text is that important then take the time and consideration to get out of traffic! I loathe seeing people on cell phones while driving - they often feature impolite driving habits from distractions or plain ignorance. I don't feel that I should encourage or subsidize hazardous and unnecessary risk - we have enough of that to go around already. We have seen this carry over to trolley operators where very serious accidents have been witnessed.

I regularly text while driving. And when I do, I drive terribly. But recognizing that fact is an important distinction -- I heighten my alertness when I know I'm constantly glancing away from the road.

I think this trend of increased accidents due to texting while driving will only be a brief intermediary period. Relatively soon, our cars will alert us of impending obstacles, at which point we'll immediately ditch the phone and grab the steering wheel!

Speech-to-text may not be that far out either, which will allow hands-free texting.

Until that Speech-to-text becomes a reality on YOUR phone, YOU are a danger to yourself and to everyone around you.

Even with Speech-to-text, sending the message would be the same as talking on the phone, and you can't pay full attention to your driving when talking on the phone, even when it is hands-free.

If you are texting someone, presumably their answer is also going to be a text message, which is useless unless you read it. To read the message, you must divert your attention from driving to the phone for a significant time. To do that without pulling off the road is just plain STUPID!

And all the people said, "Amen!" Or they should have.

Review the Good answer from Duckinthepond and the almost good answers on this post. We don't really multi-task, we simply shift our attention very quickly. The fact is that when you are texting, you are NOT paying attention to driving.

Anything that detracts from driving: cell phones, texting, intense conversations with someone in the car should be avoided. Your life, your passengers' lives and the lives of those in other cars around you are all at stake.