Texting driver causes own death

But you already did celebrate it. Now own it.

Nope. Only if you allow it to be.

We need some draconian laws and judges with the fortitude to enforce them.

Seems to me the police need to first enforce them so the judges can.

They have "hands free" phones for making calls, but how do you "hands free" text?

Let's not be binary in our thinking. Yes, ALL of the activities you mention cause distraction. But, texting necessarily uses your EYES and HANDS -- two things you definitely need while driving. One study says that the average time a texter's eyes are off the road while reading/writing a text is five seconds -- which, at 55 mph, is like driving the distance of a football field while blindfolded. :eek1

<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/v/HbjSWDwJILs?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="//www.youtube.com/v/HbjSWDwJILs?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

You can send a text message through Siri if I am not mistaken.

Are many people doing that?

You certainly can.

Mike

Phones should be banned from vehicles - as simple as that. And hands free is not safe.

Even my hands free phone requires a few touches of a button and I read the name of the caller when I look at my dash display. I can do talk to text if I wish.

I can read a text in the same amount of time it takes me to read a road sign. I can press one key on the key pad of my phone in the same amount of time it takes me to touch my radio key pad. Whatever the distraction you just have to make sure that you don't lose sight of driving safely as your only responsibility. It's when people let the distraction take them away from driving safely that the problems arise. It seems like people let texting do that with greater frequency than they do other distractions.

I have been riding out through the wide open spaces of west TX and felt perfectly comfortable cautiously using my motorcycle GPS to search for nearby motels. I press a key on the GPS and reassess my surroundings. I read a line, then reassess. And so on. I could do the same thing driving and texting. There are places and conditions under which I wouldn't consider either. It's about maintaining situational awareness, properly assessing and managing risks. People get tunnel vision with distractions, and that's where things go sideways.

Not correct. It can be unsafe as with any distraction. It can also be done safely as can most distractions. Getting road head can be the most difficult of all distractions. I guess the readership here would never consider that.

You're strenuously arguing that text messages are no more distracting than anything else -- right?

But, your use-cases are all assuming some trained, conscientious driver is using best possible practices to avoid distraction. This isn't based on the most typical case which most people do every day: Use their smart phones in a stupid way, coupled with poor driving ability and poor diligence about consequences.

The problem is that for every one person that is perfectly safe talking on the phone, or even texting, there are many more who can barely walk and chew gum. So, for YOU, perfectly safe, for me, I avoid the phone in the car as it is a definite distraction for me!

By the way, use of the cell phone in the car for Federal Government employees (except law enforcement) is strictly prohibited and can result in dismissal and loss of insurance coverage in the case of an accident.

I am making the case that any distraction can be managed in such a way that it is not necessarily unsafe and that any distraction can be mismanaged to the point that it becomes unsafe. Texters seem to earn the universal ire of motorcyclists who don't think twice about using their GPS or even taking a picture while riding. I don't care if anyone texts as long as they maintain control of their vehicle and don't endanger me or others. Unfortunatley far too many people lose sight of the big picture when they immerse themselves in the distraction.

How many of those who speak out against texting use a GPS while riding or driving?

I am aware of the government policy. There are times I pull over to use the phone. My G/V is my office.

"Can be, " but not without difficulty.

I think you're just trying to make a semantic point. In the real world, there is no widely adopted system or technique for making texting-while-driving safe, other than "Don't Do It!"

Not me. I had a near collision while fiddling with my GPS.

Still, texting is FAR more dangerous. At least my GPS is:

A. Mounted in my field of vision
B. Uses tactile buttons (Zumo 550) for most operations
C. Has various functionalities and modes specifically designed to address distracted riding/driving.

Nonetheless, it's dangerous. Not nearly so much so as texting on a glass screen smartphone, but dangerous nonetheless.

You are no doubt correct … she was someones daughter,maybe a mother, somebody's sister maybe . But, it was her choice !
Now lets just imagine that a 'texter' had hit her son/daughter/mother /father ( you get the idea) i am 100% sure she would be absolutely going 'up the wall' / 'off her head' at the person responsible.

On this occasion it doesn't appear that anyone else is involved ( OK the truck driver received some injury , but not life threatening) so hard luck lady - I hope your 'friends' learn a lesson, but i won't be holding my breath.

This.