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U.S. Goverment Shames Texting Drivers on Twitter (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader writes: "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is the federal body tasked with automotive safety," reports the Verge, adding "If you look at NHTSA's Twitter feed right now, you'll find that it's just a non-stop stream of burns aimed at people who admit -- sometimes gleefully -- that they text and drive."
For example, seeing a tweet that read, "I have no problem texting while driving, but I won't text while going down stairs, the NHTSA replied "You might not have a problem with the texting & driving...but we do. Stay off your phone and #justdrive - it's not worth it." And seeing a tweet that read "I text and drive way too much," they responded, "Um, agreed... Please realize you're putting yourself and others in danger, and a silly text isn't worth it. #justdrive".
The Verge argues "For what it's worth, NHTSA is right: countless studies have linked texting in the driver's seat with higher accident rates... Getting shamed online by a government agency is far harsher than getting shamed by a friend -- but it's still a lot better than getting killed over an email." To which the NHTSA responded on Twitter, "Thanks for the shoutout, .@verge! #justdrive"
For example, seeing a tweet that read, "I have no problem texting while driving, but I won't text while going down stairs, the NHTSA replied "You might not have a problem with the texting & driving...but we do. Stay off your phone and #justdrive - it's not worth it." And seeing a tweet that read "I text and drive way too much," they responded, "Um, agreed... Please realize you're putting yourself and others in danger, and a silly text isn't worth it. #justdrive".
The Verge argues "For what it's worth, NHTSA is right: countless studies have linked texting in the driver's seat with higher accident rates... Getting shamed online by a government agency is far harsher than getting shamed by a friend -- but it's still a lot better than getting killed over an email." To which the NHTSA responded on Twitter, "Thanks for the shoutout, .@verge! #justdrive"
Make it at least as bad as DUI, or better yet... First time felony. That'll help.
Yes. I can, but not with a smart phone. With an old ZTE feature-phone I could text all day since I didn't have to pay any attention to do it. On my smarthpone, with no physical keys, it's impossible for me to do.
Also, texting is just one of many distractions that impact poor drivers. Among the others, you have: passengers, billboards, pedestrians, food, drinks, cigarettes, cds,
Fuck you, asshole. This isn't Riyadh, we don't chop peoples hands off for stealing and we sure as fuck don't imprison 16-year old fucking girls for life for texting and driving. Honestly though, this is fucking America, not some faggy European shithole. Buy a motherfucking Hummer and then you don't have to worry about someone fucking YOU up. And if you want to ride your pansy little bicycle like a little girl, stay on the fucking bike paths and off the roads where the adults drive their 2-ton metal boxes.
If you're seriously advocating life sentences for traffic offenses, get the fuck out and take the rest of your "progressive" scumbag friends to North Korea, which is the only place you'll find support for your brand of authoritarianism.