Heroes driving semi's now

77zach · Oct 31, 2013

http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/238385...trucks-to-catch-drivers-texting#axzz2jIWuxblh

That semi on the highway with you may be a hero, wasting gas.

This whole anti-texting while driving crusade is really dumb. Is texting while driving good? No. What about driving while tired, angry, depressed? How about while eating? How about women doing their makeup? Personally, I drive much safer when I text. Most people do. You can see them in the right lane going 20 under the speed limit.

RK3369 · Oct 31, 2013

yeah, for sure.................

77zach said:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/238385...trucks-to-catch-drivers-texting#axzz2jIWuxblh

That semi on the highway with you may be a hero, wasting gas.

I drive much safer when I text. Most people do. You can see them in the right lane going 20 under the speed limit.

.............. and causing multiple rear end collisions on the interstate.

WalkingWolf · Oct 31, 2013

IMO anyone who texts, uses a computer, or any device that takes the eyes from the road is a idiot. That includes officers that play with the squad computer while driving.

77zach · Oct 31, 2013

WalkingWolf said:
IMO anyone who texts, uses a computer, or any device that takes the eyes from the road is a idiot. That includes officers that play with the squad computer while driving.

Like a radio?

Brace · Oct 31, 2013

WalkingWolf said:
IMO anyone who texts, uses a computer, or any device that takes the eyes from the road is a idiot. That includes officers that play with the squad computer while driving.

QFT. Although really it's been enabled by automobile manufacturers as much as general culture. There have been countless cases where a driver looked down to adjust their radio/Satellite Radio/CD Player and then looked up just in time to get into an accident, and those are features built into the car.

In a certain sense it would make sense to only punish people after a crime has been committed and to let them judge their own level of competence and act accordingly, but when you consider the fact that 90% of people are objectively incompetent drivers yet everyone thinks they're an amazing driver the untenability of that becomes clear. This sort of aggressive ticketing campaign doesn't necessarily have a positive effect though. Also, individual drivers should have the option of being able to try and prove their competence in court and hence get out of a ticket for those rare exceptions.

davidmcbeth · Oct 31, 2013

WalkingWolf said:
IMO anyone who texts, uses a computer, or any device that takes the eyes from the road is a idiot. That includes officers that play with the squad computer while driving.

Some studies have shown that its a dangerous as being drunk, although I have not examined the studies in detail.

But, assuming that they are correct....most states exempt cops from such laws...nice to know !

77zach · Oct 31, 2013

Brace said:
In a certain sense it would make sense to only punish people after a crime has been committed and to let them judge their own level of competence and act accordingly...

I think this is the correct thing. Fl's new law does something like this. Texting while driving, in and of itself is not a crime, they have to pull you over for something else first.

These laws, and even "speed limits" in certain circumstances are an excuse for the state to take more money from us. You have some horror stories from a group of mom's about how their teen was killed because of using a phone while driving and the legislatures and media melt, just like with guns.

The fact of the matter is most people have built in preservation mechanisms. There is a conspiracy as it relates to "speed limits". They know that if speed limits were removed on highways there would not be an appreciable increase in accidents, eric peters auto website had engineering docs from here and abroad proving this decades ago.

Black_water · Oct 31, 2013

I went back to CT for a vacation and was told about all the laws they have for what not to do while driving. Here in AZ we have one law, a stupid motorist law, that cites you if you have an accident while being distracted doing anything.

Seems to me that is a better way to do business.

eye95 · Oct 31, 2013

77zach said:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/238385...trucks-to-catch-drivers-texting#axzz2jIWuxblh

That semi on the highway with you may be a hero, wasting gas.

This whole anti-texting while driving crusade is really dumb. Is texting while driving good? No. What about driving while tired, angry, depressed? How about while eating? How about women doing their makeup? Personally, I drive much safer when I text. Most people do. You can see them in the right lane going 20 under the speed limit.

I drive better when I am drunk. It forces me to pay closer attention to what I am doing.

NOT.

eye95 · Oct 31, 2013

WalkingWolf said:
IMO anyone who texts, uses a computer, or any device that takes the eyes from the road is a idiot. That includes officers that play with the squad computer while driving.

Like the one in the Dayton area who rear-ended the motorcyclist, flipping him and his rider up over the squad car?

BTW, it was just ruled that his driving suspension does not apply to his driving while on duty! Morons.

marshaul · Oct 31, 2013

77zach said:
The fact of the matter is most people have built in preservation mechanisms. There is a conspiracy as it relates to "speed limits". They know that if speed limits were removed on highways there would not be an appreciable increase in accidents, eric peters auto website had engineering docs from here and abroad proving this decades ago.

This is true, and is the ideal focus of your energies.

Everyone thinks they're a great driver, but everybody else is a reckless nightmare who needs heavy regulation (I don't buy into such elitism myself; don't think the evidence supports it).

Nobody needs to be told they can safely speed – everybody already knows that. The kicker is getting them to realize that, however dangerous everyone else may be, speed limits and many other regulations have no measurable effect.

(By the way, you have the results of those studies somewhat wrong. They found that, with speed limits removed, the accident rate could be expected to go appreciably down – because speed limits encourage unsafe/discourteous driving such as parking in the passing lane – with a slight increase in fatalities per accident due to those accidents which occurred being at a higher average speed. While these effects roughly balance in terms of lives lost, the accident rate itself does tend to go down – contrary to there being a noticeable-or-not increase).

davidmcbeth · Oct 31, 2013

Black_water said:
I went back to CT for a vacation and was told about all the laws they have for what not to do while driving. Here in AZ we have one law, a stupid motorist law, that cites you if you have an accident while being distracted doing anything.

Seems to me that is a better way to do business.

That's the way it should be .... most infractions are civil offenses ... no injury, no foul, no cause of action

77zach · Oct 31, 2013

marshaul said:
This is true, and is the ideal focus of your energies.

Everyone thinks they're a great driver, but everybody else is a reckless nightmare who needs heavy regulation (I don't buy into such elitism myself; don't think the evidence supports it).

Nobody needs to be told they can safely speed – everybody already knows that. The kicker is getting them to realize that, however dangerous everyone else may be, speed limits and many other regulations have no measurable effect.

(By the way, you have the results of those studies somewhat wrong. They found that, with speed limits removed, the accident rate could be expected to go appreciably down – because speed limits encourage unsafe/discourteous driving such as parking in the passing lane – with a slight increase in fatalities per accident due to those accidents which occurred being at a higher average speed. While these effects roughly balance in terms of lives lost, the accident rate itself does tend to go down – contrary to there being a noticeable-or-not increase).

It has beem awhile since I saw the reports and there may be more than I've seen out there. The ones I saw said that accidents may stay the same because of granny doing 50 in the left lane when everyone else is doing 100.

Speed limits: another government tax. After all, 'time is money" and they rob my time with every drive.

marshaul · Oct 31, 2013

77zach said:
The ones I saw said that accidents may stay the same because of granny doing 50 in the left lane when everyone else is doing 100.

Right, but this neglects the fact that speed limits encourage this behavior. Who hasn't had somebody come up behind them and thought, "well, I'm already going at/above the speed limit (and as fast as I feel comfortable doing w/re to the police), so this guy can just wait until I pass this next group of cars…"?

In contrast, such behavior is virtually unseen on the Autobahns. Considering what goes through my own mind, this makes perfect sense.

golddigger14s · Oct 31, 2013

In WA it is a primary offense $124.
http://stoptextsstopwrecks.org/#home
http://www.itcanwait.com/?WT.srch=1&wtPaidSearchTerm=texting+and+driving
http://www.king5.com/news/local/Texting-driver-killed-in-head-on-crash-say-troopers-116522618.html

Go ahead and keep texting while driving. Matter of fact send me a text of when, and where you'll be driving so I can stay parked at home.

77zach · Oct 31, 2013

heroic

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-spent-months-fitting-gadgets-eye-police.html

He avoided getting caught by a hero. I've thought about investing in a valentin 1 to avoid getting robbed at gun point, but have heard mixed reviews.

OC for ME · Nov 1, 2013

marshaul said:
Right, but this neglects the fact that speed limits encourage this behavior. Who hasn't had somebody come up behind them and thought, "well, I'm already going at/above the speed limit (and as fast as I feel comfortable doing w/re to the police), so this guy can just wait until I pass this next group of cars…"?

In contrast, such behavior is virtually unseen on the Autobahns. Considering what goes through my own mind, this makes perfect sense.

A Carabinieri buddy of mine told me that in Italy their version of the Autobahn, Autostrade, was policed by the perceived safe operating speed of the observed vehicle. Ferrari, go fast, Pinto, slow it down buddy. Every vehicle I road in or drove had a little sticker on the dash that gave the safe max speed based on the type of road, Autostrade or surface street. I saw some vehicles going 100 mph when there was now way I'd have done half that in that hunk of junk.

I was doing about 85 mph and a Carabinieri panel van (thing UPS truck) blew past me like I was standing still. Some brave souls there.

Heroes driving semi's now

77zach

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RK3369

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WalkingWolf

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77zach

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Brace

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davidmcbeth

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77zach

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