The abundance of people that text and drive

[Anonymous]

These idiots will only stop with public shaming. So yeah, take pictures, honk, report to the police. Let them know it is unacceptable and illegal in most places. Call your elected officials to let them know how you feel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I say it depends on how you define "drive".

If you're moving, then I take issue with that. That's a problem. That's compromising safety.

If you're sitting in traffic, crawling and stopping over and over... that's not driving. That's moving a few feet every minute.

My commute is 3 miles. But traffic is horrendous. It can sometimes take 45'minutes to go THREE miles. I only drive it during bad weather or when I'm going someplace right after work, the est of the time I bike if I'm in a hurry, or I walk.


But I refuse to accept that me texting or doing anything else on my phone is a danger to anyone when I'm sitting in traffic having not moved for four minutes.

These stupid zero tolerance policies are just as dumb as the ones they have for kids in school, where a 14 year old girl gets suspended for "drug possession" because she has Midol.

It's stupid.

But it is, because of when you look up from your phone and start moving. You may refuse to accept that this is a danger, just as you may refuse to accept that summer in the Northern Hemisphere is the hotter season, but both are facts just the same. Please put your phone in the trunk when you're driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where ya been?

It's the norm. 95% of the population texts and drives. This isn't new, OP.

It's not new, but it is really bad, and it won't stop until there's a successful campaign to treat people who text/phone while driving like drunk drivers.

Yes! What can an average citizen do to spearhead this?

+1 I see so many people texting and driving (I'm a big walker). What should I do? Take a picture of them and their license plate? How would I send it to the police?

You can text DC police at 50411, just not sure if they'll follow up on it.
https://mpdc.dc.gov/service/text-police-50411

Please try, though.

Taking pictures of license plates while you are driving is just as dangerous. The best thing you can do is pay attention to the road - which clearly, you are not doing- and drive defensive. Yes, something needs to be done. But you are a distracted driver as well at this point.

Except this person walks. Try to keep up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I say it depends on how you define "drive".

If you're moving, then I take issue with that. That's a problem. That's compromising safety.

If you're sitting in traffic, crawling and stopping over and over... that's not driving. That's moving a few feet every minute.

My commute is 3 miles. But traffic is horrendous. It can sometimes take 45'minutes to go THREE miles. I only drive it during bad weather or when I'm going someplace right after work, the est of the time I bike if I'm in a hurry, or I walk.


But I refuse to accept that me texting or doing anything else on my phone is a danger to anyone when I'm sitting in traffic having not moved for four minutes.

These stupid zero tolerance policies are just as dumb as the ones they have for kids in school, where a 14 year old girl gets suspended for "drug possession" because she has Midol.

It's stupid.

I was rear-ended in my car while pregnant by a woman in stop and go traffic you described. Put your effing phone down.

First of all, if you were rear ended, then the traffic was obviously moving at least intermittently. You have a right to be angry about that. I would be too. This isn't what I'm speaking of. My route puts me at several intersections where I don't move AT ALL for 4-6 minutes at a time. It's simply how the lights time out at that level of traffic volume. So I know I'll be siting in one spot, with my engine turned off, btw, for at least four minutes or more. That's when I text or check emails and do other stuff. Not while I'm crawling along, but when I'm stopped and not moving.

If you can't appreciate the difference in those two scenarios, then I'd suggest you're actively not doing so, looking to be angry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


First of all, if you were rear ended, then the traffic was obviously moving at least intermittently. You have a right to be angry about that. I would be too. This isn't what I'm speaking of. My route puts me at several intersections where I don't move AT ALL for 4-6 minutes at a time. It's simply how the lights time out at that level of traffic volume. So I know I'll be siting in one spot, with my engine turned off, btw, for at least four minutes or more. That's when I text or check emails and do other stuff. Not while I'm crawling along, but when I'm stopped and not moving.

If you can't appreciate the difference in those two scenarios, then I'd suggest you're actively not doing so, looking to be angry.

Since you're not still there -- and I really hope that you're not posting on DCUM from your car -- that means that at some point, you move.

It's fine to do whatever on your phone when you're actually parked. When you are driving in traffic that is moving, even intermittently moving, please stay off your phone. There is no justification for it. Your texts and e-mails and other stuff can wait. Or if they can't, please pull over and actually park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I say it depends on how you define "drive".

If you're moving, then I take issue with that. That's a problem. That's compromising safety.

If you're sitting in traffic, crawling and stopping over and over... that's not driving. That's moving a few feet every minute.

My commute is 3 miles. But traffic is horrendous. It can sometimes take 45'minutes to go THREE miles. I only drive it during bad weather or when I'm going someplace right after work, the est of the time I bike if I'm in a hurry, or I walk.


But I refuse to accept that me texting or doing anything else on my phone is a danger to anyone when I'm sitting in traffic having not moved for four minutes.

These stupid zero tolerance policies are just as dumb as the ones they have for kids in school, where a 14 year old girl gets suspended for "drug possession" because she has Midol.

It's stupid.

But it is, because of when you look up from your phone and start moving. You may refuse to accept that this is a danger, just as you may refuse to accept that summer in the Northern Hemisphere is the hotter season, but both are facts just the same. Please put your phone in the trunk when you're driving.

Ok, I'm not sure what the weather has to do with anything, but ok....

When I'm stopped at a light, I know I'll be at this light for 4-6 minutes on average. I've timed it countless times as I've sat there board, listening to radio commercials. Sometimes I'll be there long enough to catch two traffic reports, on the 8's, if I didn't make it through the light the first time. Most of the time, I even turn my engine off to save gas.

So no, I refuse to see how that is a danger to anyone, and you cannot argue that it is. It's no more unsafe than sitting in a parked car with the engine off and texting. It just happens to be parked on a road, waiting for traffic to move again.

This is a normal thing. Literally everyone does this at these intersections.

[Anonymous]

I live in Georgia, and we just adopted the Hands Free law this summer. Can’t touch your cell phone at all while driving. They are enforcing it big time.

[Anonymous]

OP, thanks for this post. I was thinking of posting something similar. I have lost count of the parents I’ve seen looking down while driving forward. Ok people, what we can do? Seriously? This is extremely dangerous. I’m in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

It’s awful, OP. The other day I was behind a driver on the beltway who had a video of something playing on her mounted phone while she was driving. I could not believe it. I just tried to get away from her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s awful, OP. The other day I was behind a driver on the beltway who had a video of something playing on her mounted phone while she was driving. I could not believe it. I just tried to get away from her.

Every Uber and taxi drive I have been with has been watching a movie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It's not new, but it is really bad, and it won't stop until there's a successful campaign to treat people who text/phone while driving like drunk drivers.

I desperately think texting while driving should have the same penalties as drunk driving and think that's the only way it may ever start to be done less. Not just the legal and financial penalties but all the social ramifications that come with getting a DUI too.

[Anonymous]

I see moms at high school driving off with their heads buried in their phones. Then I see HS kids doing it, I wonder where they get the idea that it is ok?

[Anonymous]

It's horrifying. But judging by many of the comments here, people are just okay with it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I say it depends on how you define "drive".

If you're moving, then I take issue with that. That's a problem. That's compromising safety.

If you're sitting in traffic, crawling and stopping over and over... that's not driving. That's moving a few feet every minute.

My commute is 3 miles. But traffic is horrendous. It can sometimes take 45'minutes to go THREE miles. I only drive it during bad weather or when I'm going someplace right after work, the est of the time I bike if I'm in a hurry, or I walk.


But I refuse to accept that me texting or doing anything else on my phone is a danger to anyone when I'm sitting in traffic having not moved for four minutes.

These stupid zero tolerance policies are just as dumb as the ones they have for kids in school, where a 14 year old girl gets suspended for "drug possession" because she has Midol.

It's stupid.

I was rear-ended in my car while pregnant by a woman in stop and go traffic you described. Put your effing phone down.

First of all, if you were rear ended, then the traffic was obviously moving at least intermittently. You have a right to be angry about that. I would be too. This isn't what I'm speaking of. My route puts me at several intersections where I don't move AT ALL for 4-6 minutes at a time. It's simply how the lights time out at that level of traffic volume. So I know I'll be siting in one spot, with my engine turned off, btw, for at least four minutes or more. That's when I text or check emails and do other stuff. Not while I'm crawling along, but when I'm stopped and not moving.

If you can't appreciate the difference in those two scenarios, then I'd suggest you're actively not doing so, looking to be angry.

DP. You are a moron who is danger to all of us. How stupid can you really be? You are the first one to see someone moving and zoom and rear end the car in front of us. Bcs you saw the cars move, but paid no attention that they were in the turn lane. You are the one that never goes as the light turns green, because you miss it turning green. You are the one that is pi**ed when people honk at you and then you go as slow as you can and on purpose makes 20 cars not turn or go on green. I can appreciate that you are as stupid and as reckless as it gets. You are too stupid to know that you are stupid and dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I say it depends on how you define "drive".

If you're moving, then I take issue with that. That's a problem. That's compromising safety.

If you're sitting in traffic, crawling and stopping over and over... that's not driving. That's moving a few feet every minute.

My commute is 3 miles. But traffic is horrendous. It can sometimes take 45'minutes to go THREE miles. I only drive it during bad weather or when I'm going someplace right after work, the est of the time I bike if I'm in a hurry, or I walk.


But I refuse to accept that me texting or doing anything else on my phone is a danger to anyone when I'm sitting in traffic having not moved for four minutes.

These stupid zero tolerance policies are just as dumb as the ones they have for kids in school, where a 14 year old girl gets suspended for "drug possession" because she has Midol.

It's stupid.

I was rear-ended in my car while pregnant by a woman in stop and go traffic you described. Put your effing phone down.

NP here, and I second the call to put phones down when you're driving. Hope you and your baby were unharmed by that collision.