Texting while driving ~ graphic

It's making the rounds... but it's something EVERY driver should see this, especially teenagers. It is very graphic and is recommended for 18 and older but if they wait till 18 to see it, they may not reach 18. If you HAVE to phone or text, pull over and stop in a SAFE location first, THEN use the phone.
I know I'll NEVER do this again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGE8LzRaySk

Half decent production and make-up.

The problem is no kid is going to watch this and, even if they did, they'll still talk and text on their phones... Calif. passed a law against talking and texting while driving and regardless of the law, you still see a bunch of people driving and busy with their cell phones.

You're so right Larry. The message just isn't sinking in for some folks. There has been an ongoing story in American Motorcyclist about a woman who was painting her nails while driving and rear-ended another woman on a bike killing her. The driver was charged with a simple "failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident." The charges are being reviewed and apparently more serious charges may be filed. Good. Maybe a few distracted drivers need to take a hit to get the word out.

Oh God, Sue-Z, I just watched the video. What a horrifying account of the accident.

If you have a phone to the ear or in your hands while driving here.....OOOooo boy, big fine and 9 points on your 12....

Our idiot lawmakers only made it a $20.00 fine, with penalty assessments, it comes to about $60.00 but that's not enough to deter people from using their phones while driving.

Idiot lawmakers? How in hell do you expect lawmakers to legislate COMMON SENSE? Come on...I pounded that in to my kids when I approved their learners permit and put serious behind-the-wheel driving time with them to my MY SATISFACTION. Not some jerk in Sacramento. My kids actually would sigh (read: "ugh") when I took 'em out and exposed 'em to some SoCal traffic conditions. The best any parent can do is prepare them properly and set hard guidelines. I had a zero tolerance for some things-and I never tried to be their best friend; my job was and is to MENTOR. As adults now, they thank me all the time.

Yeah, but what did they do when you weren't around???

Daughter is 34 and son is 30. They did their share of stupid things as I've found since found out. Daughter got licensed at 16, son at 17 (because he had an attitude). No accidents. They made it through the "Idiot Years". Speeding tickets/insurance issues are their responsibilities. I feel as though I did my part. The scary part is that they think like me!
I reiterate, if you think Sacramento is the cure-all for this behavior, you are naive.

By no means am I naive.

It's nice to pat ourselves on our respective backs and praise how we raised our kids but that's less than 1/2 the battle.

Many children can be brought up in a firm environment, taught that common sense is the best sense we possess, taught right from wrong and still go out and screw up.

Unfortuntely, in today's society, most parents don't spend the time explaining "life" to their children. As such, most of "today" children do only what "they" want to do and, no one is going to tell them otherwise.
This leaves politicians the open door to create legislation such as the cell phone laws.

It's a proven fact, unless you attach serious consequences, more people will ignore the law than obey it. I don't want Govt. raising our kids but I do wish they had attached a serious consequence to the cell phone legislation instead of cheap slap on the wrist.

Incidentally, it's not just teenager's that use their cell phones while driving.

If man won't do it himself then the Government unfortunately step's in to legislate our lives, sometimes for the wrong reasons and sometimes for the right reason.

OK, my house is in order and I'm proud to have invested in "mine". To be truthful, I'd like to see scofflaws have their cars impounded for 90 days and a $1000.00 fine. Boom boxes in cars, cell phones, IPODs, word processors, Morse-code telegrapher's keys. Gone. Let's get the most out of politicians. More ink, I say.
Truly, at any given point in time I'd guess-timate that only 1-2 out of 10 cars/drivers around me are competent drivers; 0 (zero) are as good as I am.
All that said, at some point in future time there will be a "post" dissing the California code and/or the poor cop enforcing the fascist law...blah, blah-ba-de-friggin-blah.... Some people will just never get it. Take care of you and yours, and carry really good insurance. Really, there's nothing else one can do (legally)...

We can sum it up like this...

Too easy to get driver's privledges.

Too hard to lose driver's privledges...

angela

How difficult would it be to require all new cars to come equipped with a phone (bluetooth) and system that jams all other phone/texting devices....Make it mandatory for all auto's and require inspection prior to renewal of registration...
Of course that means more government regulation...
On second thought, forget it, another 50-60 years this place won't be fit for living anyway.... "soylent green" is coming....

Angela and Vince both have the right ideas. I am of the opinion in order to get a drivers license one should have to demonstrate at least a room temperature IQ. And to keep it too! The was an article in the Houston Chronicle recently about a fellow who had been found guilty of DWI for 27th time...and had been arrested for DWI 32 times....

And it has been suggested more than once that texting while driving is worse for safety than DWI.....

I suppose a "shoot on sight" order might be a bit much?

If you're driving, then I say, "Shut up and drive!" Put the phone down and absolutely NO TEXTING!

I have found that sometimes it depends on the road you're on. An example, NY State Thruway is inhabited by people that either don't know, care, or are too afraid to drive.

The Palisades Parkway is surprisingly inhabited by people that drive over the speed limit and PAY ATTENTION to the world around them. If you come up on them in the left lane, they move over as soon as possible(not all, but most). This road actually has some nice curves through some wooded areas. A lot of people routinely run 75 mph on this road, and having been around them, I don't feel unsafe.

Ok, I posted this, so I get to put my 2cents worth in....

My Dad gave me the "honor" of having the use of HIS car (a station wagon!!!) to use my Senior year of College. I have to say, that although I was thankful for the use of the car, I was MORTIFIED at the requirements for me to take it!!! I had to show him that I could:
1) take off a flat
2) find the spare
3) change the flat for the spare &
4) drive to the nearest station to have it fixed properly!

I did as was requested, and earned the StationWagon for my Senior Year, until I bought my first car. Because the wagon wasn't 'MINE'... I made sure I was the 'designated driver' (before it was PC!), because I knew that if I didn't die, my parents would kill me!!!
I am guilty of txt'ing/calling while driving... we all think we are GREAT drivers, and the OTHERS are the idiots (myself, included!) but this video caught my attention.
No: I am not an 18 year old, but I have been known to take my eyes off the road for a second or two: and that's ALL IT TAKES!!!

Age DOES NOT MATTER in this case! The most experienced driver can be sidelined ~ even watching out for the "others"!

I hope & Pray that NONE of us ever has to deal with this kind of tragedy: to ourselves or those we love!!!

Just DON'T DRINK/TEXT WHILE BEHIND THE WHEEL!
Nuff said!

Susan, You forgot to ad talking on your cell. If you don't think you're distracted, try to remember anything about the area you covered while driving and talking on your phone. It's a proven fact that talking on your phone while driving is very distracting and many a collision has occured due to this activity.

Try this for scary:

In California, you can get a learners permit at age 15 (this was in mid-80s). My son had his driving permit at age 15 - plus two days. BUT, it was legal to also ride a motorcycle with a learner's permit! Of course no adult was required to be in attendance. He rode all over the county on his restored 305 Honda Hawk. At least I had him in good leathers and a helmet (before there were helmet laws).

As stated by others, safety is 90% mental and 10% physical ability - driving or riding. Gotta bring 'em up right.

Bus drive reads while driving.......mmmm

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26024594-421,00.html

Today on Interstate Rt.81 in VA. I watched a guy in a Honda SUV go by me weaving all over as he is BS'n on the cell...WHAM.... right into a bridge abutment and flips it 1.5 times.
...I gave his routine a 8.5 for being a bit off balance on his landing.

Did you stop and tell the cops what happened? I would hope that some extra penalty would be added for doing something like that. Of course I hope the dumb $hit survived (and no one else was hurt), but I would really want him to be publicly humiliated for such stupidity.

There were a few four wheelers and two big trucks that stopped ..."My time is money" and on down the road I went ~