Do you phone/text while driving?

[Fatal Dawn]

It's now illegal in some parts of Pennsylvania.

York, PA - Starting Thursday, people who text while driving will be violating the law.

Texting while driving includes sending, reading or writing any text-based message from any sort of interactive wireless device, such as a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, or mobile computer.

Police can pull over any driver for texting while driving. No other offense needs to be committed. The fine is $50.

Officials hope enforcement and education about the new law will result in voluntary compliance, Spring Garden Township Police Chief George Swartz said.

It's unacceptable, he said. You shouldn't be doing it.

Distracted driving played a role in nearly 14,000 crashes in the state in 2010, according to a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation news release.

There is no way you can safely text and drive at the same time, said Wayne Harper, director of the Center for Traffic Safety.

Swartz said he hopes parents set an example for their children. If they need to use the phone, pull over to a safe place.

Full text: http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_20116770





Have you been guilty of texting, phoning, or doing other things while driving?



Do you really pull over each time you get a call or text?



Should the law extend to other distractions (applying makeup, eating, etc.) while driving?

 

[Raven]

It's illegal here too. But I think Hand-free phones should also be banned. You may be looking at the road still and have your hands on the wheel but your mind is still on the phone call and not on the potential hazards on the road.

 

[Bluezone777]

Hands free phones don't deal wit the issue of your attention being diverted. Just because your hands are free and your eyes appear focused on the road doesn't necessarily mean you are actually paying any attention to what's going on around you.



I miss the days when most people didn't use cell phones because it made a lot of things a bit nicer then they are today such as shopping, driving, etc.

 

[Fatal Dawn]

My parents forbid me to use a cell phone while driving. I also made a promise to my close friend and driving instructor not to do it.



What about eating or listening to loud music? Should all potential distractions be banned?

 

[Bluezone777]

No one in the driver seat should be eating anything either. The purpose of being in the driver seat is to drive. Save all the distracting activities for when you are parked because some of us prefer to arrive alive instead of splattered all over the road because someone thought they could juggle the tasks of talking on a cell phone and eating food while driving their car.



It really depends on the definition of loud. Obviously, obnoxiously loud music shouldn't be played either. I really hate it when I get forced to listen to other people's music because it's so loud that you can hear it as clearly as if you were sitting in their car with the music set at a volume that could be heard comfortably while sitting in that car. You can't really do much to avoid it when you get stuck behind a red light and are right beside them.

 

[Jazzy]

The only thing I do when I get in the drivers seat is drive. My cell phone is in my purse on silent mode and calls go directly to voice mail. Since I am considered essential services personnel, I wear a pager whenever I leave the house. If the pager should go off while I'm driving, I find a safe place to pull over and then call in. I do not eat or drink while I'm driving either. I don't have music on unless I'm on a long road trip where I'm driving on a highway early in the morning with no traffic in sight.

 

[nocturnal]

I don't drive, but there's no way I could actually text while driving. Calling yes, but only hands-free.