I’m not buying it - there’s a significant change in focus your eyes will have to do to shift from small text on a device at the top of your steering wheel to a potential hazard 100 yards down the road that is slowly edging into the path of your moving car.
That said, the odds are excellent you could go for decades behaving as you describe and nothing bad will ever happen. Better keep those fingers crossed, bub. Meantime, you make me want automated cars to get here sooner rather than later.
And Bryan, you have never ever taken your eyes off of the road for any reason?
Just how does that justify you driving and texting?
It doesn’t. He’s trolling.
The key is to not drive distracted.
There are some driving scenarios where texting can be done safely – please see every post of mine in this thread. If another driver feels that s/he cannot do it safely and without being distracted, then they should not.
Law Enforcement have computers and keyboards next to them in the car – there are some driving scenatios where they can be used safely.
Every single driver who has posted in this thread has taken their eyes off of the road for several reasons (makeup, sneeze, map, eating, drinking, GPS, etc) – there are some driving scenatios where these can be done safely.
Would you agree with these or not?
I justify texting, the times that I do it (which is rarely – the first time, I believe, I’ve said anything about the frequency that I do it), because I can find places on the road where a short text can be quickly read, and a quick OK or just a K can be sent.
What about you, cochrane, would you agree with any or none or both of these:
A) There are times when a driver can safely take their eyes off the road, for any reason?
B) If you drive, you have taken your eyes off of the road for any reason, and have done so safely?
True, but also your car’s dashboard gauges and speedometer are at the same relative change in focus to that potential hazard 100 yards away. And you look at your gauges and speedometer, I hope so, right?
As far as custom goes, at least, it’s more than just ‘keep right except when passing,’ it’s ‘if you can’t pass and get back in the right lane before someone is on your tail, you’ve passed too slowly.’ I like it, because I hate American left-lane slowpokery, but I have to remind myself to pass really fast when I’m in Yurp (not just Germany). A fast pass by American standards is ‘you’re clogging up the left lane’ by European standards.
In this case, I pull over to type, or I ignore it until later.
This makes sense. About the same amount of sense as arguing that you can drink and drive because YOU can handle your liquor AND, by the way, everyone else does it, so it’s totally ok.
Let’s move on to a riveting discussion on what to do when a bee is in the car. Large spider falls from the ceiling? I’m sure your handling of those situations will be masterful and edifying. (And also have no bearing on texting while driving, kind of like your answer, above.)
Thing is, most people I know say they don’t text and drive. Also, most people I know do reply to texts I send them when they’re obviously en route somewhere (sometimes clearly stating “I’m driving right now”,) so I feel more people text and drive than actually admit to it. Or perhaps I just have a very unrepresentative and irresponsible sample of friends, or the Straight Dope (or specifically this thread) is an unrepresentative sample of people who really never text and drive.
I venture a guess that some in this thread who are so vehemently against it have done it.
I do not use my cellphone at all while driving.
That’s “unrepresentative” of the population at large and its frequent dumbass behavior, but so what.
*I’m far from a perfect driver, but try to limit scenarios in which I can harm myself and others.
I have texted while driving. I have done so safety–as least in the sense that I have never been in an accident as a result of it.
But I don’t try to pretend that it’s a safe thing to do, or that even a quick glance at my phone doesn’t distract me from the road. It does.
Bullitt, which is safer: Glancing quickly at your phone and popping out a quick “OK”…or not doing that and instead remaining focused on your driving?
Even if you’re the very safest driver in the world–and you are not–one practice is clearly safer. And I reckon you know that.
For three or four seconds at a time when my car is moving? I try to avoid it and wouldn’t claim it was a safe thing to be doing, nor would I expect to be believed if I made such a claim.
Basically, you’re being disbelieved. Deal with it, because no amount of “but you do it toooooo…!” whining is likely to change that.
Who does 3-4 seconds at a time? I do not.
I don’t believe you. Are you using a very specific definition of “texting” in which you do not type outgoing messages, only glance at incoming ones?
Well, he says only “OK,” or sometimes just “K.”
Let’s see…I’ll try it on my phone.
Reply–>K–>Send
I had to glance down to make sure I was replying to the initial text, again to ensure I was hitting the right button, then again to make sure I had actually typed “K” before sending. Then once more to confirm that it has sent.
So yeah, not nearly 3-4 seconds…but I took my eyes off my laptop four times.
Tell me, Bullitt, is it safer to take my eyes off the road four times or zero times?
Zero, of course! Don’t be silly. Have you ever taken your eyes off the road, if even to see what number is calling you on your hands-free cell phone in the car? Of course you have. That is less safe than zero.
A Marine is trained to multi-task. Sometimes we do multi-task!
See my posts in this thread. I’d rather that than to type it again.
3-4 seconds with eyes off the road is an ETERNITY. Do you ride motorcycles? I do. Anything longer than one second not looking at the road, and I start worrying.
Riding motorcycles has made me a safer driving. You develop a ‘radar’ of sorts, ways to scan the road, things to look for that aren’t a hazard to 4+ wheel vehicles. As a rider I never ever want to move my head away from my direction of travel. I installed blind spot mirrors which, once calibrated, allow me to ride while almost never having to turn my head.
Other riders, I venture they say the same or similar. We are better drivers because we ride.
After several years with those blind spot mirrors on my bike, I put them on my car. I have had them on my cars now for 15+ years and almost never have to take my eyes off of my direction of travel while also being safer and more aware of what is around me, including my 4 to 8 o’clock.