Where social media does not belong is on the Highways.

 

Letter to the Editor

I have noticed while driving lately that many drivers are weaving side to side on the road. They roll over solid lines, rumble strips and soft shoulders – only to bring the car back in line and on the road to avert a sure disaster at the last possible moment. I have seen so many people do this, in fact, I thought it might have been one of those coordinated flash mob events to reject society’s attempt to keep you within the lines – so to speak.

I realized on further inspection these people are texting while driving.

I know in our social media society today many of us are driven to be social 24/7, even if that means trying to type a text on a keyboard designed for Lilliputians with one hand, while attempting to control a very big hunk of car hurtling through space with the other.

Next time, before you attempt to text while driving, think of the words of famed actor Clint Eastwood in his role as Dirty Harry; “You have to ask yourself one very important question… Do you feel lucky?” One mistake may cost you your life – and the lives of others – just because you had to type “C U soon.”

Francis Dwyer

Nashua

Where social media does not belong is on the Highways.
#textface #ItCanWait #textinganddriving #donttextanddrive

Check out our home page for the "Bust of the Day".

Today’s Busted driver can be seen texting and driving on our Homepage!

Check out our home page for the "Bust of the Day".
#textface #ItCanWait #textinganddriving #donttextanddrive

Textface want"s to know your comments: Texting-while-driving vs. unmarked police vehicles

New York state troopers will be stepping up enforcement of texting-while-driving laws this summer.

More than 30,000 tickets were issued for texting-while-driving last year, and state officials have decided to crack down further on drivers who are paying attention to their cell phones instead of the road.

Readers responded in the comments with their thoughts on increased texting-while-driving enforcement:

From Mike Tate: I drive an 8 mile stretch of 81 every day and I always see at least 1 driver busy texting. A ticket won’t discourage it if the thought of getting killed doesn’t.

From RudolphSteiner: The penalty should be the same as DWI, schools, insurance increase, loss of license…I prefer a speeding sports car paying attention to the brain dead residents not looking where they drive.

From whyupstate: Good, they should also target speeders, aggressive drivers, unsafe lane changes, tailgaters. Why not enforce all the V and T laws?

Troopers will be using unmarked sport utility vehicles to enforce texting-while-driving laws. The increased height of these vehicles will provide a better view into the cars of potentially unsafe drivers.

But some readers expressed concern over dangers involved in using “Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement.”

Textface want"s to know your comments: Texting-while-driving vs. unmarked police vehicles
#textface #ItCanWait #textinganddriving #donttextanddrive

Texting motorists caught out by Sunday Telegraph photographers, have you been textfaced yet.

School Zone cell phone use can kill an innocence child. A school Zone is a NO PHONE ZONE. Put it down it’s the LAW!.

 

 

THE Sunday Telegraph has busted dozens of motorists since its blitz on text-driving a fortnight ago, in the last week snapping what appeared to be parents taking advantage of school holiday traffic to punch out an SMS.

The message is no driver should feel safe to break road rules with our photographers, not to mention the police, out in force on roads. For more pics of distracted drivers check out www.textface.com as they bust distracted drivers and then post them on the world wide web.

NRMA members nominated texting while driving the main safety issue on the road above drink-driving and speeding in an October survey.

Seven out of 10 people believe that a more visible police presence on the roads is needed.

US telco AT&T has launched a campaign called It Can Wait, asking people to pledge not to text while driving on their website and featuring undertakings from celebrities like singer Demi Lovato to do the same.

The site also features a driving simulator which allows users to experience first-hand the dangers of texting behind the wheel.

The company also has a DriveMode app which sends an auto-reply to incoming texts when the car is travelling at 40kmh or faster, letting contacts know the user will reply when it is safe.

More than 200 organisations have joined the telco’s campaign, supporting a national advertising campaign featuring the consequences of text-driving.

The first story to be told will be that of Xzavier Davis-Bilbo, who was five when he was struck while crossing the street by a young woman texting while driving in 2010 and left paralysed from the waist down.

Were you caught out? Check our galleries:

Sydney texters mega-gallery

Texting motorists caught out by Sunday Telegraph photographers, have you been textfaced yet.
#textface #ItCanWait #textinganddriving #donttextanddrive

Pickup driver got busted for texting and driving.

 

This happens when a pickup driver starts texting in someone’s driveway. The owner of the Silverado was busted by a State Trooper after he was rescued and a text was found on his phone.

Shared by user The American Trucker

The guy was still in the truck at this time. Had to cut him out.

Pickup driver got busted for texting and driving.

Father creates device that will prevent texting and driving in our own state of Arkansas.

 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) – Almost 50 percent of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are texting while driving, but an Arkansas man is using a device he developed to curb statistics like that.

The seat belt guard is a device parents can get to monitor their teens’ driving habits. Joe Rucker said he got the idea after learning that his own daughters were texting and driving.

“We believe that all parents would like to be able to control their children texting and driving. That all people would want to know if their child had their seatbelt engaged or disengaged.” he said.

Rucker explained that the device will dis-engage the phone if the driver is traveling at more than 9 miles per hour. He added that emergency calls can still be made.

Parents will also get a text if their teen tries to text while driving.

http://www.thv11.com/news/article/269764/2/Father-creates-device-that-will-prevent-texting-and-driving

 

 

 

 

Father creates device that will prevent texting and driving in our own state of Arkansas.

Check out our home page for the "Bust of the Day".

Check out our home page www.textface.com for the ” Bust of the Day”

Check out our home page for the "Bust of the Day".

The text can wait.

 

The text can wait.

Grave Dangers of Texting Behind the Wheel

Those who commonly cruise our major roadways across this great nation are abundantly aware of the potential pitfalls of texting behind the wheel. Perhaps the most vital concern of driving in this risky fashion is that if one is lucky enough to survive an accident on the road that could have been avoided their car insurance rate is going to increase. At Thehartford.com/auto-insurance car insurance is costly as is and one should always seek to keep their rate  at a constant level while driving defensively and staying cognizant of the other drivers that are in front, back and on the sides of them.

While sitting in slow-moving traffic it is easy to occasionally rationalize that it’s merely no big deal to respond to some friend who just texted you about that night’s party or write a message on Facebook recognizing your cousin for their upcoming birthday. These responses must be put on hold until they can be communicated in a manner that doesn’t jeopardize your own safety and the safety of those you share the road with! Texting while driving although appearing at times to be to be trivial and a seemingly petty offense not worthy of the massive fines law enforcement are levying these days can have serious detrimental effects and could put yourself and others at severe risk. Texting and driving distracts you from the road in three unique fashions and puts you and those around you in harm’s way.

First off, it prevents you from keeping your eyes on the road. While gazing at another screen it is impossible to fully concentrate on what is going on in your proximity thus increasing your likelihood of crashing considerably. In 2011 alone almost one-quarter of all crashes involved cell phones, equating to approximately 1.3 million car accidents in total that could have been preventable. A recent infographic also reported that crashes are 23 times more likely when a driver is texting! Secondly, when texting while driving your hands are off the wheel making it impossible to react to oncoming stimuli that encroach on your trajectory. No matter how skilled a driver is, defensive driving must always be in the forefront of their conscience, because one must worry about the other folks on the road often moreso than their own individual responsibility to keep the street safe for all. If you take your hands off the wheel even for a split second, you may not have the time to adjust when another car swerves from an adjacent lane to avoid some obstruction in their way. The third facet is texting while driving greatly impairs your cognition when you should be solely focused on arriving at your destination safely and not distracted about how to most effectively communicate a message via a hands-free device or simply by pulling over and sending the message before getting back on the road.

This is an issue that needs to be stringently enforced. Loop holes exist in the law as well, because with new iPod technology somebody can technically be changing a song on their musical device and not utilizing a phone. The issue becomes even more convoluted when an iPhone is the culprit, because these devices both enable us to communicate with our peers, but also allow us to select what tracks we prefer to listen to while cruising. Although no law is currently on the books prohibiting iPod use, it is illegal to text and drive on one’s iPhone thus  law enforcement officials and highway patrolmen need to provide extra scrutiny  across the country prohibiting drivers from using all hands-held devices behind the wheel. Hopefully some day, Apple will come out with the latest greatest iPod that is fully voice commanded, but that era is not yet upon us. Our posterity is likely the most at risk since they are so used to having this technology at their disposal and send countless texts, tweets and other social media messages around the clock. According to a recent Virginia Tech study eleven percent of drivers aged 18 to 20 admitted after being in a crash that they had been sending or receiving texts when the accident happened. It doesn’t take a sage elder to recognize the number is likely far higher and that many teens were apprehensive to divulge they had culpability.

Grave Dangers of Texting Behind the Wheel

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Your Thoughts?