When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Ok, I know that I am technology challenged. I can receive texts on the system properly but I still don't know what the SMS icon on the screen is for. I have looked and cannot find the description in any of the manuals. A little help please!!
Never enabled this feature because I don’t want or need to bother with texts while driving.
Have my iPhone set to NOT receive calls or Text notifications when moving! If I want to use the phone when in a car as a passenger I have to respond to "I'm not driving!"
With all those distracted drivers, I find it takes all my attention to stay clear or those who are even using hands free phones!
In SC they allow texting when the car is stopped as when at a Red Light! My MO is when coming to a Red Light I slow to a crawl before stopping to keep the person behind from looking at the phone while coming to a stop! Know that tics them off! Have seen folks in my mirror texting when the light turns green!
From: I live my life by 2 rules. 1) Never share everything you know. 2)
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '16-'17-'18
Originally Posted by Apocolips
Ok, I know that I am technology challenged. I can receive texts on the system properly but I still don't know what the SMS icon on the screen is for. I have looked and cannot find the description in any of the manuals. A little help please!!
SMS is another name for texting (the acronym stands for "Short Message Service")
As do documented reports! The benchmark study comes from the University of Utah in 2006. A test of 41 adults found that driving while intoxicated was actually less dangerous than driving while talking on a hand-held phone or a hands-free phone.
According to NHTSA, driving while texting is six times more dangerous than drunk driving.
Even for seemingly harmless messages, consider this: the average text takes about five seconds to send. Traveling at 55 mph, that’s like going the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.
Driving around folks who are paying attention to whoever is on their cell phone scares the hell out of me! In SC we don't have hands free and see many "middle age folks" chatting away. I try to maintain my ~60 year driving record of having no accidents with another car - BUT it's getting tough. On one section of my ~20 mile backroads into town, I drive over a twisty narrow two lane road with no shoulders. When I see a car coming from the opposite direction going over the center line I try to anticipate where I will go IF they are looking at a "stupid" text message (as 95+% of them are!) There are ditches on both sides, some deep, no easy option!
We had a young girl killed as she drove on a small rural road near us that had a stop light that intersected with a 4 lane divided highway. She was hit by a log truck as she went though a Red Light. The police indicate she appeared to be looking at her phone when the light was GREEN BUT it turned RED and she did not see that. No way that truck could stop in time! They say that is a common occurrence at stop lights. If I'm the first car when a light turns GREEN I'm careful to look and see if someone is unintentionally going thorough the RED light! A friend was the 2nd car moving when the light turned GREEN and had someone come through the light and hit him! Scary!
Unfortunately like my grandkids, for some "adults" it is also becoming a learned conditioned response, like Pavlov's Dogs!
That's a distraction also but a person sitting next to you is usually cognizant of the driving situation you are in and may actually help you avoid a pending accident by being that dreaded "backseat driver". The person on the other end of the phone has no idea what you are dealing with. And not all phone conversations are equal. A short message about when you will be home is vastly different than a work conversation with your boss about a work topic that requires you to give it your full attention. That's when you go into automatic pilot driving mode and as long as nothing out of ordinary happens you might not get in trouble, but when a car cuts in front of you or the driver in front of you suddenly brakes for whatever reason and you are not paying full attention to driving that accidents happen and are the result of that phone conversation distraction.
This what happened to me at a 2 lane road intersection when the other driver distracted by her phone conversation when right through a red light that she "didn't see".
Last edited by Walt White Coupe; Jul 2, 2019 at 08:55 AM.
So you don't talk to the passnger when / if you have one?
BIG difference in talking with someone who is in the car with you and talking on the phone.
If the passenger next to you sees an AH weaving in and out or an 18 wheeler next to you who because of traffic may be forced in your lane they shut-up! If my wife they tell you watch out all the time! (Although a bit of a PIA I remind her it's fine, if I am aware it goes in one ear and out the other- but occasionally I'm NOT!) The person on the other end of the phone, hand held or blue tooth has no idea of the traffic and if it's your girlfriend telling you she about to call your wife, it can cause an emotional situation that has you fully distracted! (Even worse if she tells you she is pregnant!)
BUT some folks are so addicted to seeing who might have sent a text message they have a "Learned Conditioned Response" (just like Pavlov's dogs who drooled, not when they saw food with a simple bell that was rung just before they were feed.) They can't help themselves! That is one thing I'm doing now (in addition to having my iPhone set to no answer or beep when moving) is when I come up to a RED stop light I slow to a crawl well before so the AH behind me can't look at their cell phone while pulling up behind, misjudge and hit my rear! Realize it's an irritant but in SC it is legal to text at a Red light. See folks doing that all the time. Stupid but best I can do is pay more attention and stay away from them. In town, when I see someone behind me (we don't require "hands free") chatting away, I let them pass if possible or accelerate out of their way. In some cases you can see them distressed or laughing! Crazy.
I'll continue to do what I can to keep my 60 year accident free record (looking for wood!)
That's a distraction also but a person sitting next to you is usually cognizant of the driving situation you are in and may actually help you avoid a pending accident by being that dreaded "backseat driver". The person on the other end of the phone has no idea what you are dealing with. And not all phone conversations are equal. A short message about when you will be home is vastly different than a work conversation with your boss about a work topic that requires you to give it your full attention. That's when you go into automatic pilot driving mode and as long as nothing out of ordinary happens you might not get in trouble, but when a car cuts in front of you or the driver in front of you suddenly brakes for whatever reason and you are not paying full attention to driving that accidents happen and are the result of that phone conversation distraction.
This what happened to me at a 2 lane road intersection when the other driver distracted by her phone conversation when right through a red light that she "didn't see".
Sorry for the problem. Things won't change until Cell Phone use in a car is treated like DUI! Won't happen in the Law since Politian's only worry about votes for their next election!
But wish Insurance Companies would treat it like DUI an drop anyone that causes and accident (or gets a ticket for an offence) go into an "Assigned Risk Pool!" It's worse than DUI!
Things won't change until Cell Phone use in a car is treated like DUI!
While I agree with that sentiment, I think the only solution is for the gov't to mandate that cell phone manufacturers make cell phones inoperable for texting and calls, whenever the car is in ANY motion. If you have to text or call, stop the dam car where it's safe to pull over. At some point in the future, that will happen.
Things won't change until Cell Phone use in a car is treated like DUI!
While I agree with that sentiment, I think the only solution is for the gov't to mandate that cell phone manufacturers make cell phones inoperable for texting and calls, whenever the car is in ANY motion. If you have to text or call, stop the dam car where it's safe to pull over. At some point in the future, that will happen.
Although I agree with your thought you get into why can't a passenger use one, like video screens for the back seats.
The SC Legislator "almost past" "hands free phone use," than one AH Legislator said that may prevent a person who doesn't have that ability, calling the police if they see an accident happen! All BS and they are only afraid their opponent will use their vote against them in the next political race!
It's funny, we were in Congressman Clyburn's district but were gerrymandered out! His district now has the same number of voters BUT goes through some circuitous route through all democrat rural areas leaving out significant city areas! The Dems and Republicans all fight in public BUT work together when it comes to fixing the rules so they can't lose an election! Ridiculous!
Although I agree with your thought you get into why can't a passenger use one.
Good point and I'm 100% sure the technology exists that can differentiate between the driver and everyone else in the car based on position in the car so theirs would still work.
Have my iPhone set to NOT receive calls or Text notifications when moving! If I want to use the phone when in a car as a passenger I have to respond to "I'm not driving!"
