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My intended last contribution to this thread is this. I apologize for the lengthy post, but the above (excerpted post) caused me to feel it a worthy addition to this discussion.

As I stated earler in this thread, during my 41 years in the transportation industry (Locomotive Engineer), I was inundated (sometimes overwhelmed) with the science of drunkenness, fatigue, and distracted driving; as it pertains to operating freight Locomotives. This science, ALL applies to planes, trucks, buses, river barges, automobiles, SUV's, boats, etc.
The science is in, it is conclusive, and it is shocking to some (but not to those who have paid attention).

At the scene of a train collision, or serious incident involving a train; the first thing FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) officials demand, is the cell phones, and cell phone records of ALL involved parties, alive or dead!!! And you do NOT have a choice on this, a lawyer cannot help you on this.

Because of all this conclusive science, it is now, a Federal Offense to use a cell phone, or text, on a moving freight train (by Locomotive Engineer, or Conductor in the controlling cab) on America's railroads. No longer just a 'rules violation' of the railroad company. Currently, a violation of Federal regulation, this will cause a Federally Licensed Engineer, to lose his/her federal license, and the ability to operate trains in America. Same for Federally license airline pilots. Soon; (listen carefully now), this will become a violation of Federal LAW (as opposed to just a Federal Regulation). A big difference!!! Very soon, in congress now, they will send US Marshalls out, to take Engineers off of trains, and pilots off of planes; when suspected of violations in this regard; in handcuffs!!!

As laws become stiffer and stiffer against distracted driving violations (cell phones, fatigue, drunkenness), by the states, you should fully expect the Federal Government to follow in time, with 'federalizing' this. They can, and they will. It is being talked about, now, in the halls of Congress. It's only a matter of time, and public disgust with this senseless massacre, which will bring this about. And it will be with full blessing of the states, and public approval.

And for those of you who react thinking or saying 'the federal government can't tell me what to do'.... I assure you, they can, and they will.

You can find many many studies of all this, just using Google Search. I have excerpted from this one, with a link to the entire pdf report. They studied drunk drivers, against drivers distracted by cell phones, against a base line of non distracted drivers.

Please read the 4 or so paragraphs I copied and pasted here below. And please read the entire study, link below, when you have time. (as well as many others, with the same results, all available on line).

You will find, that cell phone distractions actually caused MORE wrecks than drunkenness. And they explain why. And, you will find that 'hands free' blue tooth type use of cell phones, was NO better.

Quotes from study: "Thus, there appears to be a disconnect between participants’ self-perception of driving performance and objective measures of their driving performance. Elsewhere, we have suggested that one consequence of using a cell phone is that it may make drivers insensitive to their own impaired driving behavior (Strayer et al., 2003).

Drivers using a cell phone exhibited a delay in their response to events in the driving scenario and were more likely to be involved in a traffic accident. Drivers in the alcohol condition exhibited a more aggressive driving style, following closer to the vehicle immediately in front of them, necessitating braking with greater force. With respect to traffic safety, the data suggest that the impairments associated with cell phone drivers may be as great as those commonly observed with intoxicated drivers.

On the other hand, we found that cell phones drivers had slower reactions, had longer following distances, took longer to recover speed lost following a braking episode, and were involved in more accidents. In the case of the cell phone driver, the impairments appear to be attributable, in large part, to the diversion of attention from the processing of information necessary for the safe operation of a motor vehicle (Strayer et al., 2003; Strayer & Johnston, 2001).

Also noteworthy was the fact that the driving impairments associated with handheld and handsfree cell phone conversations were not signifi- cantly different. This observation is consistent with earlier reports (e.g., Patten et al., 2004; Redelmeier & Tibshirani, 1997; Strayer & Johnston, 2001) and suggests that legislative initiatives that restrict handheld devices but permit hands-free devices are not likely to eliminate the problems associated with using cell phones while driving.

Finally, the accident data were analyzed using a nonparametric chi-square statistical test. The chi-square analysis indicated that there were significantly more accidents when participants were conversing on a cell phone than in the baseline or alcohol conditions, χ2 (2) = 6.15, p < .05" : End quotes from study.

http://www.distraction.gov/downloads...unk-driver.pdf

Deny the science if you will. The world is full of such fools. Fools blindfolded by their own arrogance, bravado, and lack of education.

Don

 

I don't text much, but if its important I may if I am stopped in traffic, and its usually something short.

 

I am all for a ban on all phone use while the vehicle is moving. Too many people out there focused on something other than their driving - usually causing me to have to take evasive action.

 

Proud to say Oklahoma just passed a new law ...

http://newsok.com/texting-while-driv...rticle/5414784

 

No...never....

 

Wow!! What a thread. Now that I've stopped driving for the day I can add my .02

To answer the question of the OP... NO I do NOT text and drive.

duramansky says that 99% of truck drivers do it... If that percentage were really true (which it's not) then here's me in the 1%. I'm quite sure Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, and Audi are relieved to know that.

I already hate the fact that so many people bury their nose in their phone any free second they have. It's GD pathetic. It's not just texting but, the social media sites that give people a false sense of elevated "social prestige" status as if they are "somebody". A lot of people are addicted to that, God knows why but, they'll risk their life and those around them for the fleeting glory of a few "likes"

These addictions better known as " Nomophobia" are a very real threat in our lives especially driving. As a professional driver, I see people at their worst, everyday for hours. Adding a device that turns people into self-absorbed zombies, just takes it to a whole new level of dangerous. The fines for these infractions are a joke, and until stiffer monetary penalties and insurance rates get jacked people will throw caution to the wind.

Glad to see that there are others like me who actually care about other people's welfare and safety whether you're driving your Vette or not.

As a professional driver, I'm required by law to wear a Bluetooth headset, and I had it before it was mandatory. I urge those of you who spend a great deal of driving to invest in one. It makes a world of difference.

Happy motoring...

 

I did not say 99% text. That is a huge federal fine. I said they use hands free phones. That is not against the law. They also talk on their CBs. Those are not hands free. But not in the same percentage. They are out dated except for long haulers. I have not had one for 15 years. But I am a local driver. Same size truck I just don't want to talk to some lonely over the road driver. I would never type a text while driving anything. I would read a short 2 or 3 word text in certain safe conditions. No different than looking at an address on a piece of paper when you are looking for a stop. And we have always done that.

 

I am going to reiterate a point I made earlier, since so many people here want to make this about talking while driving: if somebody cannot handle TALKING on the phone while driving, they should not be able to drive with passengers either. Texting is inexcusable, but law enforcement, truck drivers, EMS, fire trucks, and countless other service professionals safely navigate roads all over the United States while electronically talking to people outside of their vehicle, whether by radio or cell phone. If we can do it, there are other people who can do it too. I have no problem with laws against texting while driving and even laws against overly distracted driving, but the notion that nobody can talk and drive is absurd. Talking to your grandma while you drive across the state is no more distracting than talking to your wife sitting next to you on the way to your favorite restaurant. This has been proven in multiple studies, and a Bluetooth only removes the phone from your hand. If you can't talk on a phone with your mouth and watch the road with your eyes, you probably also have difficulty chewing gum while walking

I use a hands-free if I have to talk while driving the Corvette, since it's annoying to tell somebody to hang on every time I shift

 

THESE area trained professionals... the real danger lies in the group of drivers that are causing the deaths and accidents related to texting... this group had a bad record for driving safely BEFORE cell phones... it's the NEW young drivers... inexperienced drivers... deadly drivers

 

Why are people talking on the phone while driving such bad drivers?

 

I don't text but I do have a nasty habit of shuffling through music on my Iphone while driving the Vette.

I need to cut that out, its usually in stop and go traffic but I also notice myself scrambling through songs I want to hear on the highway.

The Vette just puts you in that mood to find the perfect song when the tops down.

 

Thanks for stepping up... that IS likely to be almost as big an issue with some of the younger crowd... it's NOT just texting its' tweeting, i tunes, and a zillion other media and apps, that will distract and be just as deadly...

 

I proved to my father that I was a better driver than him when I was 15 and just had a learner's permit. Not 3 months into driving he decided that it was safer for all concerned that I be the one behind the wheel instead of him if there was an opportunity.

How did I earn that distinction? By making a quick decision to floor it instead of slam on the brakes when another driver ran a stop sign. He put his foot on the passenger floor as if he were trying to hit the brakes and I hit the gas, and we missed the other car by about 6 inches. If I'd have braked, we'd have been t-boned. We talked about it afterwards and he said he would have made a huge mistake if he'd been driving. There were other examples of my 'good driving,' of course, but this was the catalyst for him.

Age, even experience, does NOT make a good driver. I don't know exactly what does, but some people have it and others do not. I would like to think that those of us who drive Corvettes are generally those who can drive.

 

You are the exception to the rule...

 

Then I misunderstood you and that's my fault. Yes, it is a huge federal fine, $3000 for starters. I don't use my CB or listen to it because the chatter is really annoying and most cases IMO quite adolescent in nature. Most of the dealerships addresses are already programmed into the Rand-McNally GPS I use, so I don't have to look at a piece of paper for directions, unless there are special delivery instructions for a certain high-end car but, I have glanced at paperwork directions from time-to-time just to make sure my GPS wasn't leading me astray.

Can't argue your reason for not wanting to talk to some lonely OTR driver, I don't even want to talk them, lol! I like my silence and solitude too much.

Keep on trucking!!

 

Funny thing is I had a delivery at a rock quarry. It was about 4 miles up a logging road. Because I had no CB I had to be escorted up and back down the road. They still use the old call out on the radio as they near the corners. They were all shocked I had no CB. That seems like a stupid way to do it. Just widen the corners enough so it's not unsafe. They had numbers you were expected to call out as you approached the sign. I told them next time bring a flat bed down to the main road and get it there. I am not doing that again. There are way too many dump trucks and log trucks on that road for such a stupid system. A narrow *** dirt road with a 40 MPH speed limit. Big drops on one side and steep banks on the other. And all with 1 hand on the wheel and one holding the CB. They may as well be texting.

 

I fall into this group of trained professionals, and honestly, there's no reason whatsoever that there should not be MORE training involved for everybody in getting a license

People who can't hold a conversation and safely drive probably can't handle the most basic of random obstacles one might encounter on the road, either

 

I essentially said EXACTLY the same thing, about 60-70 posts ago, but a couple of people thought I was the problem, not the others....