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Thread: Texting while driving?

  1. #76
    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Edgerton View Post
    I sold my collection of street bikes because I no longer felt my safety was in my hands. Too many close calls with cell phone idiots. Rode for over 40 years, and the probability of getting it was going way up with the cell phone explosion.

    Interestingly research has shown that hands free phones do not help your concentration on the road, your mind is still on the phone, not the road
    I gave up riding a few years ago. I just sold my last bike a few months ago. It's the first time in 20 years that I haven't owned a bike. I got tired of almost getting hit almost every day. Just wasn't worth it anymore. Now that I have kids, I had to take the final step and get rid of the bike.

  2. #77
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kent A Bathurst View Post
    Mike - Hey - been a while. You doin OK, I assume?

    Anyway - on the single-vehicle accidents..........If I could be assured that entire class of morons would only take out inanimate objects [trees, for example] at high velocities, then I would applaud - Darwinism at work. Cull the gene pool.
    Ken

    I've been doing pretty good lately. It will be nice to get back to some wood working.

    Apparently, according to my friends, they run off the road, usually into the center median. Not hitting other pcars, just running off the road.

    Back on the subject of texting while driving. I saw a car hit the shopping cart return cage in a Target parking lot today. There were three of us watching it unfold, none of us moved. Sure enough, head down, texting,,,,,, BANG!!.
    It's actually kind of scary seeing someone text while you're walking through the parking lot.
    Last edited by Mike Cutler; 04-26-2015 at 9:38 PM.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  3. #78
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Cutler View Post
    Back on the subject of texting while driving. I saw a car hit the shopping cart return cage in a Target parking lot today. There were three of us watching it unfold, none of us moved. Sure enough, head down, texting,,,,,, BANG!!.
    It's actually kind of scary seeing someone text while you're walking through the parking lot.
    That is amazing. Parking lots require extra vigilance these days, IMO, with the huge growth in small SUV/crossover vehicles. You cannot see the oncoming traffic as you back out of your spot, when you are sandwiched between two of them. And now - people cruising the driving lanes with their heads down. That can't be good.

    Good to have you back, Mike. See you in the funny pages...........
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  4. #79
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    Too many people pull off to the shoulder where there is no shoulder and block half of the lane or pull over to the shoulder at a stop sign to safely text. I see this while driving all the time and I have a corner lot and see it out my window 3 or 4 times a day. They can't wait 2 minutes to pull into a parking lot or gas station. Its me,me me to hell with everyone else.
    Can't sit in a waiting room, break room or on a bus without hearing other people's drama that most people would be embarassed about let alone airing it out in public.
    Rant over... No wait. You kids get off my lawn.
    There thats better.

  5. #80
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    The crazy thing about distractions while driving is deceptive they are. Unless you just "Don't Do It Ever!", You can completely not realize how far your mind is from driving until it's too late.
    I once had a lady driving beside me down the Interstate- on the phone. I varied my speed anywhere from 60 to 90 mph, and she just stayed right there, oblivious to the speed change.
    Profanity is the futile effort of a feeble mind, to exert itself forcefully.

  6. #81
    Quote Originally Posted by Gary Yoder View Post
    I varied my speed anywhere from 60 to 90 mph, and she just stayed right there, oblivious to the speed change.
    When I'm driving and come upon a situation, like smooth running traffic in all lanes and then the lane I'm in suddenly decides to go 10 mph under the speed limit, I almost always say "Bet their on the phone". Pull into another lane, speed up to the speed limit, pass the lead car causing the backup, and sure enough, I'd say at least 90% of the time, it's someone on the phone. I wish someone would do a study on it because someone that's doing the speed limit for 30 minutes straight can suddenly drop 10 mph under the limit as soon as they get on the phone. It's so obvious to people not doing it.
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  7. #82
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kent A Bathurst View Post
    That is amazing. Parking lots require extra vigilance these days, IMO, with the huge growth in small SUV/crossover vehicles. You cannot see the oncoming traffic as you back out of your spot, when you are sandwiched between two of them. And now - people cruising the driving lanes with their heads down. That can't be good.
    Kent

    This person didn't back into it. They hit it broad side. Caught it with the right front bumper and headlight.
    I guess it's lucky that they only took out the cart storage thing and didn't hit a car.

    On the personal side;
    I probably have another 4-6 months before the Doc gives me the green light to do any wood working. As soon as I'm done rehabbing the right shoulder, they're going to go in and fix the left. What's funny is right before the surgery I was yanking 175# propane cylinders into the truck, but I couldn't raise my arm above the shoulder with any weight, or it would collapse. I tried running the table saw, but the vibration going into the shoulder was just way too painful.
    It's been a long two years.
    Last edited by Mike Cutler; 04-27-2015 at 8:34 AM.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  8. #83
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Shepherd View Post
    When I'm driving and come upon a situation, like smooth running traffic in all lanes and then the lane I'm in suddenly decides to go 10 mph under the speed limit, I almost always say "Bet their on the phone". Pull into another lane, speed up to the speed limit, pass the lead car causing the backup, and sure enough, I'd say at least 90% of the time, it's someone on the phone. I wish someone would do a study on it because someone that's doing the speed limit for 30 minutes straight can suddenly drop 10 mph under the limit as soon as they get on the phone. It's so obvious to people not doing it.
    I've noticed the same thing and when I pass them, it seems they're in some sort of trance. They aren't driving and talking on the phone, they're talking on the phone and driving (if that makes sense).

  9. #84
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    Quote Originally Posted by Len Mullin View Post
    It's not a real hard thing to do, just turn your phone off before get into your car. Turn it back on when you get out, any calls you've missed will be listed for you to check back on.
    Len
    This may not be a hard thing for you, but to the social media/texting addicted it is next to impossible. The thought of not being connected for even a few minutes approaches the unthinkable for them. I have experienced the wrath of my own household recently, when the wireless router died and nobody could get on internet. When I suggested that I would order a new one from Amazon on Monday from work, rather than going into town right then to get another one at Best Buy, you would have thought I had suggested that we all spend the night outside in a cardboard box. Needless to say, we had the new router in place within a couple of hours.

    My point is that being connected 24/7 is quickly becoming perceived as an absolute necessity. Today, most of us cannot conceive being without electricity in our house. As soon as the power goes out, we start to panic. A hundred years this would have not been much of a problem.
    Larry J Browning
    There are 10 kinds of people in this world; Those who understand binary and those who don't.

  10. #85
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    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Browning View Post
    My point is that being connected 24/7 is quickly becoming perceived as an absolute necessity.
    I was in a 3 hour class yesterday afternoon. I put my phone on vibrate and stuck it in my purse under the table. The only reason I left it on is that my dad has been in and out of the hospital recently. Of the 6 people in the class, and I was the youngest, no one else bothered to turn off the ringer, much less the phone. It was as if the instructor was less important than the person on the other end of the call. I thought it extremely rude of them. One lady on the front row texted repeatedly during the class.

    “Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy and chivalry.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Everybody knows what to do with the devil but them that has him. My Grandmother
    I had a guardian angel at one time, but my little devil got him drunk, tattooed, and left him penniless at a strip club. I have not had another angel assigned to me yet.
    I didn't change my mind, my mind changed me.
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  11. #86
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    I never had a personal cell phone until my sudden deafness caused me to retire. The gigantic corporation I worked for provided one until then though we were limited to business use only. My wife travels much more than I do and since I was deaf, we elected to get smart phones the day we retired. We could text when she was out of town.

    We have since upgraded them one time. The ONLY time I turn mine on regularly is when my wife is out of town. Otherwise every month or so, I remember to pull it out of a drawer and charge it. While I have given the number to a couple people, I INSIST they realize that I seldom turn it on. I can tell you with certainty that I went from mid-August of last year until mid-December of last year wihout turning the cell phone on. We changed carriers and got new cell phones in mid-December. We had a DIL, 3 grandkids under the ages of 4, a dog and a cat living with us for those 4 months. My wife didn't leave and I had no reason to turn that phone on.
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 04-27-2015 at 11:24 AM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  12. #87
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    Quote Originally Posted by Belinda Williamson View Post
    I was in a 3 hour class yesterday afternoon. I put my phone on vibrate and stuck it in my purse under the table. The only reason I left it on is that my dad has been in and out of the hospital recently. Of the 6 people in the class, and I was the youngest, no one else bothered to turn off the ringer, much less the phone. It was as if the instructor was less important than the person on the other end of the call. I thought it extremely rude of them. One lady on the front row texted repeatedly during the class.
    This is becoming more the norm than the exception.
    In my mind, this mindset of feeling the need be connected and reachable at all times is the biggest obstacle to getting people to stop the texting while driving.
    Larry J Browning
    There are 10 kinds of people in this world; Those who understand binary and those who don't.

  13. #88
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald View Post
    I never had a personal cell phone until my sudden deafness caused me to retire. The gigantic corporation I worked for provided one until then though we were limited to business use only. My wife travels much more than I do and since I was deaf, we elected to get smart phones the day we retired. We could text when she was out of town.

    We have since upgraded them one time. The ONLY time I turn mine on regularly is when my wife is out of town. Otherwise every month or so, I remember to pull it out of a drawer and charge it. While I have given the number to a couple people, I INSIST they realize that I seldom turn it on. I can tell you with certainty that I went from mid-August of last year until mid-December of last year wihout turning the cell phone on. We changed carriers and got new cell phones in mid-December. We had a DIL, 3 grandkids under the ages of 4, a dog and a cat living with us for those 4 months. My wife didn't leave and I had no reason to turn that phone on.
    Ken, you do realize you are the exception to the way most of the civilized world uses cell phones. Most people get very nervous and uncomfortable when they realize they can't be reached or can't communicate with others. I have received, notices from friends and relatives apologizing for not responding to messages for the past few hour, due to some technical malfunction, even though I hadn't even tried to contact them. I can remember a time when it was a normal thing to be unreachable for several days and no one give it a second thought. Today, people want to file a missing persons report when someone doesn't respond to a text for an hour.
    Larry J Browning
    There are 10 kinds of people in this world; Those who understand binary and those who don't.

  14. #89
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    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Browning View Post
    Ken, you do realize you are the exception to the way most of the civilized world uses cell phones. Most people get very nervous and uncomfortable when they realize they can't be reached or can't communicate with others. I have received, notices from friends and relatives apologizing for not responding to messages for the past few hour, due to some technical malfunction, even though I hadn't even tried to contact them. I can remember a time when it was a normal thing to be unreachable for several days and no one give it a second thought. Today, people want to file a missing persons report when someone doesn't respond to a text for an hour.
    Larry,
    I use my cell, unfortunately, more now than in the past. I'm a dinosaur and texting just annoys me, but for work purposes that is becoming almost a requirement. On the weekends, I don't carry a phone most of the time. When I walk in the door of my house, I put the phone away.

    “Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy and chivalry.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Everybody knows what to do with the devil but them that has him. My Grandmother
    I had a guardian angel at one time, but my little devil got him drunk, tattooed, and left him penniless at a strip club. I have not had another angel assigned to me yet.
    I didn't change my mind, my mind changed me.
    Bella Terra

  15. #90
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    Quote Originally Posted by Belinda Williamson View Post
    Larry,
    I use my cell, unfortunately, more now than in the past. I'm a dinosaur and texting just annoys me.....
    Me too! I absolutely HATE to text!
    I really don't know why these things called "SmartPHONES" even have the word phone in the name. Most people under the age of 35 hardly ever use the phone feature. I asked one of the younger colleagues here at work when was the last time he actually used his as a phone. He couldn't say for sure, but he thought it might have been 2 weeks ago, when his mom called.

    I just don't get the big attraction of texting over voice. It just seem so impersonal to me. Why in the world would you want to text someone, when you could actually talk to them? It is a much slower form of communication, and how do you know you are communicating with the person you think you are? I can't tell you how many times SWMBO has texted back and forth with one of our children on my phone pretending she was me. My kids think I text them all the time.

    I know all the young people are just rolling their eyes right now, thinking about how out of touch with reality I am. One of these days I will die off (probably killed by a texting driver) and you won't have to listen to my rantings. That will be just in time for you to take my place, with your rantings about how great things were back in 2015 when we had cell phone.
    Last edited by Larry Browning; 04-27-2015 at 1:43 PM.
    Larry J Browning
    There are 10 kinds of people in this world; Those who understand binary and those who don't.

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