The Gov't is Telling How to Drive Your Bus

[cody]

Wow, next thing they'll ban is me talking to frank in the chat room on my laptop while crising down the interstate.

[Lin]

What about truckers and CB's? 

[bryanhes]

I think there is a big difference between talking on your phone and texting. I will talk because I am driving allot to appointments etc.. But if I need to write something down I pull over or will call them back when I have a chance. And I am not taking my eyes off the road. To me talking is not much different than talking to someone in the car with you.

I do not have a problem with ticketing for someone texting while driving. I saw the video where the guy driving the bus with the special needs kids on board rearended the car. I for one would not like to be smacked by a big rig or bus, let alone it be because of someones negligence. I have twins that are 20yrs old and both have had minor accidents while texting. If its that damn important to respond to a text then find a place to pull over and text until your hearts content. The last incident with one of my sons got him removed from my insurance policy because I am not going to be liable for him not listening to my advice.

I do agree that texting is not the only thing that stupid people do. I was on the turnpike running 75mph and a lady had a book propped up on her steering wheel. I honked at her and pointed at the road just as I do with the idiots that are swerving around there lane texting.

Yes some feel this is the government telling you what you can or cant do, but I for one do not text while I am driving and therefore will never have to deal with the guilt of killing a family, jailtime or loss of my life for a brief conversation about something that can wait until I am stopped.

Another thought is using TXTBlocker http://www.txtblocker.com/ this is designed to deactivate the ability to text based on the paramaters you set up ie. maybe over 5mph it deactivates the ability to text. Maybe if the phone companies offered it as part of there service?

As Paul said Stupid is as Stupid does!

Just my 2 centavos

Bryan

[Nellie Wilson]

What a bunch of blithering idiots (the 'government,' I mean)... second only to idiots that 'text message' while driving. Sure it's stupid, but how to enforce a ban? Peer inside the cab? Heck, you can't even see inside a bus (Sean's excluded  ). So what then... give 'em a textalyzer after the wreck?

They really wanna eliminate "unsafe practices," make 'em all drive 4-speeds.  I mean, didn't our folks all preach something about "idle hands..."

Nellie

[luvrbus]

I don't care for the government intervention but I do wish owners of restaurants would ban the use of cell phones they are very annoying when you are trying to enjoy a meal and 10 people are talking on the cell with another 10 ringing with the weird ring tones some have.
I doubt if I use mine 5 times a month ,could be the smart phone I don't know how to use.
I always stop to use mine, but the wife get her monies worth out of AT&T with her I phone Lol.  
It is great that everyone can afford a mobile type phone now I have had some mobile type phone since 1974 and the price today is nothing compared to 70's thru the 90's .
FWIW  I was on a waiting list for almost 2 years to get my 1st phone man times are changing



good luck

[belfert]

If a trucker gets in a wreck, it is pretty easy to either just look at the trucker's cell phone to see if any texts were sent prior to the wreck.  The cell phone companies probably keep a time stamp of when any text messages were sent because some plans still chaege for text messages.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Any more the truckers are on their phones not the CB. I have gone for 400 miles or more down interstate freeways with my CB on and never heard anybody. Used to be hard to find a clear channel anywhere.

[junkman42]

Drivers in Europe more courteous?  Trust Me the most rude drivers in the world live in Italy and Spain followed closely by the Germans and the English.  yes I have lived there!  Just curious when Pilots will have to quit flying and talking on the radio.  Shut up tower I can not talk.  No amount of intrusion by the idiots in the government will make drivers safe.  More cars more danger and that is the reality of the situation.  Why does anyone think that text messaging is dangerous when the idiots cut off semi trucks and other speeding masses of death?  Hopless I say.  John L.

[RickB]

So, If the subject line of this post said:

Can you text safely while you drive? Do you think we should invent a way that our text's and phone messages went straight to voicemail whenever our car is moving? would any responses be different.

Cmon, the vast majority are sick and tired of these posts turning into poilitical soapboxes.

I think everyone understands that bus folks by and large don't like big government so Lin did you have to word your subect heading with words that you knew were gonna inflame some folks?

I have texted occasionally while driving and I know for a fact that I shouldn't and I would like to believe that we are all honest enough here to admit that it is not a safe practice. Not because the Government says so because it's a fact.

I will have neck/back issues for the rest of my life and probably surgery because a young man piled into a car I was in and immediately got out of the car saying "I knew I shouldn't have been on the phone, this never would've happened if I wasn't distracted".
He made a choice, the wrong one and hurt me and another person, his driving record, his insurance rates etc.There wasn't a politician anywhere in sight and if there was it wouldn't have changed a thing.
Maybe if we all lived in a fairy tale land where everyone did the right thing. We wouldn't need laws. But the last time I checked this wasn't heaven.
If you can honestly say that you don't have a feeling when you're distracted while driving that you shouldn't be doing whatever it is that you're doing, I personally would consider you dangerous. Folks like that frighten me more than big government.

Rick

[Lin]

Rick,

The title of the post was supposed to be ironic because it seemed to me that everyone could agree that texting while driving was indefensibly stupid.  I think the debate developed over cell phone use and other behaviors.  Aside from UPS and Fedex, I am sure that you will find that many, many companies that operate trucks ban texting.  I say texting is obvious since it requires looking away from the road and, in most cases, using both hands.  It is not merely a distraction; it is a completely separate, conflicting task.

I once read a news article about a couple that went to pick up the husband's motorcycle at the shop.  The wife, following him home in the car, ran into him and killed him.  The point is bad driving is so common, I am amazed that there are not a lot more collisions.  I would guess that those who blame all sorts of things for the accidents they cause would probably cause them anyway.  I once caused an accident while lecturing my daughter about her behavior.  I thought about blaming her for it, but I was driving.

[bevans6]

The science is showing that simply talking on the  phone , hands free or otherwise, requires so much more of your concentration and focus that you will be driving in an equivalent to impaired level of skill.  In fact, in a government test cell phone users exhibited greater impairment than drivers at the legal limit for intoxication (0.08%).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_and_driving_safety

I personally don't answer the phone while  I am driving any more, which given the almost  Pavlovian instinct to answer the ring, is quite difficult.  Nor have I equipped myself with hands-free, which is legal here, because I do believe the science, and I do approach driving as a professional endeavour.  If I am going to do it, I am going to do it as well as I can.

Slightly different topic:  In Toronto there have been 14 pedestrian/vehicle accidents resulting in pedestrian fatalities in the past 14 days.  One dead pedestrian per day.  Toronto police are now blitzing pedestrian safety, and handing out tickets or warnings to pedestrians breaking the crossing laws.  We have these crossing signals that start a 20 second countdown when the light is about to change.  It turns out that it's illegal for a pedestrian to begin to cross the road after the countdown starts.  Lots of warnings and some tickets over that.  We all thought it was the countdown to start crossing...  I think police are also giving warnings over hoodies pulled up and Ipod earpieces while walking, too.  They are thought to be part of the problem - the pedestrians can't see because of the hoodies and can't hear because of the ear pieces, and literally walk into the cars.

Brian

[RickB]

Lin,

It is hopefully obvious to everyone that it is a bad practice to text while driving but I don't think we should even assume that.

Lin,  what I was getting at is, is it possible that this board be a better place to visit if we all kept in mind that for some folks here using words like Government, Politicians names, is just pressing their hot buttons and that when we do that, chances are it is going to eventually lead to a discussion that has nothing to do with buses.

I have learned my lesson. Religion, politics, law enforcement are issues that don't belong here and usually lead to people leaving our board. If you want to discuss those subjects maybe it would be better off in the off topic section or in a dialogue between yourselves through email.

Rick