Comments on Stonekettle Station: An Open Letter To The Lady In the Center Lane

Thank you. I've written several of these type...

2012-01-19T07:55:11.396-09:00

Thank you. I've written several of these types of letters myself and just WISH that it was possible to get the address of the owner of the car and mail the letter to them. This works though.

Any car sold in America after 1/3/13 must be equip...

2012-01-10T13:14:16.686-09:00

Any car sold in America after 1/3/13 must be equipped with an ignition interlock device. Should the number of the current driver emit a text, access information from the internet, or be turned on, the car will explode.

You're welcome.

OK, a tangential question: If you kill yourself *A...

2012-01-03T11:51:40.582-09:00

OK, a tangential question:
If you kill yourself *AND* your children due to texting while driving, are you still eligible for the Darwin Award?

Here in NY it is illegal to use either a handheld ...

2012-01-01T12:37:16.743-09:00

Here in NY it is illegal to use either a handheld cell phone or to text while driving.

This law was passed in great part due to the tragedy that happened in 2007 in Fairport, NY near Rochester. Five girls who had graduated from high school only five days earlier were killed when they crossed into the oncoming lane on a country road and were hit head on by a tractor trailer. The car burst into flames but the girls were already dead from the impact.

The police determined that someone in the car was texting on the driver's phone moments before impact. No one will ever know if it was the driver or a passenger, but the distraction was enough for the young, inexperienced driver to overcorrect a steering mistake and crash into the truck.

Five young lives lost too soon - their families and an entire community devastated.

I have a friend who purchased a small, but effecti...

2012-01-01T09:46:08.076-09:00

I have a friend who purchased a small, but effective, cell phone jammer from overseas. Not exactly legal here, but works great when some moron on a cell phone is a road hazard.

Hey! Hey, you Alaska people and no nuthin' yan...

2011-12-29T10:05:24.902-09:00

Hey! Hey, you Alaska people and no nuthin' yankees.
My governor vetoed a no texting while driving bill, during the last session, because it infringed on individual rights.
Right after he signed the "Women must have a sonogram before getting an abortion to save her life" bill.
Good ole Rick Perry.

What about those assholes on the Seward Highway a ...

2011-12-27T11:10:46.960-09:00

What about those assholes on the Seward Highway a few years ago who crashed and killed that couple while watching a DVD? The passenger actually texted that they were "zoned out watching a DVD", and then denied doing that.

You can't tell me manufacturers aren't able to install a switch that disables electronics in a vehicle when it starts up.

What I can't understand Jim is why you don'...

2011-12-27T07:01:41.508-09:00

What I can't understand Jim is why you don't just come out and say what you really think and quit beating around the bush. I’m one of those motorcycle drivers that the bumper sticker was so kind to remind “other drivers” to watch out for. I live in CA and even with a law, I haven’t seen much change.

2011-12-27T07:00:18.518-09:00

This comment has been removed by the author.

In CA, it is already against the law... and it doe...

2011-12-26T21:49:58.140-09:00

In CA, it is already against the law... and it doesn't dissuade them.

And when the cops are doing it, too....

I can't quickly think of anyway for the app to...

2011-12-26T11:11:17.137-09:00

I can't quickly think of anyway for the app to know if it is driver or passenger>

I could rube goldberg some feedback between an ignition bio metric and a cell phone, but I'm not certain ignition bio metric has been more than talked about.

Since mine is approaching 37 that aspect doesn't concern me.

I just wish people wouldn't drive and use hand held devices.

True. However, I'd be interested in how the ...

2011-12-26T11:02:20.897-09:00

True.

However, I'd be interested in how the app knew if the user was the driver or the passenger. As a programmer in a previous life, I'd be very interested in that code. I suppose a really good GPS/Camera-based position recognition system might work :)

It should be simple for the app to realize 911 is ...

2011-12-26T10:58:43.839-09:00

It should be simple for the app to realize 911 is an exception.

@SteveA: the problem with that is that it would di...

2011-12-26T09:56:37.271-09:00

@SteveA: the problem with that is that it would disable texting if you're a passenger too.

There is an app that will do exactly this, disable the phone for both voice and text while moving. Parents I know install it on their kids' phones. It comes with a parental password to prevent kids from disabling it. But, what happens if the kid should have to dial/text in an emergency? I'm not sure I'm entirely good with this idea.

Phones need to have a GPS Device that disables tex...

2011-12-26T09:39:57.178-09:00

Phones need to have a GPS Device that disables texting when the phone is moving faster than a human can walk! Seriously! How hard could that be to implement?

Saw a recent poll where 20% of people admitted tex...

2011-12-25T16:03:45.616-09:00

Saw a recent poll where 20% of people admitted texting while driving, though 90% thought it was dangerous for a driver to do it when they were a passenger....

While we're on the subject of road idiots, and it's winter, let me put in a word for clearing ALL the snow off your vehicle before driving. Twice in one trip last winter I had to brake and swerve as a big slab of snow or ice flew off a car roof or SUV ahead of me.

Somewhere, out in the wilds of Redmond, Washington...

2011-12-25T14:13:26.874-09:00

Somewhere, out in the wilds of Redmond, Washington, there is a smoke grey Acura with a dent in the trunk. The driver took a sharp right turn - while on the phone - through the crosswalk I was attempting to cross through. As the car passed at speed, wheels squealing and everything, I yelled and brought my hand (with a titanium ring) down on the trunk hard enough to dent it. Would love to see that explanation to the insurance company for that one.

Not to pollute your blog with excess comments, I t...

2011-12-25T12:12:41.529-09:00

Not to pollute your blog with excess comments, I thought I'd just say that I've added a blog where I actually say stuff to my blog where I mainly just post photos. The new blog is largesleepinganimals.wordpress.com

I know, shameless self-promotion.

So, what are you trying to say? I don't text...

2011-12-25T11:50:29.599-09:00

So, what are you trying to say?

I don't text while driving for two reasons: 1) it's not safe; 2: it's beyond my limited skills.

So, here in sunny Florida, we have these real toad-strangler rainstorms. The smart driver just pulls over on the nice paved shoulder and waits it out. You really can't see anything, and driving is stupid. The half-smart people turn on every light they've got, including their flashers which are technically not supposed to be flashing while you are actually moving, and slow way down. (Sadly, I fall into that half-smart category far too often). During one of those gully washers, I saw a prime example of driving with no brains at all. I had slowed to about 45 or so (and those in front of me and behind did pretty much the same, if they hadn't pulled off the road which they and I should have). A van passed me in the left lane doing about 85 or so, with no lights on at all, followed by another vehicle doing the same thing about two car-lengths back. At that point, I pulled off the road.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC3x7K3EOTk Thanks...

2011-12-25T08:26:51.312-09:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC3x7K3EOTk

Thanks. It can't be said often enough or loud enough.

Been in the driver's seat on situations simila...

2011-12-24T14:23:34.879-09:00

Been in the driver's seat on situations similar, wishing I had a passenger with a camera. Following the texting driver to where they stop, taking pictures and pressing charges might be an option at times. There is a device (understand it is illegal in US) that interupts cell transmissions; daily I want one.

This is a masterpiece of outrage. Your observation...

2011-12-23T19:41:35.398-09:00

This is a masterpiece of outrage. Your observations and my own related experience lead to the conclusion that the fastest growing ideology of the 21st century is neither conservatism nor liberalism. It is assholism. see:

http://www.collectivereinventions.org/Archives/pages/assholism.htm

The National Transportation Safety Board — an advi...

2011-12-23T17:48:26.856-09:00

The National Transportation Safety Board — an advisory group that can only make suggestions — is urging legislators in 50 states to ban all cell phone use among drivers.

It's the agency's strongest recommendation yet in the nation's battle against distracted driving, which kills thousands of people every year.

While many cities and states have already approved laws that prohibit texting while driving, an outright ban on all cell phone use — with the exception of emergencies — would be a tough sell in a society addicted to smartphones and the like.

Jim, don't hold back. Tell us how you really ...

2011-12-23T15:46:32.660-09:00

Jim, don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel.

Unfortunately it's not just drivers, a woman w...

2011-12-23T15:39:47.154-09:00

Unfortunately it's not just drivers, a woman was recently killed by a Calgary Transit train when she was distracted by what might have been texting (Police reports only say she was looking at a small electronic device and not at her surroundings when the train hit her).

http://www.globaltvcalgary.com/woman+killed+by+ctrain+distracted+by+electronic+device+prior+to+collision/6442536300/story.html

I agree that being distracted when behind the wheel is so much worse (nothing like losing control of 4,000 Lbs of hurtling steel to potentially ruin a lot of peoples lives) but in general, it seems that people are becoming more and more oblivious to their surroundings (and the dangers to them as well as the danger they may present to others) because of these digital distractions.