Please think

[Booreatta]

It is a rare occasion that I express any personal views but I have a need to do so now. This past weekend a friend and car club member lost his son in a fatal auto crash. The young man was 25 years old and had a bright future ahead. He was killed when another driver rear ended him. The driver of the vehicle that struck him was on the cell phone and possible texting. That is yet to be determined. In any case witnesses said the vehicle never slowed down and hit the young mans vehicle at around 60 mph. Now my purpose in making the post is not to take sides, as I am sure there will lots of blame on both sides, but to plead with everybody on this forum to stay off of your phone when driving. That call or text can wait. The bottom line is there is one young man dead and a family dealing with a lot of grief and another party that may have to face charges and most likely has ruined another life in the process.

If you don't agree with this post Please forgive me it is not my intention to preach but I hope that everybody will think about some of our driving habits. PLEASE THINK and put your phone down when you drive so that we don't have to hear of anyone else getting hurt or killed.

PLEASE THINK

Chuck Kerls

[Vincent Vega]

Couldn't agree more, Chuck. I have a 30 minute commute every day. It is astounding the number of people texting while driving these days. The phone use is bad enough, but texting is downright dangerous. Wisconsin just passed a law banning it. It is also illegal to run a red light. Red seems to be the new yellow these days. Unfortunately those laws are hard to enforce. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend.

[Jim]

Just last night I was on an overpass on the freeway on my motorcycle and a kid came up the ramp just slowed down for the stop sign and turned right in front of me. He was taking on his cell phone and I nearly hit him.

We had a state senator here for many years and I can say I never agreed with anything he said except he thought cell phones should be banned from use while driving. I totally agree.

A month ago on the same freeway I passed a woman using both hands in the center of the steering wheel texting while driving.

They are nuts out there. Be careful.

[Guest WEB 38]

It makes you wonder why are lawmakers are dragging there feet on this? Could it be the political funding by the wireless companys. Bill WEB 38

[KDirk]

Yet another senseless loss due to distracted driving, very sorry to hear about it. I see this (cell phones/texting while driving) a lot, as I run service calls out of a company vehicle all day long. Even though it is not my vehicle, it still worries me as I can be injured/killed just as easily as the next guy if in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even if the worst doesn't happen, I can end up in a wreck through no fault of my own. This doesn't look good to the boss, even if it wasn't my fault.

When I'm driving my own cars, it irritates me even more. I have put a lot of time, money and effort into maintaining/restoring my vehicles, and the idea of some moron not paying attention destroying them due to simple stupidity and inconsideration burns me up. That is over and above the potential loss of life or limb, which also makes me want to take these clowns out before they have a chance to injure or kill me.

In any case, texting needs to be banned, but it will make little difference. The enforceability of this is a joke, police may get 1-2% of the people doing this and nick them with a fine. The rest will take their chances, and generally get away with it just like speeding or running stop signs. If no cop is around, nothing happens [unless you get into a wreck]. People know this, and will assess the risk/reward ratio just like an insurance company does to determine premiums. That is why these laws banning texting while driving will never amount to more than a few extra dollars in the city's pot.

The real solution to this (and even this is not 100% effective) is to do what was done with drunk driving. Attach such a heavy social stigma to it that people's attitude finally starts to change. This takes a long time (drunk driving took 20-30 years or most of my lifetime thus far) to become effective on any discernible scale, but it can be done with concentrated campaigns like MADD and SADD used to do in the 80's and 90's.

There will always be idiots who are beyond being shamed or mandated by law into behaving responsibly, and they will continue to bring damage and anguish to innocent bystanders who just happen to be in their line of fire. If I had my way they'd never see a jury, but then I am of the eye for an eye mindset.

I hate to sound defeatist, but problems like this are never really solved. With luck and concerted effort they can be reduced in scale, but never eliminated. I think WEB 38 also has a good point in that this becomes a political issue due to lobbying. How many problems are never addressed because there is to much money being laid down to prevent them from being scrutinized? I think I'll wrap this up right there, before this becomes a full-on rant.

KDirk

[Vincent Vega]

The only way to elimnate it is to make it unavailable in a moving car. Most new phones have built in GPS receivers. If the manufactuers disable the texting features if the phone is moving faster than 5 mph we eliminate it. This is no different than the auto industry being required to provide seatbelts or air bags. It's about safety. No texting in a car, period. No drivers, no passengers. We lived without it for years, we can live without it now.

Edited June 9, 2010 by Vincent Vega (see edit history)

[Guest mhuffy]

It takes discipline not to pick up that phone or read and respond to that text. We lived for years without cell phones. Just today, I mistakenly left my phone at home. I was at one of my stores about 80 miles away with the majority of the rid via a 2 lane highway through the hills of southern Indiana. I must tell you, it was the most enjoyable trip I have made in months. Imagine - possibly save a life, and enjoy your drive at the same time.

Chuck, I echo your remarks. My sympathies to the family of our member for their tragic loss.

[DAVE A]

Chuck;

First of all, my deepest sympathies to the family. As a paramedic, I see this time and time again. I too fail to see why the blockheads in Washington and our State legislature fail to take action. I have been on the scene of numerous incidents of this type, most noteably, the one featured recently on the Oprah show. I was the first on scene of the incident where a beautiful and talented young lady who was coming from the graduation ceremony where she graduated Summa Cum Lauda lost both her parents and was left paralyzed down her left side in an incident caused by a person on his cell phone. I find myself yelling out my car window "HANG UP AND DRIVE!!!"

[padgett]

Air horns in their ear work well