Texting while driving is the stupidest thing a person can do while behind the wheel and should be punished through heavy fines and loss of one’s driver’s license. That said, there is currently a PSA campaign that politely asks drivers to not only set aside their cell phones but turn them off and stick them in the trunk or glove compartment where they’re out of reach.
I’m unaware of any jurisdiction requiring drivers to do this, so now it’s only advisory. Yet, it has me wondering how many people actually do this and whether the laws against distracted driving will eventually be broadened to require drivers to have their cell phones turned off and out of sight and/or out of reach while they’re on the road (much like for example, in most states a driver can’t have an open container of an alcoholic beverage in his motor vehicle). Are the traffic safety groups expecting too much from people? Are the laws against distracted driving going to get tougher and be more strictly enforced?
Some people may be so tempted to look at texts or send new ones that turning off the phone might help them. Personally, I’m able to ignore the beeping in my pocket and also it’s not easy to remove the phone from my left front pocket while driving. So I doubt that sort of suggestion is necessary for me.
I use my phone to listen to music on my car stereo, so turning it off and sticking it in the glove compartment is not an option for me. I will set up a playlist while I’m not driving and don’t touch the phone while I’m driving.
I used to turn it off when driving, but started putting it in the center console. Or just keep in my back pocket. I do have the radio/apple play set to not disturb when driving.
That’s a good point. Between listening to music or podcasts on your smartphone or using it for directions, having it off and in the glove compartment or trunk wouldn’t work for many people.
I have my phone bluetoothed to the car so I can take calls hands-free. After my godson’s best friend died in a car while texting and driving, I don’t need reminders not to use my hands for anything other than steering and shifting. My car will alert me if it wants permission to download a text message. I always press NO.
Even though I can answer my phone hands-free, I often don’t bother, unless I am stuck in slow, slow traffic.
The way I interpreted that link was “Don’t use your phone while driving. If you need help doing this, here are some suggestions how you can keep from being tempted to use your phone while driving.”
It seems that nowadays more and more vehicles come with touchscreens that you have to look at or even fiddle with while driving (we’ve had threads on this), so having your physical phone out of reach may not solve everything.
I’m pretty sure all mobile OS’s now have a driving mode that will suppress phone calls & texts while allowing you to use the nav app and play music. If you’re going to ban people from using a nav app on a phone, then you need to ban built-in screens too.
That’s also true. I had a driver run Ward light and hit me. My cell phone was turned off and sitting on the passenger seat. I turned it on and called 911. The other driver tried to say I was distracted by my phone. No, it was off. I turned it on after the accident to report it.
So does looking at the dash to see if I am speeding or not. It takes far less than a second and if I ignore it (which I usually do until at a stop) it just flashes the message at me again.
Edited to add: this message comes across the digital screen on the dash of the car, not the screen of the phone, which is attached to the dash if I am using Google maps. Otherwise it is in my purse where I am not going to bother searching for it.
Earlier PSAs were like that but the more recent ones airing here in Washington state not only ask all drivers to “take the pledge” and put their cell phones in the glove compartment or trunk along but also “encourage” their friends and family members to do the same. These ads, as I said previously, are friendly and polite and are certainly well-intentioned but that hasn’t prevented me from feeling a little apprehensive. This is because as far as traffic safety laws are concerned, things that are initially just suggested often become required. The scope of drunk driving laws was expanded so it became illegal for a driver to have an open container near him. Shortly after that, nobody in the vehicle could have open containers either. At first, you could only get cited for not wearing a seatbelt if the cops pulled you over for something else but soon cops started cracking down on seatbelt scofflaws by pulling people over and setting up spot checks. I can’t help but wonder how long it will be before drivers start getting cited merely for having their cell phones within reach and/or in plain view.
And you think fumbling around with a paper map is safer than giving verbal instructions to my phone to find a route, and having my phone announce which way to go and when the turns are coming up so I can signal early and get in the correct lane? Navigation apps are a huge safety benefit if used correctly.
