Which is worse in Fairfax County Texting and Cellphone use or Drunk driving?

Should texting be a primary offense allowing officers to pull over and ticket like drunk driving?

Opus Wrote:
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> Which is worse

No win, they are all bad.

I would say texting by a mile. You are completely taking your attention off the road. There are also a lot more texting type accidents by a huge percentage than DWI.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/2010 05:17PM by Lurker..

DUI wins. You can stop texting and drive the rest of the way safely, but same can't be said once you are drunk and behind the wheel. Both stupid either way.

Opus Wrote:
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> Which is worse in Fairfax County Texting and
> Cellphone use or Drunk driving?


Texting in Fairfax, DUI in Loudoun and Prince William, and cellphone use in Faquier, Arlington, Vienna, and Herndon. All three combined in Alexandria.

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That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

I consider DWI worse, or DUI for that matter, because even if you have your eyes glued to the road, you're still screwing up. With a cell phone, at least you can put it down or drop it quickly, and still respond. Screw texting while driving though, I tried it once when I was in high school, and I was only doing it between traffic lights, and I still almost went into the other lane. It's a pointless and dumb concept. I don't even like holding conversations on the phone while driving.

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"And if any women or children get their legs torn off, or faces caved in, well, it's tough shit for them." -2LT. Bert Stiles, 505th, 339th (On Berlin Bombardier Mission, 1944).

Usually when I drink and drive I wont txt because I spell everything wrong. So I usually just call my friends while I drink and drive.

I think you're comparing apples to oranges. There are studies that compare dui to cellphone use, but I suspect the impairment is similar at the dui threshold, .08 BAC. So, the drunker you are, the more prone to killing someone. OTOH, the rush hour drivers using cell phones is absolutely crazy. And folks who text and drive should just be taken and shot.

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“We don’t have any rude, unpleasant people here. We’re different!”

A DUI driver you can pick out and avoid. Texting is more dangerous in my opinion because people swerve unexpected and completely miss traffic signals by taking their eyes off the road.

At least with DUI drivers they are consistent and slow in actions. Texting I've seen people going 70 and they are off the road or in the oncoming lane in seconds because they are looking at their phones.

With in the last three days I've almost been hit twice by people on their phones. Once so bad I had to move off the road. The worst are people in luxury cars, they are totally oblivious to others when they are on their cell phones.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/2010 09:48PM by Lurker..

I saw a Virginia state trooper on Franconia Rd today that had a cell phone in her left hand on her left ear and and a microphone in her right hand up to her mouth. She was only rolling up to a red light at a slow speed, maybe 10-15 mph. She also stopped about 100 feet behind the car in front of her. I was expecting to see someone pull in there to fill the gap per the discussion in that other thread, LOL.

Texting is more dangerous. One time I spilled my moonshine while texting and driving. Another time, I was just driving and drinking my moonshine, but I didn't spill any moonshine-I was able to grab it before it spilled.

Texting while intoxicated FTW ;)

statistically speaking, people using theie cellular device (for anything) causes far less accidents than people adjusting their radio or intoxicated drivers.

as for texting while driving, why not just call the person if it's so important that you contact them immediately?


"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

word Wrote:
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> Usually when I drink and drive I wont txt because
> I spell everything wrong. So I usually just call
> my friends while I drink and drive.

x2!!!

I'm not sure which is worse but there are more people texting and driving than there are drunk driving at any given time in this area. I'm sure we have all seen the videos of the people trying to navigate a closed course while texting and then people that are drunk trying to navigate the same course, the texting drivers run over more cones and leave the course far more than the drunk drivers. This is probably because being drunk doesn't mean you are staring down at your phone, you may be impaired but you can still pay attention to the road. So if this is the case shouldn't the punishment for one of these offenses be changed? Texting is just as dangerous as DUI but if you get caught texting you may get a ticket for distracted driving or failure to maintain control, if you get a DUI you end up spending thousands of dollars, having to attend the money making program ASAP, some people lose their jobs because of all the restrictions put on them. That seems unfair when the result of both actions are just as dangerous if not more so when texting. The punishment for texting should be just as harsh as DUI and people convicted of doing it should have to pay $400 to attend TASP (texting awareness safety program).

I totally agree. The punishment should be just as harsh. Big fines, license suspension, higher insurance, the whole works.

BB*X Wrote:
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> The punishment for texting should be just as harsh
> as DUI and people convicted of doing it should
> have to pay $400 to attend TASP (texting awareness
> safety program).

+1

A twelve step program where finding God will help them kick the habit. Each texter will be assigned a buddy to help them kick the addiction and not allowed to text that buddy.

Second offenses will result in jail time and loss of license for 6 months.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2010 09:59AM by Lurker..

Expert answers cell phone are same or worse than drunk driving.

If the government can find a way to turn a buck on it, they'll make them equal offenses before long, don't worry about that.

If the reasoning behind the punishment for these offenses is analyzed without bias or judgment on morals or religious beliefs, people will see that they are fairly equivalent and if they value their own personal safety on the roads, then they should demand equal punishment.

also, I see plenty of cops texting or fiddling with cell phones or laptop computers while driving.

again, they get to enforce laws while not respecting them equally.

do as I say, not as I do..

jRoc Wrote:
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> also, I see plenty of cops texting or fiddling
> with cell phones or laptop computers while
> driving.
>
> again, they get to enforce laws while not
> respecting them equally.
>
> do as I say, not as I do..

It would be cool to bust cops for CAD or cell phone use. ie. Distracted driving.

- good evening sir, license and registration please...

* what's going on sir?

- officers from around the area are conducting a checkpoint to deter and apprehend intoxicated or texting drivers. All motorists will be stopped and checked to assure their abilities to drive have not been impaired by alcohol, drugs, cell phones, or bad stations on xm radio.

* ok, thanks for the info.

- sir, I noticed an email icon on your cell phone in your center console, could you please step out of the vehicle and bring your phone.

* uh yes sir..

- you don't have any weapons on you, or any drugs in the car tonight do you sir?

* no sir, absolutely not.

- could I please see your cell phone sir.

* sure, what's the problem officer.

- hmm.... nice, it says here that you just sent this text at 11:34 pm and you just stopped at our checkpoint at 11:35pm heading off of I-66, that means you were texting and driving, could you please come over to my field IT test apparatus so that we might test your phone for a violation of the texting while driving law.

* could I speak with my lawyer first officer

- oh, great.. you could just comply with us and make this easy, or we will just arrest you right here and take you to the detention center and we will gladly speak with your lawyer

....

whutcha gonna do when they come for you...

better start hiding your cell phones with your empties and your radar detectors... put them on vibrate, get some good mints and visine, and stay out of trouble!



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/04/2010 10:26PM by jRoc.