Drunk Driving...... &
*~10 YEARS BABY~*
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Hollywood
Posts: 9,369
Drunk Driving...... &
I took a huge leap a few weeks ago..
I joined Oprah's No Text & No Phone Zone.
Oprah's No Phone Zone Pledge - Oprah.com
http://www.oprah.com/packages/no-phone-zone.html
I am [Was] one of those drivers.
I've had a cell phone since I can remember (seriously), I've
been driving since I was about 5 and legally since I was 14.
I do it all well. LOL
I live in California I am in traffic ALL THE TIME, I hate sitting still,
I have ADD in a bad way, I have things to do, things to get done.
I do them in my car, I talk on the phone, I text, I surf the net,
I email people back, I check my facebook, I update my notes.
I have a Smart Phone. That's what those Iphones do. I can reply
to all in 30 seconds flat.
BUT......... then I saw a few guests, I saw women who lost children,
family members, I saw guests who killed children, husbands.
I saw it all.
I thought at first, what if I just don't text. I did some research, and
saw it's just as dangerous if not more dangerous than drinking and driving
to talk on your phone.
My friend had taken the pledge a few weeks before, and I started thinking..
I have been given sign and after sign to stop talking, stop texting,
I had cut back to only doing things at stop lights, but that's not the point.
My mind should be on the road, not on my phone, not on my status update,
or my inbox.
I talked to my friend who has been spreading this to everyone she knows, as it is her new passion. I saw people be extremely rude to her about it.
And I see the end of Oprah's episode's and articles in the paper of those who have lost their lives.
I think how we are on here everyday trying to help addicts, alcoholics, yet many of us are in the car taking this risk.
I'm done, I had to ask myself who the hell am I to risk someone's life or my own because I want to talk on the phone.
Here is a quick video if you want to see her pledge.
The decision is up to you.
If your not ready yet, maybe just think about it.
Someone had to plant a seed in my brain and make
me think about it before I was ready.
But remember talking is = to drinking.
I'm not perfect, I have talked once.
But I have pulled over to text every time, and to talk other than that.
Before this, it was habit, I got in my car = I got on my phone.
I know to some of you this is probably just really stupid behavior,
but in LA, it's what we do....... LOL
Car talk, not the stupid behavior I meant...... Ha Ha.
I know what you all were thinking!!
This was one of the stories that changed did it for me.
VERY EMOTIONAL, and left me in tears.... So watch
with warning....
I have made myself watch it a few times.
YouTube - Shelly's Story - No Phone Zone
Stay Safe Everyone.............. :day6
I joined Oprah's No Text & No Phone Zone.
Oprah's No Phone Zone Pledge - Oprah.com
http://www.oprah.com/packages/no-phone-zone.html
I am [Was] one of those drivers.
I've had a cell phone since I can remember (seriously), I've
been driving since I was about 5 and legally since I was 14.
I do it all well. LOL
I live in California I am in traffic ALL THE TIME, I hate sitting still,
I have ADD in a bad way, I have things to do, things to get done.
I do them in my car, I talk on the phone, I text, I surf the net,
I email people back, I check my facebook, I update my notes.
I have a Smart Phone. That's what those Iphones do. I can reply
to all in 30 seconds flat.
BUT......... then I saw a few guests, I saw women who lost children,
family members, I saw guests who killed children, husbands.
I saw it all.
I thought at first, what if I just don't text. I did some research, and
saw it's just as dangerous if not more dangerous than drinking and driving
to talk on your phone.
My friend had taken the pledge a few weeks before, and I started thinking..
I have been given sign and after sign to stop talking, stop texting,
I had cut back to only doing things at stop lights, but that's not the point.
My mind should be on the road, not on my phone, not on my status update,
or my inbox.
I talked to my friend who has been spreading this to everyone she knows, as it is her new passion. I saw people be extremely rude to her about it.
And I see the end of Oprah's episode's and articles in the paper of those who have lost their lives.
I think how we are on here everyday trying to help addicts, alcoholics, yet many of us are in the car taking this risk.
I'm done, I had to ask myself who the hell am I to risk someone's life or my own because I want to talk on the phone.
Here is a quick video if you want to see her pledge.
The decision is up to you.
If your not ready yet, maybe just think about it.
Someone had to plant a seed in my brain and make
me think about it before I was ready.
But remember talking is = to drinking.
I'm not perfect, I have talked once.
But I have pulled over to text every time, and to talk other than that.
Before this, it was habit, I got in my car = I got on my phone.
I know to some of you this is probably just really stupid behavior,
but in LA, it's what we do....... LOL
Car talk, not the stupid behavior I meant...... Ha Ha.
I know what you all were thinking!!
This was one of the stories that changed did it for me.
VERY EMOTIONAL, and left me in tears.... So watch
with warning....
I have made myself watch it a few times.
YouTube - Shelly's Story - No Phone Zone
Stay Safe Everyone.............. :day6
*~10 YEARS BABY~*
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Hollywood
Posts: 9,369
Drunk Driving Versus Cell Phones
We vilify drunk drivers. In many people’s minds, drunk drivers are so selfish, so lacking in self-control, that they are willing to put innocent people’s lives at risk. To many, drunk driving is the height of irresponsibility, demonstrating the perpetrator’s indifference to human life.
Groups like MADD have done an excellent job humanizing the victims of drunk driving accidents, often implicitly—sometimes even explicitly—painting the intoxicated driver as morally depraved.
We slap drunk drivers with extremely harsh punishments. Some states have even begun subjecting those convicted of DUI/DWI to the kinds of shame-based punishments that are usually reserved for sex offenders. (For more information, see the article “DUI License Plates—A Shameful Trend.”)
Politicians gain easy points among their constituents by advocating ever-more-extreme punishments for drunk drivers. It’s a tried and true method for appearing tough on crime.
Behind all this lobbying, all these harsh punishments and political posturing, is the assumption that drinking is the worst thing you can do while operating a motor vehicle—the thing that most impairs your ability to drive safely.
But is that really true?
What if you learned that, if you’ve ever talked on a cell phone while driving, your level of impairment was equal to that of someone whose blood alcohol level was above the legal limit?
Although talking while driving doesn’t set off the same moral alarms for most people—and nor is there a giant organization, “Mothers Against Talking While Driving,” which wields a great deal of influence in Washington—the science is clear: using a cell phone in the car is equally dangerous as the drunk driving, if not more so.
Consider the following study by psychologists at the University of Utah:
Subjects in the study drove a virtual-reality car four times: once with no distraction; once while talking on a cell phone, holding the phone in their hands; once while using a headset; and once after having had a few drinks—enough to put them over the .08% limit.
Researchers even noticed that some of the subjects were visibly out of control after drinking.
So how did they do?
The researchers found that when the subjects talked on the phone—either holding it in their hands, or using a headset—they showed the same signs of impairment, and to similar degrees, as when they drove drunk.
Here’s what even more surprising.
When drunk, not a single subject rear-ended the pace car in the experiment. However, three of the subjects crashed into the car while talking on the phone.
Drunk driving is, without a doubt, a significant danger. However, we may want to reconsider how we chose to doll out our moral outrage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is having a cell phone pressed to your ear while behind the wheel the equivalent of driving while intoxicated? According to a study by University of Utah psychologists, the answer is, unfortunately, yes.
"Just like you put yourself and other people at risk when you drive drunk, you put yourself and others at risk when you use a cell phone and drive," writes David Strayer, a psychology professor and the study's lead author. "The level of impairment is very similar."
We vilify drunk drivers. In many people’s minds, drunk drivers are so selfish, so lacking in self-control, that they are willing to put innocent people’s lives at risk. To many, drunk driving is the height of irresponsibility, demonstrating the perpetrator’s indifference to human life.
Groups like MADD have done an excellent job humanizing the victims of drunk driving accidents, often implicitly—sometimes even explicitly—painting the intoxicated driver as morally depraved.
We slap drunk drivers with extremely harsh punishments. Some states have even begun subjecting those convicted of DUI/DWI to the kinds of shame-based punishments that are usually reserved for sex offenders. (For more information, see the article “DUI License Plates—A Shameful Trend.”)
Politicians gain easy points among their constituents by advocating ever-more-extreme punishments for drunk drivers. It’s a tried and true method for appearing tough on crime.
Behind all this lobbying, all these harsh punishments and political posturing, is the assumption that drinking is the worst thing you can do while operating a motor vehicle—the thing that most impairs your ability to drive safely.
But is that really true?
What if you learned that, if you’ve ever talked on a cell phone while driving, your level of impairment was equal to that of someone whose blood alcohol level was above the legal limit?
Although talking while driving doesn’t set off the same moral alarms for most people—and nor is there a giant organization, “Mothers Against Talking While Driving,” which wields a great deal of influence in Washington—the science is clear: using a cell phone in the car is equally dangerous as the drunk driving, if not more so.
Consider the following study by psychologists at the University of Utah:
Subjects in the study drove a virtual-reality car four times: once with no distraction; once while talking on a cell phone, holding the phone in their hands; once while using a headset; and once after having had a few drinks—enough to put them over the .08% limit.
Researchers even noticed that some of the subjects were visibly out of control after drinking.
So how did they do?
The researchers found that when the subjects talked on the phone—either holding it in their hands, or using a headset—they showed the same signs of impairment, and to similar degrees, as when they drove drunk.
Here’s what even more surprising.
When drunk, not a single subject rear-ended the pace car in the experiment. However, three of the subjects crashed into the car while talking on the phone.
Drunk driving is, without a doubt, a significant danger. However, we may want to reconsider how we chose to doll out our moral outrage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is having a cell phone pressed to your ear while behind the wheel the equivalent of driving while intoxicated? According to a study by University of Utah psychologists, the answer is, unfortunately, yes.
"Just like you put yourself and other people at risk when you drive drunk, you put yourself and others at risk when you use a cell phone and drive," writes David Strayer, a psychology professor and the study's lead author. "The level of impairment is very similar."
Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Eastern Time Zone
Posts: 1,011
I have not actually signed the pledge because I don't do either one. But here's what I've decided to do:
When i call somebody on a cell phone, the first thing I ask is "Are you driving right now?" If they say "yes" then I politely ask them to call me back later when they're not driving. 20-somethings and 30-somethings take offense at that because they think its their birthright. Anybody older than that says, "sure" and actually call me back later.
I decided to do that after I saw the segment on Oprah's show where the dad said he was talking to his son while the son was driving, the son lost control of his car, and he hit a tree and died. My heart goes out to that father, and I learned a lesson right there.
Thanks for this post.
When i call somebody on a cell phone, the first thing I ask is "Are you driving right now?" If they say "yes" then I politely ask them to call me back later when they're not driving. 20-somethings and 30-somethings take offense at that because they think its their birthright. Anybody older than that says, "sure" and actually call me back later.
I decided to do that after I saw the segment on Oprah's show where the dad said he was talking to his son while the son was driving, the son lost control of his car, and he hit a tree and died. My heart goes out to that father, and I learned a lesson right there.
Thanks for this post.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Chicago area
Posts: 4,269
I do not use a cell phone for anything while driving. I am 57 and spent most of my life without a cell phone. I have no sense of urgency to communicate with the outside world, while driving or shopping for apples for that matter.
*~10 YEARS BABY~*
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Hollywood
Posts: 9,369
Originally Posted by sojourner 
I have not actually signed the pledge because I don't do either one. But here's what I've decided to do:
When i call somebody on a cell phone, the first thing I ask is "Are you driving right now?" If they say "yes" then I politely ask them to call me back later when they're not driving. 20-somethings and 30-somethings take offense at that because they think its their birthright. Anybody older than that says, "sure" and actually call me back later.
I decided to do that after I saw the segment on Oprah's show where the dad said he was talking to his son while the son was driving, the son lost control of his car, and he hit a tree and died. My heart goes out to that father, and I learned a lesson right there.
Thanks for this post.
When i call somebody on a cell phone, the first thing I ask is "Are you driving right now?" If they say "yes" then I politely ask them to call me back later when they're not driving. 20-somethings and 30-somethings take offense at that because they think its their birthright. Anybody older than that says, "sure" and actually call me back later.
I decided to do that after I saw the segment on Oprah's show where the dad said he was talking to his son while the son was driving, the son lost control of his car, and he hit a tree and died. My heart goes out to that father, and I learned a lesson right there.
Thanks for this post.
Your right 20-30's something's DO think it is their 'Right' to talk and drive.
I have had quite a bit of flack as I expected over this,
one of my BFF's argument, and she was very strong about this was)
I don't see how it is and different than me talking to someone sitting next to me.
My argument back was, Well for example the freeway entrance ~ exit by my house where you have to LITERALLY cross 6 (or maybe more) lanes in a mile or so, it is so dangerous, and ridiculous...... I've done that so many times on the phone, and IF you are in my car, you can see the look of distress on my face when I'm doing it, your probably not going to keep talking when you see me in a dangrous situation, or your not going to keep on telling me some drama about our dance group, or this or that, or if I stop talking, you'll know why.
If or WHEN I'm on the phone, people don't get it, and usually were like are you there? can you hear me? Hello? Are you listening?
ETC.......
We argued about that for ever, finally she was like yea your right, but still whatever.
Then a guy at work had a book about how people are dying in cars, and I told him about the no phone thing.
LOL, He said, sheayyyaaa whatever I have an APP That makes it easier,
(He thinks his phone is better than my IPhone) I'm like whatever, it's illegal to text easy or not, your Dad was a cop, dumbazzzzzzzzzzzzz..
He says But I can do it, I think I can. I said Okay....
He said, IF YOU GIRLS can put on your damn makeup, fix your hair, etc..
then I"m going to text......... and drive and do what I want................
I said the point is, it is not safe, I don't do that stuff, it should all be illegal.
Not for me, cuz I can do it safe.
One of our other friends said, I am 35 years old, I think I can decide what is safe for me and what is not without you guys shoving pledges down my face...........
Um Okay???????~~~!! Cuz I didn't see us shoving anything down your 35 year old face, I'm gonna take a guess you wouldn't let that happen.
Ermmmmmmmmmmmm..
THANKS for the responses and the support. As passionate as I am about this, IT REALLY REALLY is hard...... My Mom is so proud of me, cuz
SHE KNOWS............ LOL.......
LOL, i can actually feel my heart speed up when I don't answer my phone or a text.........
It'll pass. But it is a bit of an addiction, the phone.........
Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Eastern Time Zone
Posts: 1,011
I've had the same conversation about the difference between people sitting in the passenger seat versus talking on the phone. And I've made the same argument that the person in the car is also watching the road along with me and stops their conversation as soon as they see something that could be potentially dangerous whereas the person on the phone is clueless. That passenger might even point something out to me that I am not seeing where the person on the phone is, again, clueless.
It will take a grass-roots effort to get these freaking car companies to quit installing equipment on their products that make talking on the phone and surfing the internet so danged easy. They keep advertising these products at the same time that states are trying to make laws outlawing this behavior.
And the argument of hands-free being safer falls on deaf ears to me. It's the conversation itself that is causing the distraction.
It will take a grass-roots effort to get these freaking car companies to quit installing equipment on their products that make talking on the phone and surfing the internet so danged easy. They keep advertising these products at the same time that states are trying to make laws outlawing this behavior.
And the argument of hands-free being safer falls on deaf ears to me. It's the conversation itself that is causing the distraction.
Nature Girl
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: By The Lake
Posts: 60,328
They have made using cell phones and/or texting while driving illegal in Ontario, where I live.
It's an excellent law. If there is an emergency need to use the phone, all you have to do is pull off the road.
If it's not an emergency, it can wait.
I am absolutely certain that this law will save many lives.
I was in Florida for a month recently, and I was astounded how many drivers I saw with a cell phone, talking or texting. And people walking across a busy street, texting away and not paying any attention to traffic or where they were walking. It was scary for me as a driver who was alert and trying to avoid THEIR driving mistakes.
Good post here, Miss Done. I'm glad you (and others here) are pledging to stop this insane practice.
Hugs
It's an excellent law. If there is an emergency need to use the phone, all you have to do is pull off the road.
If it's not an emergency, it can wait.
I am absolutely certain that this law will save many lives.
I was in Florida for a month recently, and I was astounded how many drivers I saw with a cell phone, talking or texting. And people walking across a busy street, texting away and not paying any attention to traffic or where they were walking. It was scary for me as a driver who was alert and trying to avoid THEIR driving mistakes.
Good post here, Miss Done. I'm glad you (and others here) are pledging to stop this insane practice.
Hugs
Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Hollywood, CA
Posts: 58
Funny... I get on the freeway in Hollywood everyday and I HATE it cause all I see is people on their cells. I don't use my cell while driving. If I need to, I pull over and park somewhere for a bit. You would think with the cell phone law people would do it less. I fully support this.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Chaos, USA
Posts: 52
Well done, Done. I agree that there are too many people talking and texting on their phones in LA and not even going handsfree. And they are so easy to spot because they are the ones driving like they are drunk. They can't stay in their lanes, maintain a constant speed or suddenly slam on their brakes.
I'm not quite ready to take the pledge but I do NOT text at all while driving and if I'm talking on the phone, I am on the bluetooth.
I'm not quite ready to take the pledge but I do NOT text at all while driving and if I'm talking on the phone, I am on the bluetooth.
Awaiting Email Confirmation
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Middle of Nowhere
Posts: 1
They have made using cell phones and/or texting while driving illegal in Ontario, where I live.
Clever Yak
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: ---
Posts: 4,360
I think they're actually making new phone/car technolgy that will turn off your phone while in the car automatically. It's called DriveAssistT, it used GPS signals or something like that to sense that you're in a car at moving speeds and will turn off your phone for you, so that way you don't get interrupted while driving and you don't have to worry about having the self-discipline to turn it off your self or have any temptation to talk/reply to texts while you drive. The only stupid thing about it is that it costs you money per month to have... it's not like anybody is gonna pay to have their phone turned off. Conceptually though, it's a good idea.
Where I live, it's illegal to be using your cellphone while driving until you reach 19 years of age (why 19? I don't know).
Where I live, it's illegal to be using your cellphone while driving until you reach 19 years of age (why 19? I don't know).
Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In a good place
Posts: 4,482
I was on the phone with my husband a little while ago (both landlines) and all of a sudden he said "OH ****!!!" because he watched a truck jump a curb, clip a phone pole, then flip over. This was in front of our office. He hung up with me and called 911 then called me back. Said the guy climbed out from underneath and sat on the curb, thankfully he was wearing a seat belt. The police and EMT's arrived, and by this time my husband is out there listening to everything and I can hear it too.
The man said he was texting his wife.
The man said he was texting his wife.
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