It seems like a rather flawed test. If i text while i'm driving i usually wait until i have space around me or i'm stopped at a light; i choose the propper moment.
You can't exactly do that with being drunk. You're still drunk the entire drive.
There's definitely not enough information in the test to claim driving drunk is safer.
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred
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Seems every blithering idiot is having such "important calls" and shouldn't be bothered with such frivolities as driving. I hate my cell phone, though it's a necessary evil - I don't have a land line. Probably the only way to solve the problem of texting while driving is to eliminate automatic trannies.
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@crankcase - always getting the shaft: I just (wait for it) don't answer it if it rings while I'm driving. If it's important, they'll leave a message. If I absolutely have to answer it, I'm gonna have to pull over to dig the phone out of my pocket anyway, I might as well stay pulled ver until teh call is over.
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred
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Nice to see some data on this, but it's as simple as driving tired, drunk or distracted is driving impaired. I'm not sure how I feel about making any of it illegal based on some arbitrary threshold. Texting will probably be deemed legal if you use a hands free keyboard.
In other news, stabbing self with steak knife less dangerous than cutting head off with machete.
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred
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I just came back from a weekend trip to Memphis (yes, a vacation, believe it or not) and the most eye-opening thing I saw was in Mississippi, which is the only state in the nation that allows open containers--for the driver--while driving, provided you're not over the legal limit.
I'm totally cool with the idea there, but I highly doubt most of these folks drinking tall boys while driving are under the legal limit. It puts all the burden on the cops, but very little on the citizens.
You can spot a cellphone talker a mile away on the highway. They are always slightly out of sync with the flow of traffic.
Just last night grandpa in a minivan was completely absorbed in a long cell phone conversation; he failed to notice his lane was ending, in spite of warning signs, and even as he was merging into my car and I blew the horn, he hardly reacted. He hung out in the passing lane for another 15 miles, oblivious to the cars trying to get around him.
I can't help but overhear cell phone calls all the time. I see people leaving work, sitting at the light, cellphone to ear. Easily 90% of what they talk about is incredibly stupid inane stuff. I think cell phones should have a one minute, one number limit if you're driving--enough to say, "There's a wreck, I'm late."
And I thnk if you are talking on a cell--or even worse--texting--any penalty you get for speeding or accident should be at least doubled. There's just no excuse for this idiocy.
I'd venture that properly pouring a 20-year-old Westmalle into a champagne flute while driving is probably the most dangerous of all, never mind the ABV.
@mytdawg: And people really love it when I leave them a message and can't remember my cell phone number for them to call me back - Once I'm static. I just don't use the damn thing.
I'd also like to see them compare drunk "good drivers" to the avg bad driver, or elderly person. I'm positive up to a good level of drinking, beyond .08, I'd still outperform a good portion of the population. This shows that a license is too easy to get, but also too easy to lose (for DUI). Now, if you are a bad driver and drunk.....
@RLJ676-LS3 Commuter Car - for the environment: Probably not a popular slant regardless of truth. I tend to drive fairly aggressively when sober. I don't go cutting people off and stuff but I don't use my brakes a lot for cornering and such when I got open road - downshift, corner, accelerate. After a couple of beers it's the speed limit, signal, check both ways, complete the turn, back to speed limit etc. It slows my roll to use the vernacular of today's youth.
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You can't exactly do that with being drunk. You're still drunk the entire drive.
There's definitely not enough information in the test to claim driving drunk is safer.
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Seems every blithering idiot is having such "important calls" and shouldn't be bothered with such frivolities as driving.
I hate my cell phone, though it's a necessary evil - I don't have a land line.
Probably the only way to solve the problem of texting while driving is to eliminate automatic trannies.
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In other news, stabbing self with steak knife less dangerous than cutting head off with machete.
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I really hope this is poorly labeled sarcasm.
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I'm a lousy typist. I eagerly await the introduction of the hands-free keyboard.
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I'm totally cool with the idea there, but I highly doubt most of these folks drinking tall boys while driving are under the legal limit. It puts all the burden on the cops, but very little on the citizens.
06/25/09
Just last night grandpa in a minivan was completely absorbed in a long cell phone conversation; he failed to notice his lane was ending, in spite of warning signs, and even as he was merging into my car and I blew the horn, he hardly reacted. He hung out in the passing lane for another 15 miles, oblivious to the cars trying to get around him.
I can't help but overhear cell phone calls all the time. I see people leaving work, sitting at the light, cellphone to ear. Easily 90% of what they talk about is incredibly stupid inane stuff. I think cell phones should have a one minute, one number limit if you're driving--enough to say, "There's a wreck, I'm late."
And I thnk if you are talking on a cell--or even worse--texting--any penalty you get for speeding or accident should be at least doubled. There's just no excuse for this idiocy.
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Put the phone on vibrate and perform the comparison test yourself.
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Now where'd I put my baby powder?
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I take a lot of heat for still carrying a pager...
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I'm pretty sure my texting ability is greatly compromised while I'm delivering road-head...
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