Is distracted driving mortal sin?

[otjm]

Surely looking down at your phone to change the song for a second is not a mortal sin.

You might want to have someone, observing you, time how long a song selection takes. Generally, people are going to be looking down at a phone, which changes peripheral vision area; and I would submit changing songs will take far more than a second to do.

In a city with a 30 mph zone, in 3 seconds you will travel 132 feet; in 5 seconds, 220 feet, or the distance of more than one block. If you happen to drop your eyes when you are in the middle of a block, and the light turns yellow (and lasting for about three seconds), by the time you look up you may have traveled farther than the stop line, be going through the intersection on a red light, and risking hitting a car turning or entering the intersection, or a pedestrian crossing.

On a freeway doing 60 (if anyone is doing such), in 3 seconds you have traveled 88 yards - almost the distance of a football field; in 5 seconds, almost the distance of 1 1/2 football fields.

 

[blackforest]

In a city with a 30 mph zone, in 3 seconds you will travel 132 feet; in 5 seconds, 220 feet, or the distance of more than one block.

On a freeway doing 60 (if anyone is doing such), in 3 seconds you have traveled 88 yards - almost the distance of a football field; in 5 seconds, almost the distance of 1 1/2 football fields.

Goodness, that’s terrifying! Pedestrians can appear out of nowhere in 3-5 seconds. A cell phone ban was recently passed in my area, and few people are taking it seriously. I may start jotting license plate numbers down, especially when I see people on the freeway.

 

[OddBird]

HOWEVER! I am not advocating for texting and driving. Use voice to text!

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[TheDumbFox]

(Setting: Hell)

Person 1 : Hey man, what are you in here for? How’d your end come?

Person 2: I killed a man and stole his car. Crashed it going 100 mph.

Person 1: Wow! That’s terrible?

Person 2: How about you? How’d you die, and what are you in Hell for?

Person 1: I died of a random heart attack, but a few weeks ago, I changed the song on the radio, even though I knew distracted driving probably wasn’t a good thing to do. Tough luck:

 

[JanR]

With a little bit of serious law enforcement, and judges who take this matter seriously enough to issue some substantial fines, and before long, drivers will be taking it seriously, too. They’ll continue violating the ban as long as they think they can get away with it.When more and more drivers find out they can’t, they’ll stop.

I’ve always contended that an unenforced law might as well be a nonexistent law, for all the good it doesn’t do.

 

[Pattylt]

I’ve always contended that an unenforced law might as well be a nonexistent law, for all the good it doesn’t do.

I remember when seatbelt laws came into effect. At first, the kids were too cool to buckle up and older folks just couldn’t be bothered as they had driven for years without needing them. The law actually had an exception for cars built without seat belts. Then, law enforcement became serious. Getting pulled over for any infraction and if not wearing a seatbelt added a significant fine. Kids were blasted with school programs to buckle up for safety including smashed up cars where the seat belts saved lives. It probably took a decade to change American habits but everyone I know ALWAYS buckles up now. Texting isn’t different…it will still take time to drive it into everyone’s head to not even think about responding or texting. As people get extra fines and it’s driven home with safety programs, we do eventually change bad habits!

 

[Hawkeye916]

I think yes, because it goes under the Fifth Commandment and is similar to the sin of drunkenness.

I saw on a rather thorough examination of conscious one by Fr. Altier ( I think that’s how you spell it) that “careless driving” was a venial sin and that “dangerous and reckless driving” was moral sin. I’d say that texting and driving would fall under carelessness and lack of attention, so probably venial.

Also that if you break a just law, it’s another venial sin. So minor traffic violations and such.

 

[paperwight]

Using a mobile phone while driving is a serious crime here in Australia. Fines start at $1000 and phone monitoring cameras are being erected around the country as we speak.

I don’t know what the fine is, but it’s certainly illegal here in the UK as well.

 

[JanR]

Francisco_Fernando:

I think yes, because it goes under the Fifth Commandment and is similar to the sin of drunkenness.

I saw on a rather thorough examination of conscious one by Fr. Altier ( I think that’s how you spell it) that “careless driving” was a venial sin and that “dangerous and reckless driving” was moral sin. I’d say that texting and driving would fall under carelessness and lack of attention, so probably venial.

Also that if you break a just law, it’s another venial sin. So minor traffic violations and such.

Sorry, but I would consider texting while driving dangerous and reckless. You are intentionally taking your eyes off the road to read or send a text. You are aware of what you are doing. It isn’t an unavoidable distraction. It’s an avoidable one.

 

[AHapka]

I picked mine up the other day, looked, and then forced myself to put it down instantly. I’ll say that was venial. A habit I am successfully breaking.

 

[Hawkeye916]

I picked mine up the other day, looked, and then forced myself to put it down instantly. I’ll say that was venial. A habit I am successfully breaking.

I’ve gotten a lot better at it too! I will quite often pick up my phone to start a rosary, as I have some rosary videos on my phone that I listen to and follow along while I drive, so the last thing I think about when doing this is that I want to sin! Quite the contrary!

 

[Hawkeye916]

Sorry, but I would consider texting while driving dangerous and reckless. You are intentionally taking your eyes off the road to read or send a text. You are aware of what you are doing. It isn’t an unavoidable distraction. It’s an avoidable one.

Sorry, I meant distracted driving not texting and driving. A glance a the phone to switch a song or pull something up vs straight up texting and driving is different.

 

[JanR]

AHapka:

I picked mine up the other day, looked, and then forced myself to put it down instantly. I’ll say that was venial. A habit I am successfully breaking.

I’ve gotten a lot better at it too! I will quite often pick up my phone to start a rosary, as I have some rosary videos on my phone that I listen to and follow along while I drive, so the last thing I think about when doing this is that I want to sin! Quite the contrary!

But, does it still distract you from your driving? Driving requires every bit of our attention to do so safely.

 

[Hawkeye916]

But, does it still distract you from your driving? Driving requires every bit of our attention to do so safely.

Yes, thank you. We are aware, hence the “getting better” part.

And as I’ve pointed out, I suspect that this probably falls into the “careless driving” category more than the “dangerous and reckless”. In reality carelessness obviously can be dangerous, but what is the important factor here is intent. Lack of attention and susceptibility to be distracted is one thing, but driving recklessly and dangerously because your think you own the road and you don’t give a darn if you cut people off is another thing entirely.

 

[Poet]

I don’t drive for a living but I’ve driving to every corner of this country, driven for over 30 years, made long distance drives often, and driven night and day and in every possible condition, and I know that it only takes a split second of eyes off the road to change the radio station for conditions in front of us to change.

I have sometimes glanced down to change the station and conditions have changed that fast in front of me.

I completely disagree that there’s a world of difference between flipping radio stations and using a phone. BOTH take our eyes off the road and BOTH can cost us that split second distraction that could lead to an accident. If using a phone is a mortal sin then so is changing the radio station or fiddling with A/C and heat.

 

[AlNg]

The more I think about it, the more it might indeed fall into the category of mortally sinful.

Yes. I agree that it is seriously wrong to put the lives of other people in danger.

 

[Hawkeye916]

You are aware of what you are doing. It isn’t an unavoidable distraction. It’s an avoidable one.

One factor that divides mortal from venial is intent. Me personally, I’ve done this, grabbed the phone while slowing to a stoplight, holding the phone to the side so it’s in my view and I can look at the road and phone at the same time and click on something quick. Bad idea! Yes! And it’s a habit I’ve very much improved upon. But when I do this, were is my intent?

Do I care about other people? I care about people very much and I try every day to love them more!

• An uncharitable thought about a person…, nope! God loves them infinitely, let’s change that.
• A bad thought pops up about someone I don’t like, nope! Let’s say a Hail Mary for that person for their repentance and conversion.
• tempted to gossip about someone I know…, nah let’s share a positive story about that person instead.
• A person online makes a mean comment and is extremely rude, instead of commenting something rude back, just let it go and maintain charity.
• a napkin on the floor of a restaurant, oh! Someone might slip on that, but it takes two seconds to pick it up and throw it away. ( lol I did this the other day)

When I glance at the phone while driving, it is out of distraction and carelessness, not callousness. Careless driving is just that, careless. Dangerous and reckless driving is done for selfish reasons and malicious intent, or severe lack of concern for the welfare of others.

 

[poche]

If you deliberately distract yourself and then you have an accident because of your distraction then you are morally culpable for the accident.

 

[JanR]

I understand you’re trying to improve. Here’s wishing you much success and further progress. Blessings.