Is the Texting-While-Driving Ban Working?
Decatur Metro | August 19, 2010 | 10:36 amDid anyone else see this little blurb yesterday?
State troopers say they started enforcing the law Aug. 1, after one month spent educating the public. In two weeks, authorities say they’ve handed out just two dozen citations, but they’re visually noting fewer people using phones at all while driving.
So, why is a law that is difficult to enforce – which many of you pointed out in a previous discussion – having such a noticeable effect?
h/t: That’s Just Peachy
I run in the afternoons and I will frequently see people texting at stoplights/stop signs. Maybe the texting while driving has decreased, but it looks like it is still hard for some to put the phone down while waiting for traffic to move.
I personally am more wary about texting-while-driving. I’m honestly worried about getting a ticket.
James,
I’m a middle-aged woman who needs to stare at my screen and concentrate when I text even a simple sentence. So, I cannot even imagine trying to text when I drive. I feel quite guilty when I use the cell phone to talk when I drive.
So, I need you to explain to me why soeone would ever do it in the first place.
I mean, you haven’t had a scary moment when you were texting and almost rear-ended someone? You’re more afraid of a ticket than possibly getting into an accident and killing someone, possibly yourself? Because, you know, the ticket ain’t the worst that can happen with this?
I apologize if any of that sounded rude. I’m really trying not to be judgmental, but trying to understand why someone would risk a horrible accident for a text message. Isn’t listening to the radio while driving enough to stave off boredom.
I once rode in a car with an 18-year-old coworker who gave me a ride home after work. She tail-gated and texted while driving. The minute I got home, I had to throw up, I was so stressed out by the drive. She honestly did not realize how dangerous her driving was.
Diane,
Don’t know if it is just a guy thing or not, but I’ve heard many men make claims about things they can do while driving and still be excellent drivers, from drinking to things I won’t mention. They also think they should be allowed to drive 85mph (or faster). They are often the sort of people that think they are exceptional and that rules are made for “the stupid people,” never questioning their own superiority.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s just a guy thing. Do women make such claims amongst themselves?
Didn’t at all mean to suggest that its safe to text while driving. I know I should not do it, but I’ve been as guilty as many others in doing it occasionally. My point was just that the ban has created extra incentive for me not to. In addition to the obvious safety reasons.
I still see people doing it on a daily basis, but I have made more of an effort not to pick up the phone at all while driving.
It has made me more cautious about using the phone at all while driving. I use my Droid for navigation, and I make sure to enter my settings while still parked. I think it is having an effect, but then I am a cheapskate in some ways and dread the thought of any ticket.
If a cop pulls you over, just confidently assert “these aren’t the droids you are looking for…”
well played sir.
Indeed. And now, George Lucas will be expecting his royalties for your use of the term “Droid”. (I’m joking about you guys, but if you look at the disclaimer in the Droid ads, you’ll see that Lucasfilm has that word locked up! I’m guessing every time the ad plays, it’s just another “cha-ching!” in his pocket…)
I’d say the relatively small number of tickets being written proves how hard it is to enforce. Cops are just not writing tickets for texting violations alone. Unless they increase their enforcement of the law, the deterrent factor will decrease.
You think? How will people know how much enforcement is going on?
Because of “little blurbs” like the one above and the bloggers who publicize them?
The law definitely has stopped the practice in my household; even a chance of a ticket is enough to halt texting. It has also made us much more aware of the danger of texting while driving. They just need to keep stats and publish them every once in a while to see if it’s working.. ..and by stats, I don’t just mean how many tickets, but how many accidents that can be linked to TWD.
Texting is illegal. Thus, writing an email is a crime. But is checking your email? Is looking at a weather app against the law. I’m still very unclear as to what’s a crime and what isn’t.
Perhaps uncertainty is best. Maybe people some people will not chance a ticket. I think the important thing is drawing attention to it and making it socially unacceptable. That was the big reason for the decline in smoking, much bigger factor than the increased cost.
Me too. Is using a Droid phone for navigation illegal but not fiddling with a dedicated navigation device? I have seen my ancient father do some darn weird driving while his navigation device’s robo-lady voice tells him to turn left when he knows he really wants to turn right. He’s fiddling with the device, talking back to the robo-lady, listening to my mother worry, snapping back at her, and driving at the same time, all with slow reflexes and poor hearing (but good eyesight thanks to cataract surgery!). I do think that laws help folks like him drive better. If he was told that fiddling with the navigation device while driving was against the law, he’d adhere to the letter of the law and either try to return it for a refund (depression baby) or give it to my mother to fiddle with.
Not sure what the law is but anything that requires you to take your eyes off the road for more than a glance, such as checking mirrors or the speedometer, should not be done while driving.
Youshouldn’t check your mirrors while driving? Seriously?
In the immortal words of some road race movie, “What is behind me is not important!”
I decided a few weeks ago to put my phone on “vibrate” while I drive. I never hear it over my radio, thus I am never tempted to answer it or view a text. I just don’t think it is worth the risk. The risk being my life or someone else’s life. Resist the temptation!
This works until one has a tween or teen on their own with their own cell phone. On the very off chance that they are calling urgently, one wants to answer. I guess the solution is to assign their calls a special ring and only answer for that when in the car. Maybe I’ll get over this, but my heart seizes a little still when I know my child is calling and I have to pick up and be sure they are ok.
Now, I know that we all used to get along just fine without cell phones for tweens/teens but life was organized differently. Things started and ended on schedule because it had to be that way for pickup/carpools. Now teens call when things are over. Pay phones are rare where they used to be ubiquitous. Some folks don’t have land lines or answering machines at home anymore.
May I respectfully suggest you pull over and/or park your car to answer or return your child’s call? I mean, if they are calling you, they must be “OK” enough to dial their phone. What’s a few extra seconds or minutes before you call them right back, safely? You’d be setting a very good example for them, in addition to increasing your own safety – and that of the other drivers on the road.
Theoretically, I agree but we just aren’t there yet. The infinitesimal attention span of this age group means that by the time I pull over, they have turned off their phone and made up their own mind about whether they ought to go over to that house with no parents home. But you’re right, this should be all worked out as house rules so I don’t have to be madly grabbing my phone in the middle of a work meeting, or while trying to leap onto a MARTA train, or while trying to parallel park.
In my defense, I’m only talking about phone calls. I don’t know how to text and I consider text messages to be non-emergencies by definition, unless the message is “help, I’m duct-taped and typing with my toes “.
in everybody else’s defense, it will be small consolation that you were not texting but were instead “madly grabbing your phone” when you run into or over somebody. or somebody’s child or pet. To Karass and everyone else in the same circumstances, as I know there are many: with all due respect, please find a way to get a grip.
Yes, I agree — all cell phone use and other kinds of distracted driving are dangerous and should be avoided. (And maybe instruct your children that it is not ok to turn off their phones? (And I assume you’ve already let them know that it’s not okay to go where there are no parents at home?? Not to go off on an OT parenting tangent, but your kids are either going to obey your family rules, or they’re not. This particular example you’re giving, to me, is not a situation that can be mitigated by the urgent, immediate use of your cell phone. Sounds like a more preventive parenting strategy is warranted.)