To Hell With 3000 Texting Deaths a Year

[bigrebnc1775]

It's against the law to drink and drive, but that law did not prevent 40,933 deaths due to people drinking an driving in 2010.

 

[The Infidel]

Nothing in there about him walking away free, is there? Could that be because laws already cover what you are trying to make illegal?

Neither of the responsible parties walked away free. In both cases they were killed.

The ultimate cause of these horrific accidents isn't merely texting. It's the raging sense of entitlement that makes the personal act of texting a right no matter who it threatens. You can't pass laws against that. You can try to educate and train people to realize that they aren't the most important people in the universe but that's about all. That isn't going to happen either. Not for many years.

You know what I find most interesting about the accident you keep siting as proof we need to ban cell phones? The NTSB report clearly states that, although the guy was texting, ther is no proof he was texting at the time of the accident, and the tow bus drivers who crashed into him after he hit the semi were both tailgating, but neither of them was using a cell phone to talk or text.

Maybe you should go find a better example, if you can. While you do so I will point out that actual fatalities are at there lowest level since the 1950s despite the fact that people are supposedly texting and driving more than ever.

It's against the law to drink and drive, but that law did not prevent 40,933 deaths due to people drinking an driving in 2010.

A new law would not have prevented those deaths....

I guarantee you this. If a police officer sees you texting while behind the wheel, you will be seeing purty lights in your mirror.
Its called distracted driving... reckless driving... whatever ya call it, its already ticketable.

 

[The Infidel]

YET ANOTHER NEW LAW

This is stupid... just how on earth are they going to enforce this...?

Suppose I stop in parking lot and send a text.

Then pull out onto the road and immediately get into an accident.... now what???

The authorities have the right to subpoena my cell phone records, and what will they see?? They will see that at 'the approximate' time of the accident there was cell phone activity.... now what???

Im sick of BIG BROTHER looking over my shoulder.

Reckless driving is already illegal.... give me a break!

Poor baby.....how many automatic weapons do you own.

Gotta pay a little back every once in a while.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Neither of the responsible parties walked away free. In both cases they were killed.

The ultimate cause of these horrific accidents isn't merely texting. It's the raging sense of entitlement that makes the personal act of texting a right no matter who it threatens. You can't pass laws against that. You can try to educate and train people to realize that they aren't the most important people in the universe but that's about all. That isn't going to happen either. Not for many years.

You know what I find most interesting about the accident you keep siting as proof we need to ban cell phones? The NTSB report clearly states that, although the guy was texting, ther is no proof he was texting at the time of the accident, and the tow bus drivers who crashed into him after he hit the semi were both tailgating, but neither of them was using a cell phone to talk or text.

Maybe you should go find a better example, if you can. While you do so I will point out that actual fatalities are at there lowest level since the 1950s despite the fact that people are supposedly texting and driving more than ever.

It's against the law to drink and drive, but that law did not prevent 40,933 deaths due to people drinking an driving in 2010.

A new law would not have prevented those deaths....

I guarantee you this. If a police officer sees you texting while behind the wheel, you will be seeing purty lights in your mirror.
Its called distracted driving... reckless driving... whatever ya call it, its already ticketable.

It gives the cops more reason to stop you and do a search of your vehicle.

 

[hortysir]

If states want to ban cell phone use in the car that's their right to do so. A federal ban, however, would be unconstitutional. In any case, there already laws against reckless driving in all 50 states, so I'm not sure why another law needs to be passed to address one specific instance of it.

^^^^^^^^^^ This

 

[The Infidel]

You know what I find most interesting about the accident you keep siting as proof we need to ban cell phones? The NTSB report clearly states that, although the guy was texting, ther is no proof he was texting at the time of the accident, and the tow bus drivers who crashed into him after he hit the semi were both tailgating, but neither of them was using a cell phone to talk or text.

Maybe you should go find a better example, if you can. While you do so I will point out that actual fatalities are at there lowest level since the 1950s despite the fact that people are supposedly texting and driving more than ever.

It's against the law to drink and drive, but that law did not prevent 40,933 deaths due to people drinking an driving in 2010.

A new law would not have prevented those deaths....

I guarantee you this. If a police officer sees you texting while behind the wheel, you will be seeing purty lights in your mirror.
Its called distracted driving... reckless driving... whatever ya call it, its already ticketable.

It gives the cops more reason to stop you and do a search of your vehicle.

I hate it when that happens... it makes it hard for me to be rollin' dirty with all my automatic weapons

 

[hortysir]

I see the camel's nose

 

[The Infidel]

If states want to ban cell phone use in the car that's their right to do so. A federal ban, however, would be unconstitutional. In any case, there already laws against reckless driving in all 50 states, so I'm not sure why another law needs to be passed to address one specific instance of it.

^^^^^^^^^^ This

^^^^^^^^^^ That

 

[kwc57]

Neither of the responsible parties walked away free. In both cases they were killed.

The ultimate cause of these horrific accidents isn't merely texting. It's the raging sense of entitlement that makes the personal act of texting a right no matter who it threatens. You can't pass laws against that. You can try to educate and train people to realize that they aren't the most important people in the universe but that's about all. That isn't going to happen either. Not for many years.

You know what I find most interesting about the accident you keep siting as proof we need to ban cell phones? The NTSB report clearly states that, although the guy was texting, ther is no proof he was texting at the time of the accident, and the tow bus drivers who crashed into him after he hit the semi were both tailgating, but neither of them was using a cell phone to talk or text.

Maybe you should go find a better example, if you can. While you do so I will point out that actual fatalities are at there lowest level since the 1950s despite the fact that people are supposedly texting and driving more than ever.

It's against the law to drink and drive, but that law did not prevent 40,933 deaths due to people drinking an driving in 2010.

A new law would not have prevented those deaths....

I guarantee you this. If a police officer sees you texting while behind the wheel, you will be seeing purty lights in your mirror.
Its called distracted driving... reckless driving... whatever ya call it, its already ticketable.

Ever notice that those police that will pull you over for texting have a laptop on a pedestal right next to them?

 

[hortysir]

You know what I find most interesting about the accident you keep siting as proof we need to ban cell phones? The NTSB report clearly states that, although the guy was texting, ther is no proof he was texting at the time of the accident, and the tow bus drivers who crashed into him after he hit the semi were both tailgating, but neither of them was using a cell phone to talk or text.

Maybe you should go find a better example, if you can. While you do so I will point out that actual fatalities are at there lowest level since the 1950s despite the fact that people are supposedly texting and driving more than ever.

It's against the law to drink and drive, but that law did not prevent 40,933 deaths due to people drinking an driving in 2010.

A new law would not have prevented those deaths....

I guarantee you this. If a police officer sees you texting while behind the wheel, you will be seeing purty lights in your mirror.
Its called distracted driving... reckless driving... whatever ya call it, its already ticketable.

Ever notice that those police that will pull you over for texting have a laptop on a pedestal right next to them?

And 2 cell phones - their personal and their gov't-paid-for.

 

[kwc57]

A new law would not have prevented those deaths....

I guarantee you this. If a police officer sees you texting while behind the wheel, you will be seeing purty lights in your mirror.
Its called distracted driving... reckless driving... whatever ya call it, its already ticketable.

Ever notice that those police that will pull you over for texting have a laptop on a pedestal right next to them?

And 2 cell phones - their personal and their gov't-paid-for.

I've known a good number of cops over the years and of course see them on the road everyday. Most of them have a cell phone up to their ear talking to their girlfriend.

 

[hortysir]

But they're "professional drivers" and can better handle it.

 

[Big Black Dog]

True story. Four years ago, my wife was a Hospice Nurse. She was going to a patient's house at just before midnight and was involved in a life-changing auto accident due to texting. A young 18 year old boy was driving his car at 74 mph and texting. He crossed the center line of the highway and crashed into my wife's car head on. He was instantly killed and my wife received multiple injuries such as a compound fracture of her left femur just above the knee, a compound fracture of her right ankle, every bone in her right foot was either dislocated or fractured, a concussion, a broken back, 5 broken ribs and a good many lumps and bumps. She was flown by helo to a nearby trauma hospital and was in the hospital for 31 days. During that time she had 5 ortho surgeries. She nearly died. When released from the hospital she was sent to a local nursing home for 2 1/2 months to heal and for physical therapy. At the present time, four years later, she is currently engaged in more physical therapy due to the knee injury on her left leg that will eventually need to be replaced. All of this happened because somebody was text messaging on his cell phone while driving. She is in constant pain daily and at times it is difficult for her to walk. Please, please, please, don't text message and drive. The same fate could easily happen to you.

 

[Katzndogz]

True story. Four years ago, my wife was a Hospice Nurse. She was going to a patient's house at just before midnight and was involved in a life-changing auto accident due to texting. A young 18 year old boy was driving his car at 74 mph and texting. He crossed the center line of the highway and crashed into my wife's car head on. He was instantly killed and my wife received multiple injuries such as a compound fracture of her left femur just above the knee, a compound fracture of her right ankle, every bone in her right foot was either dislocated or fractured, a concussion, a broken back, 5 broken ribs and a good many lumps and bumps. She was flown by helo to a nearby trauma hospital and was in the hospital for 31 days. During that time she had 5 ortho surgeries. She nearly died. When released from the hospital she was sent to a local nursing home for 2 1/2 months to heal and for physical therapy. At the present time, four years later, she is currently engaged in more physical therapy due to the knee injury on her left leg that will eventually need to be replaced. All of this happened because somebody was text messaging on his cell phone while driving. She is in constant pain daily and at times it is difficult for her to walk. Please, please, please, don't text message and drive. The same fate could easily happen to you.

While you certainly have my sympathies and hopes for a full recovery, surely you understand that texting drivers have a right to look at text screens instead of the road while going 74 miles an hour. That right supercedes your wife's right to travel uninjured.

The tragedy isn't that a law is being passed. The tragedy is that we have so many people who don't care who they harm. The tragedy TO THEM, is that your wife was on the road in the first place causing this major inconvenience TO THEM.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

True story. Four years ago, my wife was a Hospice Nurse. She was going to a patient's house at just before midnight and was involved in a life-changing auto accident due to texting. A young 18 year old boy was driving his car at 74 mph and texting. He crossed the center line of the highway and crashed into my wife's car head on. He was instantly killed and my wife received multiple injuries such as a compound fracture of her left femur just above the knee, a compound fracture of her right ankle, every bone in her right foot was either dislocated or fractured, a concussion, a broken back, 5 broken ribs and a good many lumps and bumps. She was flown by helo to a nearby trauma hospital and was in the hospital for 31 days. During that time she had 5 ortho surgeries. She nearly died. When released from the hospital she was sent to a local nursing home for 2 1/2 months to heal and for physical therapy. At the present time, four years later, she is currently engaged in more physical therapy due to the knee injury on her left leg that will eventually need to be replaced. All of this happened because somebody was text messaging on his cell phone while driving. She is in constant pain daily and at times it is difficult for her to walk. Please, please, please, don't text message and drive. The same fate could easily happen to you.

We oughta have a law making it illegal for anyone who owns a cell phone to even get in a car, that would prevent tragedies like this.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

True story. Four years ago, my wife was a Hospice Nurse. She was going to a patient's house at just before midnight and was involved in a life-changing auto accident due to texting. A young 18 year old boy was driving his car at 74 mph and texting. He crossed the center line of the highway and crashed into my wife's car head on. He was instantly killed and my wife received multiple injuries such as a compound fracture of her left femur just above the knee, a compound fracture of her right ankle, every bone in her right foot was either dislocated or fractured, a concussion, a broken back, 5 broken ribs and a good many lumps and bumps. She was flown by helo to a nearby trauma hospital and was in the hospital for 31 days. During that time she had 5 ortho surgeries. She nearly died. When released from the hospital she was sent to a local nursing home for 2 1/2 months to heal and for physical therapy. At the present time, four years later, she is currently engaged in more physical therapy due to the knee injury on her left leg that will eventually need to be replaced. All of this happened because somebody was text messaging on his cell phone while driving. She is in constant pain daily and at times it is difficult for her to walk. Please, please, please, don't text message and drive. The same fate could easily happen to you.

While you certainly have my sympathies and hopes for a full recovery, surely you understand that texting drivers have a right to look at text screens instead of the road while going 74 miles an hour. That right supercedes your wife's right to travel uninjured.

The tragedy isn't that a law is being passed. The tragedy is that we have so many people who don't care who they harm. The tragedy TO THEM, is that your wife was on the road in the first place causing this major inconvenience TO THEM.

Your attempt at sarcasm is duly noted. I did, however, notice that you failed to respond to me when I pointed out that the two bus drivers that were involved in the accident you like to use as proof that we need to ban cell phones were not using a cell phone. Can you explain how the guy that may, or may not, have been using his phone when he hit a semi is responsible for the fact that both bus drivers hit him?

 

[Katzndogz]

True story. Four years ago, my wife was a Hospice Nurse. She was going to a patient's house at just before midnight and was involved in a life-changing auto accident due to texting. A young 18 year old boy was driving his car at 74 mph and texting. He crossed the center line of the highway and crashed into my wife's car head on. He was instantly killed and my wife received multiple injuries such as a compound fracture of her left femur just above the knee, a compound fracture of her right ankle, every bone in her right foot was either dislocated or fractured, a concussion, a broken back, 5 broken ribs and a good many lumps and bumps. She was flown by helo to a nearby trauma hospital and was in the hospital for 31 days. During that time she had 5 ortho surgeries. She nearly died. When released from the hospital she was sent to a local nursing home for 2 1/2 months to heal and for physical therapy. At the present time, four years later, she is currently engaged in more physical therapy due to the knee injury on her left leg that will eventually need to be replaced. All of this happened because somebody was text messaging on his cell phone while driving. She is in constant pain daily and at times it is difficult for her to walk. Please, please, please, don't text message and drive. The same fate could easily happen to you.

While you certainly have my sympathies and hopes for a full recovery, surely you understand that texting drivers have a right to look at text screens instead of the road while going 74 miles an hour. That right supercedes your wife's right to travel uninjured.

The tragedy isn't that a law is being passed. The tragedy is that we have so many people who don't care who they harm. The tragedy TO THEM, is that your wife was on the road in the first place causing this major inconvenience TO THEM.

Your attempt at sarcasm is duly noted. I did, however, notice that you failed to respond to me when I pointed out that the two bus drivers that were involved in the accident you like to use as proof that we need to ban cell phones were not using a cell phone. Can you explain how the guy that may, or may not, have been using his phone when he hit a semi is responsible for the fact that both bus drivers hit him?

The two bus drivers were NOT using cell phones. The cause of the bus accident was a 19 year old guy driving a pick up truck who was using a cell phone. It is called a chain reaction accident.

The train engineer who killed 25 people and injured 135 was a separate accident also caused by the engineer being on a cell phone.

It would be SUPERB if we did not have to ban cell phones. If we did not have people who are causing accidents and kiling people because their right to use a cell phone overrules someone else's right to get where they are going, we wouldn't NEED bans on cell phones. Few serious accidents involve talking on a cell phone. Those are the minor fender benders. The really serious ones are texting which involves reading from a screen and looking at a keyboard which is more like reading a magazine than talking on a phone.

The cell phones are not the problem. The problem is an outrageous and overblown sense of entitlement that your rights are somehow more important than anyone else's rights.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

If states want to ban cell phone use in the car that's their right to do so. A federal ban, however, would be unconstitutional. In any case, there already laws against reckless driving in all 50 states, so I'm not sure why another law needs to be passed to address one specific instance of it.

Do you feel the same about seat belts

Yes, I do, and there is no federal seat belt law.

 

[Katzndogz]

If states want to ban cell phone use in the car that's their right to do so. A federal ban, however, would be unconstitutional. In any case, there already laws against reckless driving in all 50 states, so I'm not sure why another law needs to be passed to address one specific instance of it.

Do you feel the same about seat belts

Yes, I do, and there is no federal seat belt law.

I initially wanted to agree with you.

Then.....

Most seat belt legislation in the United States is left to the states. However, the first seat belt law was a federal law which took effect on January 1, 1968 that required all vehicles (except buses) to be fitted with seat belts in all designated seating positions. This law has since been modified to require three-point seat belts in outboard seating positions, and finally three-point seat belts in all seating positions. Initially, seat belt use was not compulsory. New York was the first state to pass a law which required vehicle occupants to wear seat belts, a law that came into effect on December 1, 1984.

Slap to the forehead, there is a federal law mandating that all cars have seatbelts!

 

[Quantum Windbag]

While you certainly have my sympathies and hopes for a full recovery, surely you understand that texting drivers have a right to look at text screens instead of the road while going 74 miles an hour. That right supercedes your wife's right to travel uninjured.

The tragedy isn't that a law is being passed. The tragedy is that we have so many people who don't care who they harm. The tragedy TO THEM, is that your wife was on the road in the first place causing this major inconvenience TO THEM.

Your attempt at sarcasm is duly noted. I did, however, notice that you failed to respond to me when I pointed out that the two bus drivers that were involved in the accident you like to use as proof that we need to ban cell phones were not using a cell phone. Can you explain how the guy that may, or may not, have been using his phone when he hit a semi is responsible for the fact that both bus drivers hit him?

The two bus drivers were NOT using cell phones. The cause of the bus accident was a 19 year old guy driving a pick up truck who was using a cell phone. It is called a chain reaction accident.

The train engineer who killed 25 people and injured 135 was a separate accident also caused by the engineer being on a cell phone.

It would be SUPERB if we did not have to ban cell phones. If we did not have people who are causing accidents and kiling people because their right to use a cell phone overrules someone else's right to get where they are going, we wouldn't NEED bans on cell phones. Few serious accidents involve talking on a cell phone. Those are the minor fender benders. The really serious ones are texting which involves reading from a screen and looking at a keyboard which is more like reading a magazine than talking on a phone.

The cell phones are not the problem. The problem is an outrageous and overblown sense of entitlement that your rights are somehow more important than anyone else's rights.

Wrong.

The cause of the bus accidents were that the first driver was paying attention to something on the side of the road instead of watching where he was going, and the second bus driver was tailgating. If the first driver was paying attention he would have had more than enough time to stop, and it the second driver was not tailgating he would not have hit the first bus. Here is the NTSB report that proves I am correct and that banning cell phones would not have prevented the bus accident that you are whinging about.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the initial Gray Summit collision was distraction, likely due to a text messaging conversation being conducted by the GMC pickup driver, which resulted in his failure to notice and react to a Volvo tractor that had slowed or stopped in response to a queue that had developed in a work zone. The second collision, between the lead school bus and the GMC pickup, was the result of the bus driver's inattention to the forward roadway, due to excessive focus on a motorcoach parked on the shoulder of the road. The final collision was due to the driver of the following school bus not maintaining the recommended minimum distance from the lead school bus in the seconds preceding the accident. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the lack of forward collision warning systems on the two school buses.

Board Meeting: Highway Accident Report: Gray Summit, MO: Collision Involving Two School Buses, a Bobtail and a Passenger Vehicle