Texting while driving

[zedd]

I got rear ended by a guy doing sixty yesterday. I was making a right turn and he failed to see my signal. He admitted to the sheriff that he had been texting while driving. I spent most of the day in the ER. I'm home now. Came away with bruises, whiplash and broken ribs. The seat belt probably saved my life.

I had my little Jack Russel in the cab with me and the only reason he's alive is because I had my arm around him to keep him from smashing the roses on the front seat that I had bought for my DW . Yesterday was of course Valentine's day.

The roses survived.

The other guy had no bodily injuries.

Have never been involved in an accident like this. Don't even know where to begin.

 

[W2R]

Wow! So glad that you and your dog are OK.

I don't really understand why people text while driving. That is utterly foolhardy and dangerous IMO, as your photo amply illustrates.

You might want to get checked out for whiplash. I was rear ended by someone doing 60, back in 1975. I didn't realize I had whiplash until a few days later when it began to hurt.

 

[broadway]

This sort of thing angers me a lot.
Perpetrators should receiver harsher punishment!

 

[Midpack]

Wow! So glad that you and your dog are OK.

+1. I see it all the time, people of all ages, it's not just the younger generations. Texting, surfing, and whatever else. I just keep my distance from other drivers I see doing it. I wish there were easy answers, there aren't that I know of. And presumably we all pay thru our insurance premiums.

 

[broadway]

I was waiting at Great Clips yesterday, and I saw a middle-aged man drive by. He had one of those lightweight containers open in front of him driving the car with 1/2 of the sandwich in his hand.

Why so much hurry? Sit there 1 minute in the parked car and eat that 1/2 a sandwich. Then drive!

 

[euro]

Glad you are OK!
Texting (as well as talking on the phone!) while driving is just extremely dangerous. And it is becoming so widespread that you have to pretty much assume EVERYONE around you is basically driving while "impaired". In my opinion it is no better than DUI and should be treated that way by law enforcement

 

[braumeister]

He admitted to the sheriff that he had been texting while driving.

Sorry you had to experience that, but based on this comment you have nothing to worry about except choosing a new vehicle.

 

[MRG]

Wow, glad you and the dog are ok. I've been rear end three times in pickups. Never like that. Hope you are still feeling ok later.

Sadly in some states it's legal to text and drive.

 

[NW-Bound]

My daughter was T-boned at an intersection. The kid who ran into her was driving his parents' BMW. The side airbag saved my daughter from injuries, plus he hit at the rear wheel fender. I suspected texting. How else did someone run a red light into a crossing car like that?

The world is full of idiots. What can we do? Cut their hands off so they can not text?

 

[Bestwifeever]

Sue the heck out of him to make an impression on him and donate the proceeds to a rehabilitation hospital.

So glad you were not seriously injured. And what a pain now to have to deal with replacing your truck.

 

[W2R]

My daughter was T-boned at an intersection. The kid who ran into her was driving his parents' BMW. The side airbag saved my daughter from injuries, plus he hit at the rear wheel fender. I suspected texting. How else did someone run a red light into a crossing car like that? [...]

A couple of weeks ago we saw someone speed at 70+ mph through the biggest, busiest intersection in south Louisiana, across 6-7 lanes against a red light, without the slightest hesitation.

There was no accident, but if other cars had not gotten out of his way there would have been.

I really don't get it either.

 

[Meadbh]

What a horrible experience! Thank goodness you were not killed or more severely injured. I would sue too.

 

[Nodak]

three years ago I was T-boned by some clown texting while driving right through a red light.

 

[COcheesehead]

I got rear ended by a guy doing sixty yesterday. I was making a right turn and he failed to see my signal. He admitted to the sheriff that he had been texting while driving. I spent most of the day in the ER. I'm home now. Came away with bruises, whiplash and broken ribs. The seat belt probably saved my life.

I had my little Jack Russel in the cab with me and the only reason he's alive is because I had my arm around him to keep him from smashing the roses on the front seat that I had bought for my DW . Yesterday was of course Valentine's day.

The roses survived.

The other guy had no bodily injuries.

Have never been involved in an accident like this. Don't even know where to begin.

Sorry you had to experience this. I have been rear ended a couple of times, both in relatively new cars.
First place to start is with your insurance agent. That's why you have insurance. Hopefully the other guy does as well.

 

[Nemo2]

One benefit I have still maintained after driving in Saudi Arabia for over seven years, is I work on the premise that everyone else on the road is trying to kill me.

 

[haha]

This sort of thing angers me a lot.
Perpetrators should receiver harsher punishment!

100% agreement. This is cut and dried, the perp is doing something voluntary, that can kill others. He should be severely punished for this.

OP, I hope you recover soon and well. Broken ribs really hurt!

Ha

 

[exnavynuke]

This sort of thing angers me a lot.
Perpetrators should receiver harsher punishment!

Studies have shown texting and driving to be more dangerous than drinking and driving (at or around current levels that make it illegal). Yet texting and driving still gets a "slap on the wrist" if any punishment at all. Doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[easysurfer]

I tell folks that when I drive, my phone is off and in the glove compartment to not tempt myself with any talking or texting. After a few times of calls just reaching my voicemail, they start to get the hint.

 

[Sojourner]

A friend of mine routinely texts and sends emails while driving, and I have been a passenger in the car on many occasions to witness this. It's obvious to me that the texting is impairing this person's driving (although honestly, their driving skills have never been that good even with zero distractions), but they don't see it that way. My friend is not a bad person, just stubbornly oblivious to the dangers and way overconfident in their ability to handle the car safely while texting, emailing, etc. I think there are millions of others like my friend out on the road: reckless, clueless, but otherwise good-natured people who would be devastated if they ended up hurting someone due to their distracted driving. Not saying this to excuse the behavior, cause I do think it's clearly a form of willful negligence that's worthy of punishment. I imagine we'll see more and more of a crackdown on this over the next few years, similar to the huge crackdown on DUI during the 80s and 90s.

 

[haha]

A friend of mine routinely texts and sends emails while driving, and I have been a passenger in the car on many occasions to witness this. It's obvious to me that the texting is impairing this person's driving (although honestly, their driving skills have never been that good even with zero distractions), but they don't see it that way. My friend is not a bad person, just stubbornly oblivious to the dangers and way overconfident in their ability to handle the car safely while texting, emailing, etc.

This makes him a bad person. Read your Sophocles. Oedipus did not know that he killed his father and slept with his mother, nevertheless he lost his eyes over it.

Ha

 

[LARS]

A friend of mine routinely texts and sends emails while driving, and I have been a passenger in the car on many occasions to witness this. It's obvious to me that the texting is impairing this person's driving (although honestly, their driving skills have never been that good even with zero distractions), but they don't see it that way. My friend is not a bad person, just stubbornly oblivious to the dangers and way overconfident in their ability to handle the car safely while texting, emailing, etc. I think there are millions of others like my friend out on the road: reckless, clueless, but otherwise good-natured people who would be devastated if they ended up hurting someone due to their distracted driving. Not saying this to excuse the behavior, cause I do think it's clearly a form of willful negligence that's worthy of punishment. I imagine we'll see more and more of a crackdown on this over the next few years, similar to the huge crackdown on DUI during the 80s and 90s.

I don't know if your friend is a bad person, but will say he's a danger on the road. And, you? You are CRAZY to be a passenger in their car!

OP. Glad you're generally ok. Time to a) buy a new car and b) a lottery ticket.

 

[NW-Bound]

One benefit I have still maintained after driving in Saudi Arabia for over seven years, is I work on the premise that everyone else on the road is trying to kill me.

I thought their Sharia law dictated that if they ran you over, you or your survivors could run over them in retaliation. That did not deter them?

 

[NW-Bound]

This makes him a bad person. Read your Sophocles. Oedipus did not know that he killed his father and slept with his mother, nevertheless he lost his eyes over it.

Ha

+1

I would not remain friend with this IDIOT, and stay away as far as I can.

 

[kombat]

Studies have shown texting and driving to be more dangerous than drinking and driving (at or around current levels that make it illegal). Yet texting and driving still gets a "slap on the wrist" if any punishment at all. Doesn't make much sense to me.

It's because it's so difficult to prove.

If someone's driving impaired, you just give them a breathalyzer or a field sobriety test. If they're texting, however, there's no evidence after the fact. Absent a confession, the best you're going to get is a lesser charge, like "careless driving" or "failure to obey signal" or whatever.

 

[Texas Proud]

Glad you are OK... but the truck is history....


At the end of the People's Court they put up "DO NOT TEXT AND DRIVE"... someone texting hit and killed a child of someone who works on that show...


With people who point out that they are in a car with someone who does this... to me that is stupid (unless there is no other way).... I would rather drive myself and feel safer...