On texting while driving, and why no device is safe to use

On behalf of Eisenmenger, Robinson & Peters, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Monday, August 25, 2014.

For a long time, Florida was one of only a handful of states that did not have a ban on texting while driving. That changed late last year when a law was passed that forbids the input of information into an electronic device while driving.

Now, that may sound like a very strong law, but as it turns out the rule lacks teeth. Police officers can’t pull over a driver for inputting information on an electronic device while driving. The offense only occurs as a secondary violation, meaning a driver would have to violate some other law first to trigger the traffic stop. Then, and only then, could a police officer cite a driver for breaking the texting while driving ban.

Texting while driving — and, really any cellphone use while driving — is a major issue in today’s society, and there are many devices and tech projects that are trying to come up with a “safe” way to use your phone while driving. One of these potential devices, Navdy, would place a screen on your dashboard in front of your steering wheel, syncing with your phone and allowing you to interact with it via hand motions.

Of course, this still requires you to divide your attention between driving and using a motion-sensing device. Any time you have your attention divided, you are inherently not fully focused on any of the things you are doing. There is no such thing as “safe” texting while driving. We need to put our phones away when we’re behind the wheel and make the road our sole focus.

Source: Huffington Post, “This Device Claims To Make Texting And Driving Totally Safe,” Avery Stone, Aug. 8, 2014

Tags: Car Accidents