Texting while driving

I’ve done my share of so-called dangerous things on the road… I’ve driven my Porsche at well over 250kph on the highway, I’ve driven my dubiously street legal offroad trucks daily, driven kit cars that are not much more than racing go karts, and so on. But when I posted about the crazy old lady that almost ran me over, a bunch of people commented about people driving while texting on their phones. It’s nuts, isn’t it? It really blows me away that people think it’s OK to do something like that… and I see it every single time I go out. I mean, it’s basically “normal”. Like I said, I’ve done plenty of things that aren’t considered acceptable on the road, but I’ve always been an alert driver that pays attention to the road and vehicles and people around me. It’s shocking that drivers don’t realize the extent to which they endanger both themselves and others by reading and typing while driving. I don’t get it at all.

(Snapped this photo on the way home)

texting-while-driving

29 Comments

  1. Corvin wrote:

    I’ll admit that I’ve sent a txt or two while sitting at a red light or while taking a little extra time at a stop sign. But never while actually driving, I won’t even pick up my phone to see what the message is unless I’m stopped.

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 3:40 pm | Permalink
  2. Twwly wrote:

    MOTHERFUCKINGCOCKSUCKINGPIECESOFSHIT.

    GIANTVAGINADOUCHEBAGS.

    That’s what people who text while driving are. Makes me MENTAL.

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 4:02 pm | Permalink
  3. wlfdrgn wrote:

    You get one hand and no eyes to be distracted while driving. Texting, digging through papers on the passenger seat, etc kills people. Talking on the phone, as long as you’re not digging through papers, gesturing with your other hand, etc, kills people. Driving with your dog sitting in your lap kills people and dogs.

    It’s legal to just kill the drivers before they kill others, right?

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 4:12 pm | Permalink
  4. wlfdrgn wrote:

    Oh, and don’t forget reading newspapers or paperbacks while driving.

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 4:12 pm | Permalink
  5. Twwly wrote:

    (The squirrelnutnoodlehead who plowed into Scott was texting at a stop sign. The phenomenon bothered me before his accident, but now it really p’s me off).

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 4:20 pm | Permalink
  6. Twwly wrote:

    I saw a woman with TWO dogs in her lap while driving last week.

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 4:22 pm | Permalink
  7. jason wrote:

    I was a white van man for two years. I wasn’t given breaks. Used to do 1000 to 1500 miles a week. That’s up to three hundred a day.

    During that time I suffered no accidents even though I used to read maps, mess with the radio, roll cigarettes and eat my sandwiches all while driving and often well over the speed limit on narrow, windy dangerous roads.

    I also sent and received *thousands* of text messages at the wheel with no troubles.

    When the law in Britain was passed to ban mobile phone use at the wheel they told us it was dangerous because there were at any one time “a million people driving and using a mobile phone”. So why weren’t there a million accidents happening at any one time?!

    Phones don’t kill people, people with phones kill people :D

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 4:58 pm | Permalink
  8. I drive and average of 800 miles a week. I cant tell you that for every one driver who *can* drive while texting, reading maps, jerking off, putting on makeup, ect, there are 10 million people like you who are delusional and think there’s nothing wrong with their selfish, multitasking bullshit.

    There are two types of people that text while driving: Assholes who don’t give a shit and delusional assholes.

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 5:38 pm | Permalink
  9. Jamie wrote:

    Unfortunately here in South Dakota you can talk on the phone while driving, so I don’t even have the recouse of turning them in. Sometimes there is a police car by the school but even that doesn’t deter the idiots. Drivers like that are the reason I’m still volunteering to be crossing guard – no one else wants to – But that’s a WHOLE different rant :)

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 6:01 pm | Permalink
  10. Shannon wrote:

    Jason, the stat is that texting increasing the chances of an accident by 23 times. It’s way more dangerous than drinking while driving.

    https://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135969/Texting_while_driving_increases_crash_risk_23_fold_

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 6:13 pm | Permalink
  11. sarah wrote:

    i don’t think its a whole lot worse than taking pictures while driving. sure, you just take pics when you are stopped. how is that different from texting while stopped?

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 7:33 pm | Permalink
  12. Jamie wrote:

    It sort of depends on what side of the car your on now doesn’t it? Most of the people I see texting are NOT stopped, but moving, and personally I have a SERIOUS problem with people not watching the road when they are driving, but especially when they are driving near parks or schools.

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 7:46 pm | Permalink
  13. Shannon wrote:

    Sarah, I’m not talking about texting while stopped. I’m talking about texting while driving.

    If that’s a dig at me for taking a picture, it only takes a fraction of a second to take a picture, and the act of taking a picture involves looking out at the world. It’s not really a valid comparison.

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 8:02 pm | Permalink
  14. kyle wrote:

    I was going to make a dig about taking a picture while driving, but that is an actually good explanation.

    This is why I enjoy this blog so much, it gives me pause to consider my actions. I never really thought about this before, but I am definitely thinking about it now.

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 8:09 pm | Permalink
  15. sarah wrote:

    not a dig, just saying that taking a picture requires focusing on one spot, not generally looking around and being aware of your surroundings, much like texting.

    im not justifying texting, either, though.

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 9:33 pm | Permalink
  16. Phil wrote:

    last week i was given 3 points for using a phone whilst driving. Fair enough you might say except that i was stopped at lights with the car out of gear!
    If im unsafe then i accept the law but come on its just gone silly. Still its another £60 towards the police ball.

    Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 6:03 am | Permalink
  17. A Haselden wrote:

    Over here (UK) its illegal to use a mobile phone whilst driving, yet legal to text!?!

    Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 6:04 am | Permalink
  18. peteD3 wrote:

    when it comes to phones calls while driving, i think we could police each other. embarrassment is a great social motivator.

    but this texting shit is unbelievable, those folks should get a brick in the face.

    Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 9:43 am | Permalink
  19. LotN wrote:

    But if you were stopped when taking a picture, then the guy was also stopped while texting. Was he also doing it while in motion? Don’t get me wrong, I’m against using phones whilst driving. I doubt anything being said or written is important enough to risk one’s life or the lives of others…

    Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 11:26 am | Permalink
  20. Shannon wrote:

    I didn’t say I was stopped for the picture, I don’t think? Anyway, yes, he was doing it while driving, and I see that constantly — literally every time I go out.

    Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 11:35 am | Permalink
  21. fabian wrote:

    the guy was driving with one hand on the phone and one hand hanging out of the window??? thats strange for sure haha

    Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 2:29 pm | Permalink
  22. Shannon wrote:

    On the bigger smartphones I see people doing two-handed texting all the time!

    Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 4:09 pm | Permalink
  23. Just me wrote:

    When I see idiots yapping on phone and generally not paying attention I’ll often pull along side and let fly with my horn loud and long.Or maybe I’ll change lanes in front of them,not actually cut them off but closer and quicker than I normally would,It will usually get their attention back on driving,and I’ll often get “saluted” as well,but so long as their attention is back outside the car.

    Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 5:13 pm | Permalink
  24. Danielle wrote:

    My brother and I love to laugh at the memory of my father who when we were kids, had the ability to reach into the back seat and settle us down with his steel eyes and sometimes a smack while driving on the highway. But that was then.

    Now, I take the 401 and 407 into work daily on the GO Bus and I’ve had the idea to start a shitty drivers blog more than once. My main feature would be drivers, texting, shaving, reading the paper, doing their makeup both in bumper to bumper traffic and at high speeds. Oh, and there’s a substantial amount of nose pickers out there too.

    Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 6:01 pm | Permalink
  25. ed wrote:

    I agree with the whole “don’t text while driving” thing. I also want to ask a question. Has anyone noticed that cops have an open notebook computer on their passenger side’s seat (or it’s positioned that way) — and I’ve yet to see them use it when their vehicle is stopped. So — when are they using it???

    Friday, July 31, 2009 at 4:39 am | Permalink
  26. Chris B. wrote:

    Someone I used to work with, car pooled with a woman that would separate her eye lashes with a pin at 70mph+ in bumper to bumper traffic! Now that’s scary!

    I have to say though, is it just me, or are drivers way worse recently? Granted they’re doing a lot of construction around here, it seems like people have just completely forgotten how to drive, that, and many of them have become rude assholes.

    Here’s an example: every morning on my way to work, there’s a spot where another highway merges with the one I’m on. Of course, I have to get off the highway 1/4 mile after the merge. I regularly move into the left lane so the other drivers can merge onto the highway (their lane ends quickly), and then they won’t let me over so that I can get off on my exit. A little courtesy would really go a long way when it comes to driving.

    Friday, July 31, 2009 at 4:11 pm | Permalink
  27. lol
    https://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2333/txtngdrvng.jpg

    Sunday, August 2, 2009 at 7:47 pm | Permalink
  28. MONTE wrote:

    if you do it while eating pizza it’s ok thought. ;)(totally posed pic)

    Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 3:19 pm | Permalink
  29. Fritz wrote:

    Even texting while at lights can be a problem. I was in the left turn lane and the guy to the right of me heading straight was texting. My light turns green and he looks up, sees it and starts going into the oncoming turning traffic. It took about 5 seconds of me holding the horn for him to realize this was not a good idea. And I’ve seen many stupid things because of texting while in the driver’s seat.

    Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 7:48 pm | Permalink
Wow Shannon, that's really annoying! What is it, 1997 on Geocities? Retroweb is NOT cool!

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