A Scary Moment

[fun time]

While I could not agree more with the OP comments, I am was just a guilty as the "texting idiots" while driving. How so you ask? Two years ago while heading out on a long trip I found myself while driving mind you, adjusting the GPS, tuning in the FM radio, talking to my wife on a two-way radio (she was following me in the car), answering my cell phone, toggling the Freightliner computer, watching all the digital and non digital guages and drinking a glass of tea.......all this when I was suppose to be driving a 26,000pd. MH. After a few dozen miles of this I stopped and said to myself this is crazy and turned everything off and said the heck with all this electronic crap. I am have become a slave to this junk. I need to focus on my driving.
My point is yes, I was totally wrong but when I look back on this I also think the car and MH manufactures need to understand that all this electronic gadgetry they are putting in these cars today are nothing but a distraction and a unsafe distraction at that. Just look around at any new car and tell me you really need all these readouts, fancy radios that I cannot even figure out, engine computers that tell you everything you need to know but how to fix it when it breaks, tv's for the kids in the back seat, voice command technolodgy that looks for restaurants etc. and on and on. I did fine without them for 30 years. Just the cost to repair some of these items is staggering not to mention the toll they are taking on our roadways by creating driver distractions. Texting while driving? People on Cell phones while driving? These are just the tip of the iceburg in my opinion. We need to get back to safe driving and focus on driving and not all this other stuff. Just my two cents worth.

[R1Kirby]

Heres another thought, if the laws don’t stop distracted driving, then I feel the federal government should make it mandatory that a devise be place in all motor vehicles (business and personal) that will disable all cell phones when the ignition is turned on. No devise, no registration. We do have the technology. If you want to make a call or text, stop your vehicle and turn off the ignition.

[mythplaced]

Originally Posted by R1Kirby

Heres another thought, if the laws don’t stop distracted driving, then I feel the federal government should make it mandatory that a devise be place in all motor vehicles (business and personal) that will disable all cell phones when the ignition is turned on. No devise, no registration. We do have the technology. If you want to make a call or text, stop your vehicle and turn off the ignition.

Now THAT is a great idea.....but I have to ask...

Shouldn't the passengers be allowed to use technology????

My SO is always on the internet looking for information about where we are and whats coming up at the next couple miles...and then calls ahead to make reservations etc....

If this technology could be limited to a radius of 24" around the driver, then that would work...

[RickO]

Originally Posted by fun time

While I could not agree more with the OP comments, I am was just a guilty as the "texting idiots" while driving. How so you ask? Two years ago while heading out on a long trip I found myself while driving mind you, adjusting the GPS, tuning in the FM radio, talking to my wife on a two-way radio (she was following me in the car), answering my cell phone, toggling the Freightliner computer, watching all the digital and non digital guages and drinking a glass of tea.......all this when I was suppose to be driving a 26,000pd. MH. After a few dozen miles of this I stopped and said to myself this is crazy and turned everything off and said the heck with all this electronic crap. I am have become a slave to this junk. I need to focus on my driving.
My point is yes, I was totally wrong but when I look back on this I also think the car and MH manufactures need to understand that all this electronic gadgetry they are putting in these cars today are nothing but a distraction and a unsafe distraction at that. Just look around at any new car and tell me you really need all these readouts, fancy radios that I cannot even figure out, engine computers that tell you everything you need to know but how to fix it when it breaks, tv's for the kids in the back seat, voice command technolodgy that looks for restaurants etc. and on and on. I did fine without them for 30 years. Just the cost to repair some of these items is staggering not to mention the toll they are taking on our roadways by creating driver distractions. Texting while driving? People on Cell phones while driving? These are just the tip of the iceburg in my opinion. We need to get back to safe driving and focus on driving and not all this other stuff. Just my two cents worth.

I remember reading a story by a Vietnam era F4 Phantom pilot who said that all of the electronics became overwhelming while approaching a target at 550 mph at tree top level and he just started turning stuff off one at a time so he could concentrate on staying alive!

Rick

[traveler of california]

Please, we don't need jamming devices in our cars. Just enforce the laws on the books and increase the penalties for violators.

Nick

[TXiceman]

About laws to control us from killing ourselves....the one prevailing statement that controls all...

You can't cure stupid....

Man is going to do stupid things and some manage to do things that are more stupid than others.

Ken

[jodann]

Perhaps in an effort to have more stringent enforcement of our laws we should pay our police a salary plus commission - a percentage, if you will - of any summons they issue for any violation committed. That might work.
jodann

[traveler of california]

Originally Posted by R1Kirby

Heres another thought, if the laws don’t stop distracted driving, then I feel the federal government should make it mandatory that a devise be place in a

Please, don't the feds invade our lives enough? Frankly if anything is to be done, let the states do it.

If my wife wants to talk/text on the phone while I drive, it doesn't affect me at all. Frankly, to punish everyone for the stupidity of a few is just unnecessary.

Perhaps we should have governors on every car and limit speeds to 55 mph. Just think of how many lives that would save. Just kidding.

Enforce the laws on the books, provide VERY stiff fines and be done with it.

Nick

[R1Kirby]

Originally Posted by mythplaced

Now THAT is a great idea.....but I have to ask...

Shouldn't the passengers be allowed to use technology????

My SO is always on the internet looking for information about where we are and whats coming up at the next couple miles...and then calls ahead to make reservations etc....

If this technology could be limited to a radius of 24" around the driver, then that would work...

I agree, however people just don't seem to get it. One question comes to mind, How did we drive before we had cell phones? We planned. The cell phone is a wonderful idea when use properly, however there are a lot of "special people" that are not concerned about your or my safety on the road.

[Wayne M]

In those states where texting is banned, and hand free operations are needed to talk, the texting people just put it down i their lap and look down to text. No peripheral vision at all. This driving by instinct seems to be the norm.

As for hands free, well, at one time I had a '93 Lincoln Mark VIII. It had a built in cell phone between the seats. One of those old brick type phones. I had the number cloned to my cell phone number and used it when I was in the car. There was a little push button on the driver side column that the driver could push to activate the voice controlled phone, or answer a call.

One day as I was driving home from work my wife called and we talked for a little while and I got the 3 item grocery list. In all, it was about 10 minutes. When I hung up the phone I remembered where I took the call, and where I was, but everything in between those two point were mysteriously missing. I had been driving entirely by instinct. Not a good situation.

Driving while texting is very dangerous. Driving while talking, including an engrossed conversation with passengers is dangerous.

Stiffer penalties may be in order.

[rmmpe]

I have gigantic Halogen spotlights I use for backup lights that I can turn on from the cab and they work exceptionally well at night.

[SRT]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

About laws to control us from killing ourselves....the one prevailing statement that controls all...

You can't cure stupid....

Man is going to do stupid things and some manage to do things that are more stupid than others.

Ken

Yup, you can't cure stupid.....

[travelgirl]

Howdy,

maryland had passed a law that you can not text while driving and you can not be on your cell phone, But MD does say if you mest use your cell phone while driving in an EMER you must have some kind of headset to talk while driving

[Triker56]

Originally Posted by R1Kirby

While driving down the road in Alabama we saw a vehicle moving into our lane. We moved over and he kept coming further into our lane. We moved over to where we were off the road. As he went by…guess what…he was busy texting. As he went by he swerved back into his lane. Fortunately no one was hurt and no damage. This has happened twice in one year. We have severe DWI laws, but nothing for cell phone or texting. Isn’t distracted driving as big a problem, or not bigger, than driving under the influence?

Sounds like you need to get your horn fixed or a much louder one. If you couldn't get his attention.
They seem to hear my Air horn with no problem.