Texting thread

[Pin-seeker]

pmsl!! now u calling him a peado??

Forum gold :rofl:

 

[Pin-seeker]

Tweetings fine, as are snapchat and whatsap

But FaceBook is never acceptable for anyone over the age of 18.

 

[North Mimms]

Tweetings fine, as are snapchat and whatsap

Sexting definitely a bad idea.
Driving with no trousers on can cause all kinds of problems...

 

[woody69]

I think it appears that the only way that you will stop texting whilst driving or understand how big a risk it is - is if you either get caught and have to deal with the fine and points and possibly more or and I hope this never happens - the risk you believe you are in control of actually turns out to be false control and you hurt someone or yourself. I really really hope it's not the second one and someone doesnt suffer at the hands of your safe risk ?!

Before that read some stories about people that have died at the hands of someone who has taken the risk to text whilst driving - it might make you think twice.

I have. It doesn't.

Woody, do you text when you have children in your car?

No. They are an added distraction

Woody, do you text children when you're in your car?

Only yours.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Gentlemen perlease

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I have. It doesn't.
.

http://youtu.be/qBrxmuXmYVs

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think Woody's somewhat dogmatic stance on this is way out of kilter with opinion and what others see as common sense and I hope he never has cause to regret that one second it takes. It seems that he's totally entrenched and the majority are in the opposite lines. I can't see where else this is going

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

Only yours.

Hahaha :thup:

 

[Slab]

I wondered if this question should be separate to this thread but on reflection I think it’s part of this discussion although given strength of opinion not sure it’ll get the honest replies to add to the debate

Everyone knows what it’s like to ignore a ringing phone, and a great many texts are sent to illicit a response, so...

Have you ever sent a text to someone who you know could be driving? Did you even think about it before sending and if so what were you thoughts on the possible consequences?

1. Didn’t think about the risk
2. It’s not my responsibility
3. Whatever happens happens
4. Assumed their phone would be switched off if driving
5. Assumed they would pull over to read
6. Assumed they wouldn’t read till later
7. Have never sent a text
8. This thread is about sending texts while driving and I don’t want to admit I might be part of the problem

What message was so important that you needed to send it at that time? I mean even the unexpected alert of an incoming message is a distraction to a driver

Are you just sending a loaded gun but not thinking about whether the trigger gets pulled!

Of course none of the above makes it legal to use your phone to text while driving, just trying to stimulate some further debate here

 

[North Mimms]

I wondered if this question should be separate to this thread but on reflection I think it’s part of this discussion although given strength of opinion not sure it’ll get the honest replies to add to the debate

Everyone knows what it’s like to ignore a ringing phone, and a great many texts are sent to illicit a response, so...

Have you ever sent a text to someone who you know could be driving? Did you even think about it before sending and if so what were you thoughts on the possible consequences?

1. Didn’t think about the risk
2. It’s not my responsibility
3. Whatever happens happens
4. Assumed their phone would be switched off if driving
5. Assumed they would pull over to read
6. Assumed they wouldn’t read till later
7. Have never sent a text
8. This thread is about sending texts while driving and I don’t want to admit I might be part of the problem

What message was so important that you needed to send it at that time? I mean even the unexpected alert of an incoming message is a distraction to a driver

Are you just sending a loaded gun but not thinking about whether the trigger gets pulled!

Of course none of the above makes it legal to use your phone to text while driving, just trying to stimulate some further debate here

That's a really interesting viewpoint, but the full responsibility for text- driving lies with the person who decides to read or send a text while driving.
Yes- texts are often sent to elicit a response, but if someone doesn't reply within a few minutes, i assume they are doing something else, and will reply when they can (or they hate me!)
The advantage of a text is that is can be read at your convenience.
When it's safe and sensible to do so.

What I find bizarre, is seeing people driving off from a parked position, phone in hand.
Why not make that call, send that text before starting the car?

 

[woody69]

http://youtu.be/qBrxmuXmYVs

Yes, I have seen that before. It's very well done and hard hitting for sure, but then when I do send a text I don't do it like she is and as I have stated many times before I have never ever even come close to drifting out of my lane and I never do more than glance at the screen for no more than a second at a time, but I feel like I'm just repeating myself here.

 

[woody69]

I think Woody's somewhat dogmatic stance on this is way out of kilter with opinion and what others see as common sense and I hope he never has cause to regret that one second it takes. It seems that he's totally entrenched and the majority are in the opposite lines. I can't see where else this is going

Or I'm the only one on here who's willing to admit that I do it. Thanks again for having me in your thoughts though about causing a potential accident because I'm looking at my phone.

 

[Ethan]

Interesting, if fractious, debate.

I think there is an interesting debate between advocates of proportionality and those of strict adherence to the law.

It should be obvious that anything which distracts or impairs the responses of the driver is a potential hazard - texting, listening to loud music, having taken alcohol, looking in the back to tell the kids to behave, whatever.

Some of these are easier to legislate for, though. Although there is good evidence that driving performance is impaired at lower levels, we have a drink driving limit. Would a zero limit be safer - yes. Personally I don't touch alcohol if I am going to be in a car anytime soon after. But there are political factors too. No Govt wants to be the one that gets the negative nanny state coverage associated with reducing the level to zero.

Likewise, banning turning to look into the back of the car is rather difficult to implement and police, and is unnecessary because in extreme cases can be covered under due care and attention or similar. But texting while driving is much easier to ban, so they do. And texting is also the purview of young people and young people in cars are something that gets the white middle Daily Mail reader all up in a lather.

I think the argument that something is unlawful and therefore morally wrong is a false one. So is its counterpart, that something which is not unlawful is morally OK.

 

[Beezerk]

Driving home from Scotland down the M74 yesterday afternoon, spotted umpteen texters (you can tell them a mile off, swerving side to side), umpteen on the phone making calls (no hands free), and a few guys eating while at the wheel.
It's rife and getting worse IMO, got to be honest women seem to be the worst culprits although it's just my personal observation.

I also nearly wiped out a cyclist on a country road who decided to go around a blind corner on the wrong side of the road.
Interesting drive home it was

 

[Fyldewhite]

Well said Ethan. Fully agree.

I still think the analogy with speeding is valid. Both are illegal, both increase the risk of accidents/deaths, both can be done recklessly and hey......both can be done at negligible additional risk. That's just a bunch of facts. Yes, "negligible" is subjective but I think most would agree. Now, if anyone never breaks a speed limit and never touches a mobile in a car that's fine, I doubt very much if anyone could justify criticising that position and I for one would never do that. However, to do one and then categorically say the other is unacceptable, in ANY circumstances (like what Woody actually described as opposed to what many seem to think he is advocating) is I think a display of breathtaking arrogance and double standards. Clearly, nobody posting on this thread would fall into that category though.

PS - another one above totally missing the point ------I'm out.

 

[SaintHacker]

It's rife and getting worse IMO, got to be honest women seem to be the worst culprits although it's just my personal observation.

Its not just you. I drive for a living, I see far more women than men using their phones while driving.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Or I'm the only one on here who's willing to admit that I do it. Thanks again for having me in your thoughts though about causing a potential accident because I'm looking at my phone.

No Woody69 you are not alone as I have texted whilst driving - and so chastened was I by the article that I read I was prompted to open the topic. However I can also honestly say that I have only done it maybe half dozen times in last few years and only when stationary or moving very slowly (I'm a rubbish texter in all weathers).

Interestingly given @slabs observations my texts were only as the briefest replies (no more than a handful of words) to texts I've received.

But I cannot lie and cannot be hypocritical - the honest truth is that I have sent texts whilst driving. But I will no longer do so. It may not be a big deal for me - but consequences could be a very big deal for someone else.

 

[triple_bogey]

Used to do it when the phones had hard buttons, as you really didn't need to look at the phone to see what you was typing.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Used to do it when the phones had hard buttons, as you really didn't need to look at the phone to see what you was typing.

Which is a very important observation I think. Many folks may have developed a laissez faire attitude and habit towards texting while driving when they used a phone with raised buttons. But with touch screens the texter really does have to look down at what they are testing and concentrate on the keypad and correcting predictive texting errors. Bad news bingo.

But for many the habit and attitude are now ingrained - and of course they won't have had an accident - yet. But with new touch screens the risk is clearly significantly greater than it was - especially with predictive texting messing up any typing slips.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Used to do it when the phones had hard buttons, as you really didn't need to look at the phone to see what you was typing.

Good shout - let's see if we get some more honesty. And I have fessed up even although some might say that the very small numbers and minimalist content of texts I have sent 'don't really count' as texting whilst driving - to me it does - let's not split hairs.