Nine in 10 Americans say ban texting while driving

[johnnymk]

DUH ! Isn't this fairly obvious?

http://today.reuters.com/news/articl...NG-DRIVING.xml

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ninety-one percent of Americans believe sending text messages while driving is as dangerous as driving after having a couple of drinks, but 57 percent admit to doing it, a poll released on Tuesday said.

The Harris Interactive survey commissioned by mobile messaging service Pinger Inc. found 89 percent of respondents believe texting while driving is dangerous and should be outlawed.

Even so, 66 percent of the adults surveyed who drive and use text messaging told pollsters they had read text messages or e-mails while driving. Fifty-seven percent admitted to sending them.

The state of Washington in May passed the first ban in the United States on texting while driving and at least six other states including New York, California and Florida are considering similar legislation, Pinger said in a statement releasing the survey results.

The survey found that men and women sent text messages while driving at equal rates but that the young did so more frequently. Sixty-four percent of those who admitted to sending text messages while driving were aged 18 to 34 while 6 percent were 55 or older.

The poll surveyed 2,049 U.S. adults from June 29 to July 3, giving the survey a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

[ray]

I say we ban cellphones (including hands free sets) while driving. It will eliminate the need to pass 17 different laws that are all prohibiting the use of the features of a cell phone. Let's just pass one law banning using your cell phone for anything while driving.

[VTGreg]

I say we ban cellphones (including hands free sets) while driving. It will eliminate the need to pass 17 different laws that are all prohibiting the use of the features of a cell phone. Let's just pass one law banning using your cell phone for anything while driving.

I think that would be going overboard. I guess we should also ban talking to your children in the car, eating and changing the radio station.

FWIW, I agree that it is silly that there has to be a separate law banning texting and traditional (non-hands free) cell phone use.

[renovation]

there should also be a ban on putting on makeup while driving . i have been rear ended by a woman looking in her rear view mirror as she applyed her lipstick some years back .

[lindysd]

I know that the texting/talking on the phone is an issue, but in general drivers are just not very good drivers these days.

Personally, the hands free talking has gotten me through some pretty heavy traffic. Without it I probably would have lost my mind and would have just kicked my truck into overdrive and pushed everyone out of the way!

[The Happy Squirrel]

there should also be a ban on putting on makeup while driving . i have been rear ended by a woman looking in her rear view mirror as she applyed her lipstick some years back .

yup been there paked at a stop light she hit me doing about 40

i can and have text while driving but i can do it without looking at the key pad when sending have to look whillereading
working on writing a program that will take voice input and turn it into text for the cell hone.
silly i know in many many ways but im willing to bet it would sell.

[Markel]

"Nine in 10 Americans say ban texting while driving"

7 in 10 of these votes were sent via text message.

[Napoleon54]

I think that would be going overboard. I guess we should also ban talking to your children in the car, eating and changing the radio station.

People will always invent new forms of stupidity. There's no way to compensate for people being irresponsible.

[BigJon]

How about we just up the funding on the projects working on cars that drive by themselves. That'll take care of the issue.

[Houdini]

Voice recognition would be great, but for some reason it's not there yet for cells or smartphones. Probably because it's still not wonderful for computers with a few thousand megahertz and a couple of processors. So a 317 MHz processor in a Treo probably can't swing it that well.

I've never understood the appeal of texting. Especially in my medical practice. I always hear, from upset or situationally depressed patients, mainly college students or grad students, "I was so upset so I texted him this. Then he texted me back THIS! I couldn't believe it, so I texted him back this. I cried b/c he didn't text me for over two hours, so I thought he was mad at me. So I texted him again, and then late last night, he texted me back....." I just say, "Why the hell didn't you just punch the button and CALL HIM? Or better yet, go SEE HIM IN PERSON! 5 years ago this wouldn't have even been an issue!"

As far as cell phone use, an outright ban would be overboard I think. But a bad driver ban would be great. In NOLA people are really idiots. Wrong blinker on while turning, etc. Interstate blockers, other things that would make you lose your license in a heartbeat in several countries. I've seen people eat while talking on a cell phone while somehow wrangling a cigarette and yelling at a kid in the back seat. Typically they stop at green lights.

I can understand how looking down at my phone to read or send a text message could be very dangerous, as things happen quickly. But, especially with voice dialing, a quick phone call is probably harmless. I try not to have extended calls in traffic or driving around the city. One a 200 mile stretch of interstate, though, I may talk longer.

[uncledaddy]

As far as cell phone use, an outright ban would be overboard I think. But a bad driver ban would be great. In NOLA people are really idiots. Wrong blinker on while turning, etc. Interstate blockers, other things that would make you lose your license in a heartbeat in several countries. I've seen people eat while talking on a cell phone while somehow wrangling a cigarette and yelling at a kid in the back seat. Typically they stop at green lights.

They're like that all over La. lived 4 years in Shreveport/Bossier City and its just the same.

Eating and smoking together?

[ski]

It would be well difficult to enforce an anti-texting law. What's a bobbie to look for exactly? Since a natural position would be to have the phone in your lap, it'd be hard to see what the person is looking at, let alone if they are driving an SUV or truck.

It would have to be a law that you cannot even TOUCH a phone, because someone getting pulled over for this could cancel out of the text with no evidence and claim he/she was just using it to dial.