4 ms·

Texting while driving and drunk driving should be treated as the SAME offense.

• mjevans 8y ago
  It's possible to go from composition to focused in the span of time it takes to move the hand (and eyes) from the phone back to driving mode. It isn't possible to become 'not drunk' that quickly. I rank drunk driving as worse than dealing with screaming kids as worse than writing something at a red-light as worse than just reading a preview on the screen for a measured quantity of time when in a situation that is safe enough to mentally relax and not be at 100% focus is at-hand.
  • DonaldPShimoda 8y ago
    > It's possible to go from composition to focused in the span of time it takes to move the hand (and eyes) from the phone back to driving mode. And yet it takes even less time to irreversibly ruin somebody else's life because you weren't paying attention when it mattered. Whatever is happening on your phone is not more important than other people's lives. Don't use your phone while your car is in motion — period.
  • jahewson 8y ago
    The article suggest that this isn't true. You can't regain situational awareness instantaneously: > The researchers specifically found that cell phone users are: > - 9 percent slower to deploy the brakes > - 19 percent slower to return to normal speed after braking
    • mjevans 8y ago
      That isn't relevant to the context I'm talking about. Any kind of actual composition of text should only happen while stopped; E.G. at a red light (and ideally NOT while first in line).