Txt-me-ltr

by Steve Kalb | October 9, 2009 10:02 AM | | Comments (9)

img_0419.jpgEighteen states and the District of Columbia have banned texting while driving. You know — the insane act of typing into a keyboard one-half the size of a pack of Marlboros all the while piloting 2500-plus pounds of steel and plastic down the road at speeds upwards of 65 miles per hour.

Think about that. In the five seconds it will take you to read or respond to a short text message your car will travel the length of a football field.

A ban on texting while driving takes effect on Nov. 1 in New York. That still leaves over 30 states where it remains perfectly legal to text, talk, drink coffee, wolf down a sandwich and probably put on mascara or take a shave …. all while driving.

OK, maybe the shaving is a bit much. Maybe.

Many of these are the same folks who can’t talk on their cell phone and walk down the aisle at the supermarket without having an accident.

Even the federal government is ahead of Connecticut. President Obama recently signed an executive order banning federal employees from texting while driving.

Connecticut? We’re thinking about it.

Think you can drive and text at the same time? Try taking this New York Times interactive test. Good luck. I hit everything.

Come to think of it, we don’t enforce the “no talking on a cell phone without an earpiece” law. So why should I think we would enforce a “no texting” law?

Every once in a while there is a cell phone crackdown for a day or so, but that is only for show. Enforcement is difficult during the day and only slightly easier at night. You can see the lit keyboard or screen, say the police.

But I see policemen and women every day talking on their cell phones while driving their cruisers. So why do I think they’ll bother to enforce another law?

The answer is, I don’t. That is a real problem.

We have become a nation of multi-taskers. Going down the aisle of the supermarket shopping isn’t enough. We have to talk to someone we haven’t seen in … OK, maybe an hour.

Or then text them, “how r u today?”

History lesson: Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone so that people could talk to one another instead of reading messages sent to each other by telegraph. The telephone was a giant leap forward in communications. To me, texting is a telegraph with only a slight technological improvement. Say “hello” to yesterday.

And I don’t know about you, but I just love those people who have to answer their cell phones at a restaurant and then carry on a 20-minute conversation while everyone else is trying to eat dinner.

One of the downsides of being a doctor or a policeman or reporter is always being “on call.” You have to have a pager and carry a cell phone so people can find you. That’s not necessarily a bonus. Now most of us would have separation anxiety if we didn’t have our cell phone with us all day.

And yes, I do have one. But I also have a modicum of common sense and manners. More times than not when the phone rings I let it go to voicemail.

And texting while driving? DTS.







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Comments

Posted by: juli | October 9, 2009 11:46 AM

thank you for addressing this issue, steve. it is trully frightening how capable we think we are of multitasking behind the wheel. more needs to be done to educate people of the dangers of distracted driving.

whatever we think is so important to be doing while driving is simply not worth someones' life.

a PSA from wales.
warning: it is VERY powerfully filmed and upsetting.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8203120.stm

Posted by: Edward_H | October 9, 2009 11:47 AM


And I don’t know about you, but I just love those people who have to answer their cell phones at a restaurant and then carry on a 20-minute conversation while everyone else is trying to eat dinner.

Do you hate all people who have conversations while having dinner or just the ones who talk on their cell phones? I understand if the person is speaking loudly they can be disruptive but the only difference from a person talking on a cell phone in a civil voice and two people having a dinner conversation is that you are not able to eavesdrop on the other end of the conversation of the person using the cell phone.

Posted by: William Kurtz | October 9, 2009 2:03 PM

In my observation, people tend to talk more loudly on cell phones in public than they would in conversation with people who are physically present--not always, but often.

Also, I might be alone in this one but I find it more disruptive to have a one-sided phone conversation in the background than one between two flesh-and-blood people, although I have a hard time explaining why. There's a rhythm in ordinary conversation that's broken when you're listening to one person's disconnected chattering; in addition, people seem completely at ease carrying on their telephone conversations in places where people are customarily quiet--elevators, and waiting rooms, for example.

Posted by: streever | October 9, 2009 3:51 PM

great article!
and the game is amazing. I scored horribly.

I agree with Kurtz. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to enjoy a quiet night somewhere in New Haven and heard someone obliviously chattering away at maxium volume on their cellphone. If they were sitting with someone, they'd be screaming at the person.

Posted by: branfordrules | October 9, 2009 4:13 PM

Bill,

I think you explained it perfectly well, but you may find this of interest:

http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=1257

Posted by: steve ross, human | October 9, 2009 4:18 PM

Oops. Posted too fast (as branfordrules, again, for some reason).

The link is of a UK study, but I think have heard or read about more studies done here in the States, too...

Posted by: Fulano | October 10, 2009 11:24 AM

Actually, president Obama's executive order bans more than texting while driving for federal employees. They also cannot use a hands-free phone, or look at the GPS, or read the clock, or look at the speedometer. They must also signal with their arm out the window instead of using the blinker. Why? Read the order. It bans reading from any electronic device or communicating with any electronic device. Oops!!

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | October 11, 2009 12:00 AM

This will be hard to enforce,Due to the fact that if the driver has a blue tooth device,How will the officer tell if the drvier is texting or dialing to conect to their blue tooth device.

Posted by: William Kurtz | October 11, 2009 1:13 PM

Thanks for the link to the study, Steve. Interesting results! I hope the airline industry and the FAA take a good look at it when considering whether to allow cell phone conversations on planes.

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