Comments on: Catch-22 in Virginia

By: fred_dot_u

fred_dot_u — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:40:14 +0000

I found a disturbing, but professionally done bit of video online recently, specific to texting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I54mlK0kVw

It’s called COW Taster 01, part of a series. It was disturbing enough that I didn’t watch more than the first episode, but it would be good to have as many teens as possible view this one.

By: ldsjaneite

ldsjaneite — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:31:33 +0000

Being a VA resident–and a hater of all texting in general, in the car or not–I agree that the fine is a joke. It is a mere slap on the wrist that won’t stop anyone from doing it.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:55:02 +0000

We already have enough laws people ignore, so additional laws won’t stop stupid, dangerous behavior. I can’t dial a cell phone while stopped in traffic in states where it’s illegal to use a cell phone while driving, but I can still, I imagine, turn around and speak to a child in a child safety seat legally. The real issue is paying attention to driving, and there are already laws against inattentive driving. Let’s use those to prosecute people for being unsafe. Texting while driving in Montana might be safer, and sensible, in Montana, but not in Manhattan. Then again, while stopped in Manhattan gridlock texting might be safer than texting at 80 MPH in a Montana snowstorm. Conditions and safety should drive behavior, not blind laws. I’ve texted while driving, and it took me about 10 minutes to send a short message—I likely won’t do it again. My daughter can text while driving, and she never looks at the keyboard, because she practiced a lot in her bedroom. And I disagree with her texting. In short, more laws won’t help much…better drivers will.