Texting while driving?

[Phil Thien]

I know there are laws against, but I see more texting while driving than ever before. It seems like if I am next to another car on a two-lane road, that there is about a one in ten chance that the other driving is texting. Under thirty-YO people, mostly.

It has altered the way I drive. I drive far more defensively than I used to. In the "olden days" I didn't like bumper to bumper traffic, but tolerated it. Now days I'll avoid bumper to bumper at all costs, trying to find a spot where someone is several seconds behind me and I've got a nice cushion in front.

But driving to/from Madison from Milwaukee, it sometimes seems like everyone is texting.

[Scott Shepherd]

The one that drives me a little bonkers is people checking emailing or texting while sitting at stop lights. The light changes, they just sit there because they aren't looking up.

PUT THE PHONE DOWN AND DRIVE.

I'm baffled by what's SOOOO important in these people's lives that they can't go minutes without checking messages.

[Prashun Patel]

one in ten? I say one in five. I see it ALL THE TIME.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Phil,

Long before I retired, my former employer provided us with cell phones. Myself and another guy covered an area about 130 miles by 130 miles. A lot of the area is mountainous, so coverage lacked but still they provided us a way to communicate so we could give better service to our customers. After about 8 months, I realized that if I answered the phone and talked while driving, the distraction effected my driving. One day I told my coworker, that if I didn't immediately answer his calls and called back a few minutes later, I was looking for a place to pull off the road. I didn't feel safe driving and talking on the cell phone. He said he'd come to the same conclusion. About a year later, the giant corporation came down with an edict. "If you could not answer or make a call 'hands free' while driving, you were to pull off the road.

My new SUV has blue-tooth and I do occasionally talk "hands free" while on the road but I try to keep the conversations short.

Texting while driving is even more dangerous. The people doing it will have to learn for themselves.

[Pat Barry]

Eating your McDonalds hamburger and trying to dip your fries into the ketchup that you dispensed onto the box or burger wrapper is equally dangerous, as is trying to read a map, use the gps, putting on mascara / checking your makeup, shaving, scolding your kids in the back seat, searching for a radio station, blah, blah, blah. Welcome to the 21st century.

[David Falkner]

Like the sign on a church said, 'Honk if you love Jesus... text if you want to meet Him'

[Steve Peterson]

This is one of the dangers of modern technology. My hope is that this is a temporary bad period that will no longer matter when self-driving cars are common. Or at least "crash proof" cars that don't let teenagers do anything stupid while texting and driving.

Steve

[Erik Loza]

They just enacted the no texting law here in ATX this year and apparently have done some big enforcement weekends recently. Agree with all the above: Very dangerous. Been almost run off the road several times by hipsters or clueless SUV wives, driving while texting. I don't answer my phone at all while driving. It can wait.

Erik

[Phil Thien]

Phil,

Long before I retired, my former employer provided us with cell phones. Myself and another guy covered an area about 130 miles by 130 miles. A lot of the area is mountainous, so coverage lacked but still they provided us a way to communicate so we could give better service to our customers. After about 8 months, I realized that if I answered the phone and talked while driving, the distraction effected my driving. One day I told my coworker, that if I didn't immediately answer his calls and called back a few minutes later, I was looking for a place to pull off the road. I didn't feel safe driving and talking on the cell phone. He said he'd come to the same conclusion. About a year later, the giant corporation came down with an edict. "If you could not answer or make a call 'hands free' while driving, you were to pull off the road.

My new SUV has blue-tooth and I do occasionally talk "hands free" while on the road but I try to keep the conversations short.

Texting while driving is even more dangerous. The people doing it will have to learn for themselves.

I drive a ton for work, too. Our jobs aren't actually very different, I just work on servers and other IT stuff. And I won't talk on the phone. I might answer a call and say "I'll call back." But I have people that try to keep me on the phone and I'll just hang right up on them. Not worth it. I won't talk hands-free either. All my concentration is on the road, watching for the texters. I'm totally serious about that.

[Phil Thien]

one in ten? I say one in five. I see it ALL THE TIME.

I didn't want to be accused for exaggerating but Mke to Madison, yeah it is that bad. Especially on a Sunday evening when kids are returning the school. Just ugly.

[Phil Thien]

Eating your McDonalds hamburger and trying to dip your fries into the ketchup that you dispensed onto the box or burger wrapper is equally dangerous, as is trying to read a map, use the gps, putting on mascara / checking your makeup, shaving, scolding your kids in the back seat, searching for a radio station, blah, blah, blah. Welcome to the 21st century.

While I agree, people scarf the burger in ten minutes. But they will text for an hour. The danger (with texting) never goes away.

[Belinda Barfield]

I had a couple of conversations on Saturday about the modern conveniences that make for hazardous driving. The neighborhood where I live has an annual community garage sale and Saturday was the day. Things I've not seen offered at a garage sale before were present this year. A truck, two motorcycles, a motor home, and (hopefully) a vintage Vette that the owner wasn't aware he wanted to sell until I asked. Both couples who were trying to sell a motorcycle, really nice bikes, stated they just don't feel safe riding any longer. They had been riding for years but noticed over the past couple of years a lot more "near misses" and lack of driver awareness and sharing the road.

[Rod Sheridan]

Both couples who were trying to sell a motorcycle, really nice bikes, stated they just don't feel safe riding any longer. They had been riding for years but noticed over the past couple of years a lot more "near misses" and lack of driver awareness and sharing the road.

Well Belinda, two reasons for that

- more traffic, more distracted drivers

- couples are getting older and their riding skills are declining. I hate to admit it, however after riding for 40 years and having been a riding instructor, my skills are declining. Refresher courses help, I also changed to a model with ABS and traction control, I need all the help I can get.

regards, Rod.

[Phil Thien]

Well Belinda, two reasons for that

- more traffic, more distracted drivers

- couples are getting older and their riding skills are declining. I hate to admit it, however after riding for 40 years and having been a riding instructor, my skills are declining. Refresher courses help, I also changed to a model with ABS and traction control, I need all the help I can get.

regards, Rod.

Yep, I used to ride. Have thought of getting another bike. Not in this environment.

And yeah I'm getting older, too.

[Chuck Wintle]

The one that drives me a little bonkers is people checking emailing or texting while sitting at stop lights. The light changes, they just sit there because they aren't looking up.

PUT THE PHONE DOWN AND DRIVE.

I'm baffled by what's SOOOO important in these people's lives that they can't go minutes without checking messages.

I agree 100%, put the phone down and drive. Its an epidemic of distracted drivers.