Texting while driving bus ends in crash.

[Mex-Busnut]

Ignore the phone while you are driving.

Stay safe, my friends!

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/05/19/investigators-looking-into-whether-driver-bus-that-crashed-newton-was-using-cellphone/qbzEoyC4Q4o0hwA4QbyBbI/story.html

[Jon]

That is why my phones are out of reach when I drive. I wish every car would be equipped with a jammer to prevent use of a cell phone if the car or truck or bus is moving.

[chessie4905]

   Bottom line is who the hell hired her to operate a transit vehicle with her past driving record?

[Jon]

Any more the requirements for job applicants is they must pass a drug test and fog a mirror. Now that CO has legalized pot the first requirement is likely to be waived.

[Iceni John]

Doesn't that transit district get Pull Notices from the DMV for every one of their drivers?   Evidently not . . .

At work we recently found that we don't get charged for any Pull Notices from the DMV, so we're going to start having everyone who drives any of our vehicles on a public highway to be put on the list.   We cannot risk someone with a bad driving record (like that idiot bus driver) using any of our vehicles off grounds.

John

[eagle19952]

kids...I mean it seems that anyone under 40 can't function with out a cell phone 24/7. For crapssake my grand daughter sleeps with hers, and checking her FB page I think she must sleep in school.
But I guess my point is that chronic cell phone users are what they need to make a list of....I think were I a dispatcher I'd need to see the last six months of there dam cell phone bill.
There are lots of people out there texting 10-20,000 times a month.
I can count on one hand the number of texts I have made in 15 years.
Same with the amount I've sent, and 2 of those were a picture of an iguana I sent a 6 year old.

[Oonrahnjay]

There are lots of people out there texting 10-20,000 times a month.
I can count on one hand the number of texts I have made in 15 years.   Same with the amount I've sent, and 2 of those were a picture of an iguana I sent a 6 year old. 

    My cell phone has a rotary dial (yeah, Im old) and it doesn't do texts -- I don't miss 'em.

[Boomer]

When I owned a bus company our company policy was the driver's cell phone was off and out of reach at all times while driving.  To check on this, I occasionally called their number when I knew they were driving.  If they answered they got their @$# chewed out.  Ended most of the problem.  Our director of safety was also on the road full time spotting for policy violations.  We had very little problem.

[Iceni John]

Compulsive cellphone use is an addiction, pure and simple, and should be treated as the mental disorder it is.   It's the crack cocaine of the 21st century.   I know there will never be a complete nationwide ban on cellphone use while driving, simply because there's too much money to be made otherwise by all the vested interests.   I would be the first to buy a cellphone jammer if that would help, but A) they're completely illegal, and B) the idiots would then be staring even longer at their darned cellphones wondering why they aren't working.   Maybe cars are too safe these days  -  how many VW Bus drivers drive like hoons, knowing full well that they are their car's crumple zone?   Heck, I don't even like the radio on when traffic is heavy or difficult  -  I just want to focus 100% on the task of DRIVING THE CAR, and avoiding everyone else!

Rant over.   Thanks!

John   

[chessie4905]

   An addiction...lets get them signed up for SSI so they don't have to work with an addiction like that.

[Lin]

I thought that you could just put the car on auto while you take care of other things.  Maybe they call it cruise control.  Anyway, my bus doesn't have that feature.

There are other things that are distractions though.  There are more accidents caused by people playing with there radios than by cellphones.  Kids in cars is definitely a problem too.  A couple of years ago, I was in India driving up some notorious Himalayan roads (we had a driver), and there were road signs all along the way with safety messages.  You know the stuff-- don't speed, be courteous, etc.  There was one, no joke, that said. "Stop nagging. Let him drive!"

[belfert]

I sleep with my cell phone on the night stand next to my bed.  I do so because I could get calls from work at night or automated texts from work about broken servers.  It is maybe every few months I got woke up, but it is generally important when it does happen.

I don't have Facebook, Twitter, or other social networking accounts.  I also don't use any of the forums on my phone.  My phone has my email on it and that is about it.  I absolutely will not look at my phone while driving for text messages, email, and that kind of stuff.  It is illegal in most states and just plain dangerous.

[CrabbyMilton]

I keep both my personal and business cell phone on silent at all times. Most people know that I'm on the road most of the day anyway and that I prefer email as my prime source of communication. If it's important they can leave a message since I check when I come to a stop. I tell people that 911 is for emergencies not me. If it's number I don't recognize and no message, then they had no reason to call me in the first place.

[bronson]

There are apps that disable texting once a vehicle reaches a preset speed. It will definitely be on my kids phones once they reach driving age. As a teacher, cell phones are a constant battle in my classroom. Parents call and text their children while in class and they think this is OK.  This poster is on the wall in my classroom. Guess I am old school, but I do not need to know everything instantly.

[Seangie]

If you practice texting and driving enough. ..you might get pretty good at it

In all seriousness though... I pretty much live by my phone.  I dont have to show up and punch a time card every day, I know where Im going before I get there, I use it to keep track of mileage, its my speedometer, its my camera...great for insurance purposes, I watch movies on it, it provides my family of 6 with wireless internet, purchase goods from anywhere in the world, communicate with friends and family worldwide daily and most of all I can read and post to this forum from anywhere in the world.  Am I addicted?  (To this forum...yes)Eh...maybe just efficient.  If I go to a national park for a week in the middle of no where I miss it ...a little. 

I do think you need to be wise in using your phone.  Dont text and drive in the car unless your on I-10 between LA and TX at 1am with no one else on board or on the road so there will be one less idiot on the road when you do.  Pull over if its important. Use wisdom.  And for heavens sake stop giving children cell phones. I have 4 kids from 13 to 6 and none of them have cell phones.  They have a phone to share as needed but there is no reason for your kids to have a phone one unless they can pay for it themselves.

-Sean

Fulltiming somewhere in the USA
1984 Eagle 10S
www.herdofturtles.org