Letter: No one can text and drive safely

Cellphone usage, especially in the form of texting, is a common distraction not only among college-aged students, but also for adults and horrifyingly for new, inexperienced drivers. New drivers see their older siblings or parents texting and assume that texting while driving is not really as hazardous as anti-texting-and-driving organizations claim.

The YouTube video “The impossible texting and driving test” shows students drivers trying to pass a text-and-drive to receive their driver’s licenses. After hitting countless cones and slamming the brakes multiple times, each student admitted that it was impossible to text and drive safely.

Statistic show that over 800,000 people are texting and driving at any given time. Many justify texting and driving by saying they only glance down for a second. It only takes five seconds to read a text message, but when driving at 55 miles an hour, that equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road. This increases drivers’ chances of having an accident by 23 times. Drivers need to put down their phones while they are driving because they are not superman. They cannot drive and text safely.

For more information, and to watch the YouTube video mentioned, visit these websites:

http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbjSWDwJILs

Alissa Clouse

college student

Baton Rouge

Comments

1) Comment by InPVille - 02/12/2012

Yesterday while driving in a west bound lane on I-10 between the I-10 / I-12 split and Acadian my spouse looked to the right and commented that the driver of a large truck was texting in modestly heavy traffic. I am liking the idea of cell phone jammers for vehicles more and more.

2) Comment by Whatnow - 29/11/2012

Hello Baton Rouge, LOL! I just hope I'm not driving near you!

3) Comment by Hello Baton Rouge - 29/11/2012

I am actually driving while reading and replying to this article and I'm not crashing intooooo;aps9i]- n 9- a][-s9';as..

4) Comment by Whatnow - 28/11/2012

I still hate being behind someone talking on their cell phones. They do not pay attention. They get in the left lane of the interstate and stay there going 50 mph and only pay attention when they want to control their car. They are oblivious to anything around them. They hold up traffic and are a hazard. Texting just makes it a lot worse.

5) Comment by InPVille - 28/11/2012

We already have the technology to solve this problem, cell phone signal blockers. http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=cell%20phone%20signal%20blocker&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acell%20phone%20signal%20blocker -[**]- In the future cars could carry as required equipment such a device programmed to come on either whenever to vehicle is moving or the engine turned on. It could be configured such that if the device was disabled, the car would not start. -[**]- When it came out, the telephone was hailed as a great improvement over teletype technology. Now the technology is regressing.

6) Comment by [e-mail] - 28/11/2012

I take issue with the idea that people can't text and drive safely at the same time; I see them doing it all the time and it's us, i.e. their adversaries and potential victims who must be blamed for this problem as it probably stems from some sort of subliminal childhood trauma that has gone untreated. It's a defensive struggle, and we'll just have to stay out of their way and be more wary lest we fall into their paths.

7) Comment by Attila - 28/11/2012

There is not nearly enough enforcement on texting while driving, and I don't mean just while the vehicle is in motion. I cannot tell the number of times daily I have to honk at the car ahead to get them moving at a traffic signal. They stop and immediately go to thumb workouts and completely forget that they are supposed to paying attention to the road and not be zombie to smartphone. I have always contended that if the fines for running a red light were increased to at least $1000, that the incidence of people running the lights would drop by 90%. Why not make the fine for texting while driving at least the same....and do not allow the judges to reduce it...paying the consequences of one's actions usually corrects the unwanted and irresponsible behavior...we just have to have the onions to do it,.

8) Comment by Bighug - 27/11/2012

Getting killed while texting and driving is evolution in action.