Texting

[DT86]

Then there are those cyclists with Walkmans plugged into their ears! in heavy city traffic!

I have noticed an increasing number of idiots wearing ear buds in both ears while driving lately. I always wonder what the h*ll they are thinking... oh wait... they aren't thinking.

 

[Raw Dodge]

I turn off my gps transmitter by default,i only turn it on when using the navigation feature..my data connection as well it's off when I want to check email,I'll turn it on then back off.so my phone cannot detect speed without either of these disabled it needs at least one to do that.i do this for battery life,hardly anyone leaves there gps on that I know...so it's easy to get around anyway,and SMS texting still works when data is off,because you still have your cellular radio enabled.they can't disable that or your phone wouldn't work when moving,if they do that I'll get rid of the phone because it's useless at that point..

 

[Daver1963]

I have noticed an increasing number of idiots wearing ear buds in both ears while driving lately. I always wonder what the h*ll they are thinking... oh wait... they aren't thinking.

Back in the late 1980's there was a problem with U.S. military personnel (mostly Army) in West Germany going out to the haufbrau house, getting drunk, taking a shortcut back to base via railroad tracks, entertaining themselves by listening to a Walkman, and getting run over by VERY FAST trains. There for a while it seemed like you read at least one story a week in the Stars & Stripes about that happening.
AFN-TV (Armed Forces Network) did an experiment where they took SOBER troops out to the side of a railroad crossing, turned their back to the direction a train was coming from, put a Walkman on them, and told them to give a hand signal when they heard the train. Almost all of them, by the time they signaled they heard the train, it was just about even with them. If they had been on the track there would have been no chance of them getting out of the way. Again, that was with sober troops.
AFN aired that story constantly for a couple of months and slowly but surely death by train dwindled down to a few a year.

 

[Midniteoyl]

I turn off my gps transmitter by default,i only turn it on when using the navigation feature..my data connection as well it's off when I want to check email,I'll turn it on then back off.so my phone cannot detect speed without either of these disabled it needs at least one to do that.i do this for battery life,hardly anyone leaves there gps on that I know...so it's easy to get around anyway,and SMS texting still works when data is off,because you still have your cellular radio enabled.they can't disable that or your phone wouldn't work when moving,if they do that I'll get rid of the phone because it's useless at that point..

SOme phones will also turn off texting if its paired with the cars bluetooth..

 

[Midniteoyl]

I have noticed an increasing number of idiots wearing ear buds in both ears while driving lately. I always wonder what the h*ll they are thinking... oh wait... they aren't thinking.

I seem to remember this was a problem when Ipods first came out too.. people couldnt hear the emergency sirens and got into a lot of accidents crossing an intersection

 

[DT86]

I seem to remember this was a problem when Ipods first came out too.. people couldnt hear the emergency sirens and got into a lot of accidents crossing an intersection

Lol. It's funny you mention iPod's. Every dang one I've seen have had the standard Apple ear buds crammed in their ears. It doesn't make sense though... most new cars and new aftermarket radios have an input jack just for iPods and the like. In my truck the radio doesn't even work and I do own a iPod but would never drive with ear buds in both ears!! I just talk to my dogs, much more entertaining.

 

[Bill Hoffman]

How the heck can you drive safely if you can't hear what's going on around you?
Oh wait, you can't. My GPS in my car won't allow any interaction as far as
entering new data, direction request, etc., while the car is moving. So the
technology is there for disabeling cell/text. If you're caught bypassing the
block you lose your driving PRIVILEGES for a year. No excuse, no reason,
no nothing. The only number that will work would be 911.

Bill

 

[aczlan]

How the heck can you drive safely if you can't hear what's going on around you? Oh wait, you can't.

I agree.

My GPS in my car won't allow any interaction as far as entering new data, direction request, etc., while the car is moving. So the technology is there for disabeling cell/text. If you're caught bypassing the block you lose your driving PRIVILEGES for a year. No excuse, no reason, no nothing. The only number that will work would be 911.

That will not fly. What do you propose doing about those who are passengers in cars, buses, boats, trains, subways, etc? How will you let them text/call while preventing the driver from texting/calling?

You say "If you're caught bypassing the block you lose your driving PRIVILEGES for a year. No excuse, no reason, no nothing."
How do you propose enforcing this? My phone is not locked down by my carrier in any way, it is not allowed to connect unless I tell it to. Its not allowed to run any programs unless I ask them to run.

From my earlier post:

1. If its a software block, there will be a video on Youtube within a month showing how to remove it.
2. If its a network side (ie: on the towers) change, it would not work for just the driver without software on the phone (see #1 but it might be 3 months).
3. If its proximity based and retrofittable, someone will hack the jammer and make it a "no texting zone" device for themselves and/or to bother others.

Aaron Z

 

[oosik]

Aaron Z,
What is your answer to this texting situation??

 

[aczlan]

Aaron Z,
What is your answer to this texting situation??

Same as with drunk driving. Enforcement and education. Anything else will not stop the 15-30 crowd as they will get around it and will just be an annoyance to everyone else.

Aaron Z