As someone who grew up in the land line era, when an answering machine was new technology, this drives me nuts. 99.9% of calls and texts can wait the 15-30 minutes it takes you park your car. I don’t think I missed a single call 50 years ago that was so earth hattering important that I had to take it immediately.

 

That being said, i think blue tooth and even more technology will take care of the texting thing eventually.

Are kids still going to die in car accidents if we take away texting? The answer is yes.

 

So why would we take away texting?

 

We seem to pick and choose arbitrarily how much we want to reduce stuff today.

As someone who grew up in the land line era, when an answering machine was new technology, this drives me nuts. 99.9% of calls and texts can wait the 15-30 minutes it takes you park your car. I don’t think I missed a single call 50 years ago that was so earth hattering important that I had to take it immediately.

 

That being said, i think blue tooth and even more technology will take care of the texting thing eventually.

 

Bluetooth means they would have to talk.

I think they should ban assault phones (phones capable of texting) for anyone who has a license. If you have a license, you have to get a non texting flip phone. Or a device needs to block all incoming texts/calls and you have no way to turn it off. I don’t think it is an age issue because I’ve seen adults just as much. They should take the phones from everyone though, not just the ones texting and driving.

I agree. We need more of an outcry on texting while driving. The media needs to start publicizing and putting headlines on stories where texting contributed to deaths in a car accident. There are far, far more deaths by guns than texting while driving, but the texting needs more media attention.

Not by the so called "assault style weapons". That's where the loud outcry is. So if 11 teens a day are dying, this is much bigger problem. Again, ask yourself why.

The technology already exists.

 

I don't play the Pokemon thing, but my son told me it uses your GPS and knows how fast you're moving. If you're moving faster than 15 mph the app won't work. They did this because people were driving around looking at they app instead of the road.

 

Therefore, you tie the texting function to the GPS speed and disable it at 15 mph. Automatic text returned to sender saying "Driving".

The technology already exists.

 

I don't play the Pokemon thing, but my son told me it uses your GPS and knows how fast you're moving. If you're moving faster than 15 mph the app won't work. They did this because people were driving around looking at they app instead of the road.

 

Therefore, you tie the texting function to the GPS speed and disable it at 15 mph. Automatic text returned to sender saying "Driving".

I think that is awesome.

 

There's a BGP poster (who shall remain nameless, unless they want to out themselves) whom I text and when they are driving, I get an automated response back that says so. Again, I'm in favor!

I should have added that it should be all phones, not just teenagers.

I think that is awesome.

 

There's a BGP poster (who shall remain nameless, unless they want to out themselves) whom I text and when they are driving, I get an automated response back that says so. Again, I'm in favor!

 

Wife and I have that enabled on our iPhones. We love it and it has completely broken us of even the slightest urge to text while driving. Only downside to it I've seen is that it enables for the passenger in the vehicle as well.

I think that is awesome.

 

There's a BGP poster (who shall remain nameless, unless they want to out themselves) whom I text and when they are driving, I get an automated response back that says so. Again, I'm in favor!

 

And sometimes the message won't turn off and you get the response when they are not driving.

 

I'm not the one TB&G is talking about, but I do have it enabled on my phone as well.

The texting while driving problem is not limited to teenagers. I know people in their 30s and 40s that do it and I won't ride with them when they are driving.

The technology already exists.

 

I don't play the Pokemon thing, but my son told me it uses your GPS and knows how fast you're moving. If you're moving faster than 15 mph the app won't work. They did this because people were driving around looking at they app instead of the road.

 

Therefore, you tie the texting function to the GPS speed and disable it at 15 mph. Automatic text returned to sender saying "Driving".

 

How does it know if you are driving or if you are a passenger?

How does it know if you are driving or if you are a passenger?

 

At this time it doesn't. It applies to all phones in the vehicle.

Bluetooth means they would have to talk.

 

Yes, I do know that much (but not much more about technology!) Isn’t there an app or phone feature that allows your texts to be read via Bluetooth over your radio, and allows you to respond verbally? I thought there was something like that. Of course, I guess most teenagers would not want their texts read aloud in a car unless they were alone.

 

My car is old and doesn’t have anything like that and I bet many teens also drive older cars. Maybe, if the above does exists, older cars can be adapted to this technology?

As someone who grew up in the land line era, when an answering machine was new technology, this drives me nuts. 99.9% of calls and texts can wait the 15-30 minutes it takes you park your car. I don’t think I missed a single call 50 years ago that was so earth hattering important that I had to take it immediately.

 

That being said, i think blue tooth and even more technology will take care of the texting thing eventually.

 

Bluetooth means they would have to talk.

 

Yes, I do know that much (but not much more about technology!) Isn’t there an app or phone feature that allows your texts to be read via Bluetooth over your radio, and allows you to respond verbally? I thought there was something like that. Of course, I guess most teenagers would not want their texts read aloud in a car unless they were alone.

 

My car is old and doesn’t have anything like that and I bet many teens also drive older cars. Maybe, if the above does exists, older cars can be adapted to this technology?

 

Many years ago I saw a study on Bluetooth and the conclusion was it was "more dangerous" because the tendency was to stay on the phone longer which means longer periods of divided attention while you are driving.