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Texting While Driving
What's Worse: Texting or Using a Cell Phone While Driving?
In California, we're all very aware of the newish Hands Free Law prohibiting driving while talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device, but did you know that texting isn't specifically forbidden by the law? That's surprising to me, especially in light of the report of an American teen that died in a car accident this week while she was driving and texting at the same time.
For the same primary reason that cell phone calls in cars aren't allowed - holding the phone inhibits your ability to use both hands - it seems that texting fits the same danger zone.
Texting While Driving Gets Banned in California
This past July, a new law came into effect that now requires millions of Californians to use hands-free technology like headsets and bluetooth-enabled devices while driving. Well on Wednesday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger began signing bills into law, one that includes banning text messaging while driving. According to SFGate, the bill SB28 will ban texting while driving and forces drivers to keep their "hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road," said Schwarzenegger in a written statement.
Do You Text Message While Driving?
I was recently reading an article in the The New York Times where a 17-year old girl and four of her friends were killed in a car crash which police say was caused by three factors: her inexperience at the wheel, driving at high speeds and the text messaging that occurred while she was driving. Two minutes before the accident was reported, the driver had sent a message to one of her friends.
We all know the risks of talking on your cell phone while driving, but is texting just as bad?
Driving While Texting Is a Killer Combo
We all know the dangers with using wireless communication devices like your cell phone or iPod while driving, yet most of us continue to do so. With car crashes being the number one killer of teens in the U.S, the Today Show decided to see just how distracted teens can get while using their phone while driving. Using a special simulator and wearing high-tech glasses, two teens were put to the test to see how much they looked away and for how long while taking calls, changing songs on their iPod, or sending a text message.
Has a Gadget Ever Caused You Serious Distraction?
Reports last week of a commercial plane that missed its destination airport by 150 miles initially raised fears that the pilots had fallen asleep, or, worse, that the plane had been hijacked. But according to the Natural Transportation Safety Board, it turns out the pilots were working on their laptops in the cockpit, causing the error. Before you ask, no, working on a computer while in-flight is absolutely not allowed.
Link Time!!!
- Mario Lopez gets wet for charity — PopEater
- Get suspended while you travel like Mary J. Blige — FitSugar
- More drama surrounding MJ's estate — D-Listed
- Dita Von Teese sets sail — JustJared
- David Beckham texts while driving — Pink Is the New Blog
- Madonna and Stella grab dinner without Gwyneth — Lainey Gossip
- Vintage Miranda Kerr — Egotastic
- Suzanne Somers apologizes for Patrick Swayze remarks — The Superficial
- Adrienne Curry's latest Halloween costume — Hollywood Tuna
- Mel B goes shopping for some spice — Hollywood Rag
- What would it look like if you crossed Gwen and Salma? — cityrag
- Whitney Houston gets a standing ovation in Italy — popbytes
Is There a Right and Wrong Time For Texting?
Text messaging has become as much a form of communication as an old-fashioned phone call. What's different about texting, though, is that it's a (mostly) silent activity that can conceivably be done on the sly.
I've talked about texting while driving, texting and dating, and texting while dining.
Daily Tech: New EcoATM Will Pay You For Your Old Gadgets
- New EcoATM kiosks will take your old electronics to be recycled and then provide you with an in-store payment — CNET
- Samsung's new Behold II with Android has just been announced on the T-Mobile network — MobileCrunch
- Twitter's cofounder Biz Stone talked to Martha Stewart about how Twitter got its start — Mashable
- Thousands of Hotmail accounts have been hacked and are being posted online — BBC News
- Check out five of the most energy efficient LED desk lamps — Unplggd
- President Obama has banned all federal employees from texting while driving — Ars Technica
- It's giveaway and game time on GeekSugar! Be sure to log in and play our Best Video Game Ever bracket! — GeekSugar
Why a Texting While Driving Ban Is Good For Tech Progress
In California, if you're caught chatting on the phone while driving, you're slapped with a $25 fine. Personally, I think that texting while driving is a much more dangerous offense — you may need to use both hands and are forced to take your eyes off the road.
Although the idea of a texting while driving ban has been discussed, there's no official law just yet.
Daily Tech: New Facebook App Coming Later Today?
- The new Facebook app has been submitted to the iTunes app store and might be available later today — Gizmodo
- Hunky heartthrob Antonio Sabato Jr. is all about his iPhone, Facebook, and surprisingly, AOL — Switched
- Here are five of the best websites and tools for apartment searching — Lifehacker
- This graphic new video is being used to educate teens about the dangers of texting while driving — BBC News
- The Palm Pre girl, Tamara Hope, isn't nearly as ghostly looking in person — Palm Pre
- This neat graph represents what Twitter would look like if it had 100 members — Mashable
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