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Texting While Driving More Dangerous Than DWI

Should TWD be treated the same as DWI?

  • Total voters
    16
The DWI laws are already too strict - .08 is far too law. It is low enough that social drinkers and responsible adults get DUIs. Aside from that, lawmakers cannot continue to ban everything that causes an accident. I heard a guy on NPR saying that talking on the phone is a distraction and that he wants all form of talking on the phone banned - hands free or not.

Fine sir, ban talking on the phone since it is a distraction. Is he going to take my radio as well? Can I have someone in the car next to me because I will probably talk to him/her? What about my ADHD, am I allowed to drive since I will probably end up distracting myself with my own thoughts?

Accidents happen. Keep improving safety and teach proper driving techniques. That's all you can do. Banning everything will just cause good people to get fined for everyday things.
 
I think cars are a tool and like any tool that is dangerous it comes with risks and responsibilities. From what I recall, car accidents are a common cause of death pretty much worldwide, and it's always risky to drive even if you are sober or not texting. So these laws don't really make the roads safer, they just increase revenue. If you are afraid of the road then don't drive, it's really that simple.

At the same time, the creation of new laws serves to put the public on notice. It's redundant to create texting laws while reckless driving laws already exist, BUT the texting laws inform the public that texting too is not acceptable. I personally think that texting is more dangerous than drunk driving because at least some people can drive drunk. When you text you are taking your eyes completely off the road while at high speed. I don't have a problem if morons kill themselves while texting, but other people shouldn't have to die.
 
Ikari said:
It depends on what you're talking about. Texting and driving in an of itself may be legal in certain States. Now if you are texting and driving, and it impacts your driving such that you begin to drive recklessly; that is not legal in any State. That is reckless driving and endangerment. There are already laws for those.
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It's a hard concept for him to understand. Either he's incapable of critical thought, or he's just trolling at this point.
 
Dezaad said:
It appeared to me like you were asserting that a cop seeing a person driving erratically due to texting had no basis for citing the driver at all. If you were talking past R, I get the impression it was intentional.
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of course it was. My position was quite clear, I even demonstrated via links that indeed folks were being cited for reckless and careless driving due to texting and he purposefully ignored these facts to frame the argument in a way that I never conveyed.



For example he states, NY does not have a texting law. I never argued they did, what I did argue is that folks who text while driving can be charged with reckless driving, and have.

here is a ny example.

Police charged Rothberger with misdemeanor reckless driving and using a mobile phone while driving

Read more: Brooklyn teen Nechama Rothberger crashes while texting, critically injuring deliverman - NYPOST.com
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Example after example, I prove my position to this guy, and he has the hubris to call me "slow"? Ironic at best.
 
USA_1 said:
Thats what I was trying to point out to the slow guy. They had to make texting while driving ilegal in order to issue tickets for it.
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nonsesne that was what you changed the argument to after I embarrassed you for several pages. Seriously, do I need to requote the whole conversation for you? :lamo
 
USA_1 said:
Thats what I was trying to point out to the slow guy. They had to make texting while driving ilegal in order to issue tickets for it.
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Yeah, but that only really extends it to people who text and drive but do not demonstrate signs of reckless driving. If you can somehow pull of texting and driving in a safe manner, then more power to you. It's the ones who cannot text and drive yet do whom worry me.
 
Ikari said:
Yeah, but that only really extends it to people who text and drive but do not demonstrate signs of reckless driving. If you can somehow pull of texting and driving in a safe manner, then more power to you. It's the ones who cannot text and drive yet do whom worry me.
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Texting while driving should be against the law. There is no safe way to do it and it only takes a second to cross the centerline and have a head on colision.
 
USA_1 said:
Texting while driving should be against the law. There is no safe way to do it and it only takes a second to cross the centerline and have a head on colision.
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Sounds like reckless driving... already a law. :shrug:
 
ReverendHellh0und said:
Sounds like reckless driving... already a law. :shrug:
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Without laws against it texting while driving, just like talking on your cell phone is a perfectly legal activity. This is why states created laws to ban it. Texting while driving was not considered reckless driving. It was legal to do it.
 
USA_1 said:
Without laws against it texting while driving, just like talking on your cell phone is a perfectly legal activity. This is why states created laws to ban it. Texting while driving was not considered reckless driving. It was legal to do it.
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Cops have laptops in thier computers, how are they able to use thier laptops to run your plates while driving?
 
ReverendHellh0und said:
/facepalm


It doesn't need to.
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LOL... Apparently you have never been one to get in front of a judge and try to explain why a certain act fits a broad definition of a law like reckless driving.

Even legislatures have determined that judges aren't interpretive enough, thus the texting while driving laws in many states.
 
Caine said:
LOL... Apparently you have never been one to get in front of a judge and try to explain why a certain act fits a broad definition of a law like reckless driving.

Even legislatures have determined that judges aren't interpretive enough, thus the texting while driving laws in many states.
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Right because one couldn't plea down one of these stupid txting laws. Lateral move.
 
ReverendHellh0und said:
Right because one couldn't plea down one of these stupid txting laws. Lateral move.
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What does plea-ing down have to do with a judge finding one not responsible/guilty for a specific act because the "texting" portion isn't specifically spelled out in the law?

And.. he did this at 2am with only one government vehicle (police) and street signs (government property) around? Bah, who cares about government property and the safety of police officers! Not Guilty!
 
Caine said:
What does plea-ing down have to do with a judge finding one not responsible/guilty for a specific act because the "texting" portion isn't specifically spelled out in the law?

And.. he did this at 2am with only one government vehicle (police) and street signs (government property) around? Bah, who cares about government property and the safety of police officers! Not Guilty!
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Sounds like a personal issue. Here in Jersey, reckless driving tickets are most often at best pleaded down to careless....



If one can't text and drive, and I think they shouldn't why are police allowed to use cellphones, and type on thier toughbooks while driving?
 
ReverendHellh0und said:
Sounds like a personal issue. Here in Jersey, reckless driving tickets are most often at best pleaded down to careless....



If one can't text and drive, and I think they shouldn't why are police allowed to use cellphones, and type on thier toughbooks while driving?
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A. Ive never actually charged someone with a texting violation, so nothing personal, just making up a scenario that has happened here in the county I work in (worst f'ing county for LE in all the state)
B. Cell phone use isn't illegal here.
C. Law Enforcement have many exceptions from laws, this is nothing new with the in car computers.
 
Caine said:
A. Ive never actually charged someone with a texting violation, so nothing personal, just making up a scenario that has happened here in the county I work in (worst f'ing county for LE in all the state)
B. Cell phone use isn't illegal here.
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fair enough, ever consider though that writing them up for reckless causes them a lot of time/money even if it gets dismissed?


C. Law Enforcement have many exceptions from laws, this is nothing new with the in car computers.
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I know that, it was sorta a rhetorical question, though I was almost killed by an officer who was on the cell phone and not paying attention. You all shouldn't be exempt as your no more no less human than the rest of us.
 
USA_1 said:
Texting while driving should be against the law. There is no safe way to do it and it only takes a second to cross the centerline and have a head on colision.
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If there is no safe way of doing it, then it is already illegal.
 
ReverendHellh0und said:
I know that, it was sorta a rhetorical question, though I was almost killed by an officer who was on the cell phone and not paying attention. You all shouldn't be exempt as your no more no less human than the rest of us.
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150%! Those who make the laws and enforce the laws should not be exempt from the laws. It's as simple as that. If driving while texting or cell phone is illegal because it's dangerous for humans to do while driving, then it NEEDS to be UNIVERSAL. Dangerous is dangerous, that's all there is to it. If the People aren't allowed to act in that manner than neither should the government. The fact that lawmakers and law enforcers become exempt to certain laws is complete horse****.
 
Ikari said:
If there is no safe way of doing it, then it is already illegal.
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My opinion that there is no safe way to do it doesn't make it illegal. Talking on cell phones is legal now and won't be illegal until a law is created making it so. Just like texting.
 
Ikari said:
150%! Those who make the laws and enforce the laws should not be exempt from the laws. It's as simple as that. If driving while texting or cell phone is illegal because it's dangerous for humans to do while driving, then it NEEDS to be UNIVERSAL. Dangerous is dangerous, that's all there is to it. If the People aren't allowed to act in that manner than neither should the government. The fact that lawmakers and law enforcers become exempt to certain laws is complete horse****.
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Should it be legal for officers to exceed the speed limit?
 
USA_1 said:
My opinion that there is no safe way to do it doesn't make it illegal. Talking on cell phones is legal now and won't be illegal until a law is created making it so. Just like texting.
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How is talking on a cell phone dangerous? how is it safer on a "hands free device" as opposed to holding the phone to your ear?
 
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