youtube UK psa on texting

[2009BBPliftback]

for those of you who do or know anyone that texts while they drive watch this PSA on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNN2E-f8nNk

Graphic Content

[Vang]

yep heard it on the news
i do hate idiots on the road endangering other peoples lives.. just natural selection imo

[2009BBPliftback]

i guess my intentions are a little parental just putting it out there so maybe someone who does won't

[Bob Dog]

as long as they only select themselves

[Kaotic Lazagna]

I have a very graphic email of a person texting and the accident that occurred due to it. If you would like to see it, PM me your email address.

[Bob Dog]

Just for myself, I think that one was enough for tonight.. I was already having a hard time going to sleep

[Kaotic Lazagna]

hahaha. (Not that accidents are funny, but your comment made me laugh)

[Thirty-Nine]

I swear to God, the rage I would have if someone hurt or killed my wife or any of my family or friends because they were too busy sending a text message behind the wheel ...

I see people swerving all over the Interstate all the time and they have their heads in their iPhones or Blackberries.

This video was very powerful. It's a shame it'll never get shown in the U.S. on TV.

[eTiMaGo]

instead of TPMS and airbags and traction control, new cars need cell phone signal jammers, that'll save a lot more lives...

[Kaotic Lazagna]

But what about if there is an emergency or something? Like an accident just happened and you have to call for emergency while in the car (like coming to a stop)?

[AdeJong 03]

But what about if there is an emergency or something? Like an accident just happened and you have to call for emergency while in the car (like coming to a stop)?

well its already illegal to text and drive out here. just have to hope that people obey

i sometimes text at lights, but i wouldnt do it while rolling. especially not on an iphone

some phones you know well enough to feel out the keypad and do it while keeping your eyes on the road.

no excuses though

[SailDesign]

instead of TPMS and airbags and traction control, new cars need cell phone signal jammers, that'll save a lot more lives...

COOL idea! I never thought of that one.... :biggrin:
Now, where can I find one?

[eTiMaGo]

But what about if there is an emergency or something? Like an accident just happened and you have to call for emergency while in the car (like coming to a stop)?

Only active while the car is moving :biggrin:

COOL idea! I never thought of that one.... :biggrin:
Now, where can I find one?

http://shoponspot.com/handheld-5-band-cell-phone-signal-blocker-05wh/ :biggrin:

[SailDesign]

http://shoponspot.com/handheld-5-band-cell-phone-signal-blocker-05wh/ :biggrin:

Heh! Thanks!

[Vang]

instead of TPMS and airbags and traction control, new cars need cell phone signal jammers, that'll save a lot more lives...

!!!!
good idea :clap:
i would love to bring one of these to class

[frownonfun]

ok i know this is unpopular but i text and drive all the time. as long as you know where the letters are i really don't see it as any different than pushing buttons on a stereo. your attention is off the road whilst doing either but i don't hear an outcry about banning car stereos. especially when you have those that show images and have touch screens and all that jazz.

but more importantly, what is the uk's fascination with these graphic psa commercials?! the british air force base i was stationed at made us sit and watch these same stupid ass videos. drunk driving, speeding, seatbelts... i've seen them all and sorry but i can't help but roll my eyes. i think these are more an exercise in desensitization than anything else. but that's just me.

[Crims0n5]

ok i know this is unpopular but i text and drive all the time. as long as you know where the letters are i really don't see it as any different than pushing buttons on a stereo. your attention is off the road whilst doing either but i don't hear an outcry about banning car stereos. especially when you have those that show images and have touch screens and all that jazz.

but more importantly, what is the uk's fascination with these graphic psa commercials?! the british air force base i was stationed at made us sit and watch these same stupid ass videos. drunk driving, speeding, seatbelts... i've seen them all and sorry but i can't help but roll my eyes. i think these are more an exercise in desensitization than anything else. but that's just me.

It's like that movie red asphalt they had me watch in drivers ed. It's really meant to make you come face to face with the reality that you could possibly kill someone. I'm happy nothing bad has happened to you, but that doesn't eliminate the danger. The fact of the matter is, driving impaired, whether it be from alcohol, texting, or what ever you're doing to purposely take you attention from the road, can kill you. I'm not saying it will. Even if you don't die you may not be able to live the same quality of life. (Paralysis, brain death/ damage, being the empty shell of the person you once were) What really frightens me is the thought surviving an accident, but hurting someone else, possibly someone I love and care about.

I, myself, couldn't imagine living with the guilt if I had done kind of harm to another person. I admit that I am no saint. I occasionally do shoot of a few texts every now and then. Hypocrite or not, I hope that people do become more considerate drivers and think about the safety of others as well as their own.

Everyone be safe and God Bless.

[2+2]

instead of TPMS and airbags and traction control, new cars need cell phone signal jammers, that'll save a lot more lives...

Great idea. We also need aircard jammers for laptops. But then of course passengers wouldn't be able to access their laptops while someone else is driving. Hell maybe all this technology making driving unsafe is going to force us to use technology to restore safety - let the computer do the driving and call it a day.

[supmet]

How about we take away licenses for talking on a phone or texting. First offense no warning. Fines(for every offense, not just cell phone related) should also be based on salary, like in many european countries. I read some dot-commer got a speeding ticket in the tens of thousands of dollars range.

Really they just need to make everything stricter and more serious when it comes to driving. You can take away phones but the people texting and swerving will just find something else to distract themselves with - and truth be told I've almost been killed by more soccer moms reaching back to beat their screaming kids than texters.

[frownonfun]

or you could just not buy into propaganda and realize that law enforcement has more important and way more dangerous things to worry about than cell phone abuse while driving. besides cracking down on that would be about as successful as the prohibition of alcohol and the war on drugs i think.

EDIT: i should have said legislators have more important things to worry about... but that's probably not true... this is exactly one of those things that gets way too much attention and so in all actuality this is, in fact, something legislators would choose to pass laws on in order to appease the masses. however unnecessary and ineffective it may be.

[Bob Dog]

More than once some distracted self centered idiot has alomst crunched into me texting. Yeah, make it really illegal about the same as 20 miles over the limit. Acording to the statistics I've benn reading texter are about 23 times as likely to be involved in an accident, just about the dame as drunks. I also think all fines and legal fees should be based on percentages instead of cash amounts, because if its cash based the really rich can afford to ignore it the way they do everything else: to them its just chump change.

[frownonfun]

More than once some distracted self centered idiot has alomst crunched into me texting. Yeah, make it illegal abotu the sme as 20 miles over the limit. I also think all fines and legal fees should be based on percentages instead of cash amounts, if its cash based the really rich can afford to ignore it the way they do everything else, because to them its just chump change

and probably for every time you've almost been hit by a texter i can tell you about a time i've almost been hit by someone doing something not related to cell phone use at all. i just don't see why texting is being singled out. and you can't just go around making everything illegal because there is no way to enforce everything.

[RedRide]

What's next? Perhaps we should allow sleeping behind the wheel.

When driving, one should devote all attention to driving, no exceptons!

[frownonfun]

When driving, one should devote all attention to driving, no exceptons!

then perhaps humans should not operate motor vehicles.

[RedRide]

then perhaps humans should not operate motor vehicles.

No, only those human who faill to realize the responsibility of driving and think they can multi task while driving.

[frownonfun]

i'd like to meet the person who's attention is 100% on driving. honestly i don't think that person exists but i'm sure some of you disagree. which is fine. but my point is you can't go around trying to regulate everything people do behind the wheel that might distract them from driving because that would pretty much include anything that isn't essential to operating the vehicle.

its not that i don't think you probably shouldn't text while driving, it's just i think there are worse things to do behind the wheel of a car. just asking for a little perspective.

[RedRide]

There was train accident fairly recent and it was discoverd that the engineer was texting at the time that he missed a signal to stop ahead. It was never proven that texting was the reason but, you have to seriously consider it.

Why do some people feel the need to text while driving?

[Bob Dog]

Yeah right, and lets eliminate the drunk driving laws too. As far as I concerned your just making up reasons to rationalize your self indulgent habit that endangers everone else on the highway.

[frownonfun]

well of course i'm rationalizing... and the psa is going a little overboard. much like they all do.

i'm also admitting it's something you probably shouldn't do while driving but i just don't think it's a big enough pandemic to go making laws against doing it. just think some folks are a little to law happy is all. i mean do you know how many times i sat in my parents vehicle as a child watching my mother put on makeup while driving. lol. idiotic i know but people do it. long before cell phones even existed people found something to draw their attention away from the road. people will always find something, with or without texting. hands free headsets, stereos, ipods, gps devices, kids, spouses, food, cb radios, cigarettes... the list really does go on and on. just think it's silly to single out texting. why not outlaw all of these things? and while we are at it we should screen people for ailments or disabilities or disorders that might make them unable to focus all of their attention on driving. like ADD and ADHD for example.

as for drunk driving laws, i think thats a pretty valid one, albeit ineffective.

[Bob Dog]

As previously stated the probability of having an accident while texting is just about equal to the probabilty of having of having an accident while driving under the influence.
Your mother probably should have gotten a ticket too. There is a great difference between someone driving with a minor handicap that is not of their making and engaging in a behavior that willfully disregards the well being of others.

[RedRide]

How may people have to die before something is important enough to be against the law?
!0? 100? 1000?

Or, perhaps just one....a family member.....a son, daughter, spouse etc?

BTW, I think the PSA (or one like it) sould be required viewing for all new drivers everywhere.
If it upsets some, That's great!
Some people need to be upset to face and reaize the reality of this issue and traffic accidents in general.

[SailDesign]

its not that i don't think you probably shouldn't text while driving, it's just i think there are worse things to do behind the wheel of a car. just asking for a little perspective.

Sure - you could be having sex behind the wheel of your car, and it would be more dangerous. But.... do you honestly think that an activity that by its very nature REQUIRES you to be looking down is a good idea?
In the UK, people have been taken to court for as little as eating an apple while driving. "Both hands on the wheel" is the law there, and is taken very seriously by the cops. A bit TOO seriously, IMHO, but there it is.
I feel the PSA is an accurate dramatisation of the way it could go down. Is it pleasant to watch? No. Would the real thing be pleasant to watch, or be involved in? No freakin' way!
I'm kinda glad you live in Texas, where there are (probavbly) fewer cars on hte road than in the NorthEast.

[frownonfun]

As previously stated the probability of having an accident while texting is just about equal to the probabilty of having of having an accident while driving under the influence.
Your mother probably should have gotten a ticket too. There is a great difference between someone driving with a minor handicap that is not of their making and engaging in a behavior that willfully disregards the well being of others.

firstly i don't buy that the probability is the same. sorry. not sure how you would even be able to prove that one way or another. secondly, i am getting exhausted from having to point out that there are a shitload of things that people put in their cars these days that cause them to engage in behavior that willfully disregards the well being of others. and yeah the ADD analogy was a stretch i know.

How may people have to die before something is important enough to be against the law?
!0? 100? 1000?

Or, perhaps just one....a family member.....a son, daughter, spouse etc?

ok not to sound like an asshole but a considerable amount of people. we can't outlaw everything that might cause or has caused a death.

BTW, I think the PSA (or one like it) sould be required viewing for all new drivers everywhere.
If it upsets some, That's great!
Some people need to be upset to face and reaize the reality of this issue and traffic accidents in general.

and i got no problem with that being shown to people. my issue is that i think it's a waste of time. the target audience it would seem in this particular PSA is teens am i right? teens don't listen to reason. i've been one. i know this to be true. no matter how traumatic the video, it isn't likely to change their minds. not for more than a few hours at best. when i was a teen i always wore my seat belt. i still do. everytime. i feel naked without it. but i didn't wear it because i watched one of those scary videos. i wore it because my dad would kick the shit out of me if he saw me without it on. and eventually it became a habit. so if anything they should show this to parents and hope that they have it in them to kick the shit out of their kids if they are seen texting. but to show it to new drivers is a waste of time.


Sure - you could be having sex behind the wheel of your car, and it would be more dangerous. But.... do you honestly think that an activity that by its very nature REQUIRES you to be looking down is a good idea?
In the UK, people have been taken to court for as little as eating an apple while driving. "Both hands on the wheel" is the law there, and is taken very seriously by the cops. A bit TOO seriously, IMHO, but there it is.
I feel the PSA is an accurate dramatisation of the way it could go down. Is it pleasant to watch? No. Would the real thing be pleasant to watch, or be involved in? No freakin' way!
I'm kinda glad you live in Texas, where there are (probavbly) fewer cars on hte road than in the NorthEast.

again, many things in a car require you to look down. but no it's not a good idea. i'll side with you there. just don't think it should be outlawed as i said. i know in england they are real uptight about that stuff. way too much so. i lived there for three years. funny thing about that though is in three years do you know how many times i was pulled over in the uk? not one time. best i can figure is for the most part all they have is speed cameras over there. no actual cops. unless you don't pay for parking. man then they are all over your ass. anyway i guess that's beside the point but just making an observation.

and yeah my being in texas could be alot of why my opinion differs from most of you. traffic is pretty sparse out here. plus i can't probably name more than five people that i know who don't drink and drive so texting and driving just isnt really on my list of things to go on a crusade about.

[Bob Dog]

Boy you really fight hard to keep the privlege to drive like a dangerous self centered fool. Did you say, by way of impilcation, that you drive drunk too, or are you one of the five people you know who doesn't? By the way my statistical source is CBS news, so you can have at them too.

[frownonfun]

Boy you really fight hard to keep the privlege to drive like a dangerous self centered fool. Did you say, by way of impilcation, that you drive drunk too, or are you one of the five people you know who doesn't?


i'm not fighting hard for the privilege to drive dangerously. mmmm.... this isn't the political thread and i'm finding it really hard to explain without taking it in that direction so i'm just gonna say i don't think laws should necessarily be passed to force common sense. don't think it works that way.

and as for driving drunk i'm not much of a drinker honestly. plus i've got three kids and no one to watch them so even when i do drink it's at home on my couch.

[Bob Dog]

I'm not a fan of any law really, but unfortunatly some laws are needed to keep people from doing things that could result in harm to others, like speed limits to keep people like me from driving faster than we really should, or laws agaist DUI or texting to keep people from acting in a way that is demonstated to dramatically, whatever the statistics, increase the likelyhood of them doing harm to others.

[frownonfun]

I'm not a fan of any law really, but unfortunatly some laws are needed to keep people from doing things that could result in harm to others, like speed limits to keep people like me from driving faster than we really should, or laws agaist DUI or texting to keep people from acting in a way that is demonstated to dramatically, whatever the statistics, increase the likelyhood of them doing harm to others.

hmm... i disagree. on the upside the more i argue with you guys the more bad i feel for texting and driving. i mean, i don't do it all the time but seriously i could not do it at all. and i wouldn't want one of my children to be taken from me due to someone's carelessness in that regard. but ask me if i think my child or any other is any less likely to be harmed because of a law or some silly PSA and my answer is still no. hell the laws we got now hardly curb anything so why would making new ones help? know what i'm saying.

EDIT: but yeah... i'll make an effort not to text and drive anymore.

[SailDesign]

hmm... i disagree. on the upside the more i argue with you guys the more bad i feel for texting and driving. i mean, i don't do it all the time but seriously i could not do it at all.

<snip>

EDIT: but yeah... i'll make an effort not to text and drive anymore.

Cool - it's working. :smile:
Not to be an asshole, but - you said "many things in a car require you to look down." So how many things do you have to look down for? During the course of, say, a 30-minute drive.
Myself, the CDwith the mp3's ia always on "random", so I don't have to touch anything but the volume while driving (or if I have to switch I can find the "eject" button and listen to the radio) If you don't know where the gears are, and have to look at the top of the shift knob, then you be driving automatics. If you need to look down to adjust the vent controls, you haven't been driving this car long enough, and it will come.
If you need to scritch places that need scritching, you SHOULD be able to do that without looking :biggrin:
What else ya got that needs looking downn? Even the cup-holders are almost at eye level.
I'm just curious.

[frownonfun]

Cool - it's working. :smile:
Not to be an asshole, but - you said "many things in a car require you to look down." So how many things do you have to look down for? During the course of, say, a 30-minute drive.
Myself, the CDwith the mp3's ia always on "random", so I don't have to touch anything but the volume while driving (or if I have to switch I can find the "eject" button and listen to the radio) If you don't know where the gears are, and have to look at the top of the shift knob, then you be driving automatics. If you need to look down to adjust the vent controls, you haven't been driving this car long enough, and it will come.
If you need to scritch places that need scritching, you SHOULD be able to do that without looking :biggrin:
What else ya got that needs looking downn? Even the cup-holders are almost at eye level.
I'm just curious.

well... i personally don't have that many things. so you've got me there. i've got a stereo that pulls my attention away from the road way more than any cell phone though. that's about it. and very seldom the A/C controls... sometimes i'm looking down to adjust those. but if just keeping your eyes on the road is your definition of being an attentive driver than i've already mentioned that when i text i don't look at the keys. so it should be ok right? as long as i'm not looking down?

i think what i'm trying to say is people can be willfully distracted by many other things in a vehicle without actually looking away from the road. just cause you are looking doesn't mean you are paying attention.


EDIT: and don't worry, i don't think you are being an asshole

[RedRide]

Laws are pased to "force common sense" all the time.
In case anyone hasn't noiced, there are people all around who seem to lack common sense and absolutly need laws to tell them what to do.

[frownonfun]

this is an old thread. i know.

just wanted to bring it back to life for a moment to say i think all cellphone use while driving should be illegal. texting, calling, bluetooth earpiece... whatever. whatever it is you are talking about, i'm sure it can wait. and if it is a legitimate emergency i'm sure law enforcement can make a reasonable decision on whether you should be ticketed or not based on the situation. just like when you are speeding in a real emergency. by real i don't mean being late to an interview.

and moreover, we really need to work on changing this cultural mindset that driving in a vehicle is anything less than operating a dangerous piece of equipment. you're navigating a giant hunk of metal (and yes a lot of plastic i know) at a fairly high rate of speed. i don't think we stress enough how dangerous of an act this is. and allowing people to use the phone while driving is not helping to check this romanticized view we have of driving.

basically i was wrong.