Real stories about texting and driving fatalities, please share
 

Please share this video with your non-cycling friends:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DebhW...layer_embedded

This is one of the best videos I've seen about texting and driving... not corny, ten minutes, real stories. This is from the families left behind, the driver who killed a cyclist, the passenger who survived but with a debilitating brain injury. It also makes the point about the guilt felt by the person who sends that last text to a driver.

"the guilt felt by the person who sends that last text to a driver..."

Isn't it up to the driver to determine to read or not read an incoming message? I guess I didn't realize that sending a text forces someone to read it at some inopportune moment.

My cell phone rests in my front pocket when I drive... I cannot easily retrieve it... I still manage to read incoming texts when I actually arrive at my destination... or even sometimes (rarely) at stop lights. For some reason my cell phone doesn't force me to read it the moment a message comes in... is that a feature some cell phones have?

True, but I have friends who will answer anyway. As a result I hardly ever text or call them, because I never know when I might be distracting them.

Wow. I like how they use proper terminology. The guy that killed the cyclist comes straight out and says "I sent one meaningless text "lol," and killed a man." He actually says "I ... killed a man."

Lots of people misplace guilt onto themselves in tragic events. I'm sure this person also did nothing to encourage her sister to stop reading her texts while driving.

Last week the news was discussing the dangers of texting and walking. One lady went into a mall water fountain and later got mad because everybody ignored her. haha Later they said a guy died walking onto a street in front of a car.

So much so that it killed her.

PS - The cyclist that was killed, mentioned in that video, was a BikeForums member (survived by wife and kids). Hit from behind while riding in a bike lane with good visibility.

yes he was. User name Sydney

I hate those damned things....

+1000

If you are interested in reading some of the threads about Sydney and the teen:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...Aus-60-Minutes

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ng-and-Driving....

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...-another-forum

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ho-was-texting

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...sydney-s-death

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...-in-death-quot

So AT&T puts this together... it is 10 minutes long, so too long to be a commercial... anybody ever see it anywhere but youtube?

BBC put together several short messages, suitable for commercials. They probably won't see air time in the US.

Gee texting is so bad... and yet really what is being done to discourage "the 7000 times a month" aspect of texting?

With regard to the video... the discussion of the first young lady is about how well she could multitask... she couldn't. Nobody can, really. Consider also that she was thrown out of the truck window... makes me wonder, did she even have a seatbelt on?

I used to think I could multitask. But now I know I can't. There is a significant changeover time between tasks where nothing gets done.

If the person sending the text knows the other person is driving, and will attempt to read and reply, I think the sender should feel some responsibility.

A family member of mine (not my wife) texted me while I was following her in a separate car. I didn't respond.

I rarely send texts, and never during commute hours. I do send emails, and now with smart phones handling email as quickly as texts I see that I can't assume my email won't be read by a driver.

I just had an idea. I'll start a new thread to discuss it.

I'll probably get flamed for posting this. Please don't consider it too little, too late. He can't undo what was done, but at least there's some hope.

Driver given 2 year suspended sentence.
http://www.woj.com.au/2005/11/29/vic...ngerous-trend/

Walking, not cycling...but teen falls to death while texting
http://www.news.com.au/national/deat...-1226002196779

Drinking and texting, but grandma says it was the guardrails fault.

We discussed this at work. She wants to see taller rails. We're pushing to legislate for smarter teenagers.

I wonder if young Patrick has truly learned his lesson. Is he still driving? It seems that he should realize that he is prone to tragic lapses of focus and should refuse to put himself back into a position to kill again. If he continues to drive, he is literally driving home the message that not only is there no real punishment for killing with a car but that he can easily deal with the emotional issues.