Driving and Texting

[CrossofChrist]

I don’t have a car right now, and in a few days I’m going to have to be somewhere at an event that I can’t miss. The only way I can get there is being a passenger with someone who texts/drives and I have zero leverage over them to get them to stop doing it…what is the morally right course of action to take?

Also, I was looking this up and in the process found that a lot of people question talking on the phone and driving. But if it’s on the speaker phone, how is this different than talking with a passenger?

 

[Minion_w_a_drum]

Drive and text or ride with someone who does and sooner rather than later you will be able to bypass this Forum completely and ask your questions to the Almighty directly… Driving and talking isn’t a lot better…Same implies to driving and eating, driving and “personal hygiene” ETC. Driving is an enormous responsibility. Not only is your life on the line, but many other innocent and unsuspecting lives as well.

We as a society, in my opinion, would be better served if cell phone communication was limited to what is only necessary for the most part, and only when it is safe and prudent to do so. If that was the case, cell phone ownership will most likely drop drastically, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing and personal relationships would greatly benefit.

But this is just my opinion…

 

[Augustine]

AFAIK, recent phones running either Android or iOS can perform certain actions through voice commands, including texting.

Christus natus est!

 

[Virga]

I don’t have a car right now, and in a few days I’m going to have to be somewhere at an event that I can’t miss. The only way I can get there is being a passenger with someone who texts/drives and I have zero leverage over them to get them to stop doing it…what is the morally right course of action to take?

Also, I was looking this up and in the process found that a lot of people question talking on the phone and driving. But if it’s on the speaker phone, how is this different than talking with a passenger?

Hi,

Is there anyway you can simply request that the person not text and drive while taking you? Tell that person it makes you anxious and you’d appreciate it if they wouldn’t text at least for the moment.

If they disagree, at least you’ve voiced your thoughts, and his decision [or hers] is his own. As to whether or not it would be moral to go with that person… I don’t think it would be a sin to go. It might be unwise and dangerous if this person is extremely reckless. If you think there’s a good chance of an accident happening, don’t risk it.

On a side note, I’ve read about a study [sorry don’t remember the link or source] saying that using a bluetooth is almost as distracting as texting. It’s also more distracting than speaking to a person next to you.

It’s similar to how distracting it seems when you hear someone talking on the phone in public near you. That person on the phone catches your attention more than people talking nearby in person. The hypothesis is that our brain instinctively tries to fill in the holes. When we see two people talk, our sight, hearing… all our senses come together and our brain makes sense of the whole scenario. But when we see someone talking by themselves, we can’t help but try to fill in the missing piece of the puzzle. Our ears and brain strain to hear the missing conversation.

Similarly, on speaker, we can’t help but notice the noises in the background and the shuffling noise the person makes on the phone. Our mind tries to make sense of where it’s coming from. It’s not a conscious action, but it happens. That’s why listening on speaker is more distracting than speaking to someone next to you.

But obviously texting is worse since you take your eyes off the road and your hands off the wheels.

 

[MaryHelp777]

I don’t have a car right now, and in a few days I’m going to have to be somewhere at an event that I can’t miss. The only way I can get there is being a passenger with someone who texts/drives and I have zero leverage over them to get them to stop doing it…what is the morally right course of action to take?

Also, I was looking this up and in the process found that a lot of people question talking on the phone and driving. But if it’s on the speaker phone, how is this different than talking with a passenger?

Say jokingly: “Hey, do you want me to send those text for you and you can tell me what to write?”
Look up a story to tell them of what accident happened, or law punishment happened, to someone who drove and texted. Might be an incentive to them

 

[pensmama87]

AFAIK, recent phones running either Android or iOS can perform certain actions through voice commands, including texting.

Christus natus est!

Yes, mine does this.

 

[WJeffrey]

Statistically, there is no difference between drunk driving and texting. Tell the person that you care too much about them to see them dead, so you will handle the phone. If they have a problem with that, I would refuse to ride with them. I would also tell them that you are calling the Police for their own safety.

I had an innocent relative run over and killed because of distracted driving. It is no joke. You should take away the keys from a distracted driver just as you would a drunk driver. There is no difference. Both are equally dangerous.

 

[Bonnie]

Drive and text or ride with someone who does and sooner rather than later you will be able to bypass this Forum completely and ask your questions to the Almighty directly…

I agree with this. When I was young and stupid, I was several times a passenger with drivers who were either drunk or high - and twice involved in major accidents that I was lucky - or blessed - to have walked away from.

Now I don’t need to be anywhere badly enough to risk my life.

CrossofChrist - take a bus, taxi, another ride - or don’t go.

 

[jmcrae]

I don’t have a car right now, and in a few days I’m going to have to be somewhere at an event that I can’t miss. The only way I can get there is being a passenger with someone who texts/drives and I have zero leverage over them to get them to stop doing it…what is the morally right course of action to take?

Also, I was looking this up and in the process found that a lot of people question talking on the phone and driving. But if it’s on the speaker phone, how is this different than talking with a passenger?

Take the bus to the event and arrange a cab after the event.

 

[Minion_w_a_drum]

I agree with this. When I was young and stupid, I was several times a passenger with drivers who were either drunk or high - and twice involved in major accidents that I was lucky - or blessed - to have walked away from.

Now I don’t need to be anywhere badly enough to risk my life.

CrossofChrist - take a bus, taxi, another ride - or don’t go.

I speak from experience myself, Bonnie. Any level of wisdom that I have now can be attributed to luck, the grace of God, or both.

Remember this: Life is a lot like baseball, it is the number of times that you reach home safely that counts.

 

[mikekle]

This falls on the cell phone industry imo, they realize this is a big problem, yet the only solution is to tell people over and over again, “Just dont do it”? cmon, there are much better solutions than that…how about instructing people to just use the talk to text function…its on most phones nowadays. It could easily be made a mandatory feature on all phones too if lawmakers were that concerned.

This will be a moot issue though fairly soon, once driverless cars start coming out (the big 3 automakers will have the first models available in 2018)…then texting while driving, DUIs, etc will be left to the history books.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Texting is the new boogieman. In the 80s it as putting on makeup while driving…
I’m much more distracted if the person in the car and I are having an interesting conversation. Or if a good song comes on. Sometimes texting is the least distracting thing. But it is the government and the insurance companies that tell you they care when really they just see revenue and money. I’d rather be in a car with me texting than in a silent mobile with any number of my friends and relatives with thier eyes on the road and hands at 10 and 2. If you have the skills to do it. I say fine. But too many think they have the skills.

 

[Gordon_Sims]

I’d sooner drive with someone who’s drinking and driving than someone who is texting and driving. Anyone who says they can text and drive safely is delusional at best. At least a buzzed/drunk driver is generally going to have their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel. If you’re texting and driving, your eyes aren’t on the road and your hands on the wheel. If you think you have the “skills” to manage that, then you’re not living in the real world. I’ve watched on several occasions as texters have blown through stop lights/signs, or rolled through intersections because they were so caught up in their texting that they didn’t realize their foot had come off the brake. Just before Christmas I had two texters cross the line and almost hit me on the same stretch of road. I’ve had at least a dozen other close calls because some idiot didn’t have the sense to pull over or wait until they got to their destination to respond to a text. I’m personally in favor of much harsher penalties for texting and driving, including jail time and permanent revocation of the licenses of repeat offenders.

 

[crystal_waters]

I don’t have a car right now, and in a few days I’m going to have to be somewhere at an event that I can’t miss. The only way I can get there is being a passenger with someone who texts/drives and I have zero leverage over them to get them to stop doing it…what is the morally right course of action to take?

Also, I was looking this up and in the process found that a lot of people question talking on the phone and driving. But if it’s on the speaker phone, how is this different than talking with a passenger?

Is there any possibility of taking a taxi or bus or paying someone else to drive you…

You are literally putting your life at risk getting in to a car with someone who texts as they aren’t paying attention to the road while they are messing with their phone…what if they cause an accident and someone dies?. Anyway isn’t texting while driving illegal there?..it is where I live

 

[WJeffrey]

Someone with the “skills” to text and drive ran down and killed my Grandfather who was guilty of the sin of getting his mail. Do you routinely shut your eyes for 5 to 15 seconds while driving with your mind on something other than driving? That is what texting and driving is. No one has the “skills” to do it, Einstein.

You are no better than the idiot who says he is fine to drive coming out of a booze infused blackout in the wrong lane with his family screaming because they are about to hit the Catholic School van with the girls softball team coming home from a game.

The ironic thing is that you will be the only person to walk away from the accident like the woman was from killing my Grandfather.

 

[thistle]

I don’t have a car right now, and in a few days I’m going to have to be somewhere at an event that I can’t miss. The only way I can get there is being a passenger with someone who texts/drives and I have zero leverage over them to get them to stop doing it…what is the morally right course of action to take?

Also, I was looking this up and in the process found that a lot of people question talking on the phone and driving. But if it’s on the speaker phone, how is this different than talking with a passenger?

In the US 25% of all car accidents are caused by the driver texting. If you continue to be a passenger with such a driver then frankly you are stupid for risking your life.

 

[Bonnie]

Someone with the “skills” to text and drive ran down and killed my Grandfather who was guilty of the sin of getting his mail. Do you routinely shut your eyes for 5 to 15 seconds while driving with your mind on something other than driving? That is what texting and driving is. No one has the “skills” to do it, Einstein.

We are not able to multitask - that’s a myth. Our parish secretary was killed by a driver who was distracted by her phone. Her husband spent months in a nursing home before he died. A local musician (son of a friend & new father) was killed by a driver who thought he could take his eyes off the road for “just a few seconds.” Nope - can’t be done safely.

 

[Sarcelle]

Someone with the “skills” to text and drive ran down and killed my Grandfather who was guilty of the sin of getting his mail. Do you routinely shut your eyes for 5 to 15 seconds while driving with your mind on something other than driving? That is what texting and driving is. No one has the “skills” to do it, Einstein.

You are no better than the idiot who says he is fine to drive coming out of a booze infused blackout in the wrong lane with his family screaming because they are about to hit the Catholic School van with the girls softball team coming home from a game.

The ironic thing is that you will be the only person to walk away from the accident like the woman was from killing my Grandfather.

Uhh, I think you read the OP wrong. It is not the OP who texts and drives. The OP has to ride with someone who texts and drives since the OP does not have a car.

 

[mikekle]

We are not able to multitask - that’s a myth. Our parish secretary was killed by a driver who was distracted by her phone. Her husband spent months in a nursing home before he died. A local musician (son of a friend & new father) was killed by a driver who thought he could take his eyes off the road for “just a few seconds.” Nope - can’t be done safely.

Im not sure on that, I know a few people who are very good at multi-tasking, driving included, a couple of them I have ridden with, its scary sometimes, but in their 45 + yrs of driving, they have never once been in an accident, so that is saying something imo, luck would not apply, not over such a long period.

Back when I was younger, I knew a few people who were very good at driving impaired, one of them it was day after day, every night he would drive the 12 miles to his house drunk and never had any problems, he was even able to beat roadside alcohol tests, I was in the car one time when he was pulled over at 3am, he was very drunk, but somehow he passed all the agility tests and even the breathilizer, which Im still not sure how he did, but he did it right in front of 6 peoples eyes, when he was back in the car, we all asked him how he did that, he just laughed and said ‘experience’.

These people are the exception though, personally I have to focus on driving every second.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

The answer is aggressive phone control. Perhaps a ban on phones that group text more than ten rounds errrr people at a time. Automatic and semi automatic phones should be banned by the federal government #techlivesmatter.
Have I texted while driving? Yes. Have I eaten a cheeseburger while steering with my knee on a snowy road to a ski resort? Yes. Have I gotten so into some local sports talk radio show that I am yelling at my radio while pounding my steering wheel? Sure who hasn’t? Have I even posted a response on caf. While at a red light? (Legal in my state) ok yes.

I will state that while my political beliefs of freedom and personal responsibility are different than some it is an absolute tragedy when someone is injured or dies because someone else was not paying attention. I am saddened by any death at all and we should all work for safer, better ways to be mobile.
But we kid ourselves at these government funded ways to achieve revenue. In my state one need not wear a helmet when on a motorcycle but one can be pulled over and ticketed for failure to wear a seatbelt? Why? Because the state cares about drivers more than riders? No. Because there is more revenue to be made in cars than motorcycles. Because seat belts were the statistical “cause” ten years ago. Then it was hands free calling now it is texting. “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain”