Radio Paradise

As a pedestrian and a bike rider (as well as an occasional driver) in a big city, I have become increasing concerned about the number of people I see who are driving and texting.

Do you know that texting while driving = driving after having 4 drinks!

Oprah is also very concerned about this and she did a whole show about it. It will shock you and break your heart to hear about the deaths that have occurred because of texters.

Please take some time to watch either the short or whole show, and take the pledge to not use your phone while driving, especially no texting.

Thanks

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Watch-Oprahs-No-Texting-and-Driving-Show

**BUMP**

Prodigal_SOB

Prodigal_SOB Avatar

Location: Back Home Again in Indiana
Gender: Male

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 12:17pm

DaveInVA wrote:

We had the pagers before the forced the phones on us. I never took the damn thing home or even into my own car. We serviced, installed, built interfaces and trained etc for several sites in the area so not having the phone was not an option to out bosses.

Like I said I didn't mind the electronic leash if I was on a project that actually warranted it and it probably was just a timing thing that allowed it to be a pager rather than a phone. I would actually even call in on a regular basis when I was out taking avatar pictures and the silly thing would just say "out of range" for weeks at a time. My refusal to go into management though is one biggest reasons I no longer have a job. You have to have standards.

Yibbyl

Yibbyl Avatar

Location: Gaäd only knows
Gender: Male

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:59am

DaveInVA wrote:

Sounds like me, I was a computer engineer at Motorola. When their giant size brick shaped phones first came out they gave us each one to be used for only work related calls. They ended up being electronic leashes as we had to answer them within 3 rings, even if you were on the can. Probably the main reason I am so resistant to having one in real life. I know they can make life easier if you break down etc but with my luck I'd just loose it or it would get stolen from my car anyways right when I needed it.

I held off for a long time, then bought one in case of emergencies while camping, etc. Had I know how tough it was to get a signal in BFE, I probably never would have gotten one until after I met BluEyes!

DaveInSaoMiguel

DaveInSaoMiguel Avatar

Location: No longer in a hovel in effluent Damnville, VA
Gender: Male

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:59am

Prodigal_SOB wrote:

I tolerated having a pager when I was responsible for implementing a new system that could idle lots of hourly workers when it broke. Suits just hate it when that happens. Other than that I fought that kind of thing tooth and nail.

Prodigal_SOB

Prodigal_SOB Avatar

Location: Back Home Again in Indiana
Gender: Male

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:54am

DaveInVA wrote:

DaveInSaoMiguel

DaveInSaoMiguel Avatar

Location: No longer in a hovel in effluent Damnville, VA
Gender: Male

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:38am

Prodigal_SOB wrote:

Part of me knows I should get one, but another part of me wants to put it off absolutely as long as possible. During an IT career that somehow lasted more than a quarter century I always managed to maintain a reputation as quite the cyberluddite.

Prodigal_SOB

Prodigal_SOB Avatar

Location: Back Home Again in Indiana
Gender: Male

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:29am
JrzyTmata wrote: there are cheap pre-paid phones. Part of me knows I should get one, but another part of me wants to put it off absolutely as long as possible. During an IT career that somehow lasted more than a quarter century I always managed to maintain a reputation as quite the cyberluddite.

MrsHobieJoe

MrsHobieJoe Avatar

Location: somewhere in Europe
Gender: Female

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:20am

oldslabsides wrote:

Once again, texting and cell phone use while driving can be cut way back very simply by insurance companies. They simply make it clear in their auto paolicies that if you have an at fault accident while using a cell phone (easily varified by phone company records) you ARE NOT COVERED.

Yup. We start at 3 points on your licence (12 and you're banned) and a £100 penalty for a basic offence. If you have an accident whilst on the phone etc then you automatically get dangerous driving or something like that included in the report and then you'll probably be heading for a court appearance.

JrzyTmata

JrzyTmata Avatar

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:19am
Prodigal_SOB wrote: I'm not sure I could qualify as needy. Now if you knew of a free phones for the nerdy site I might check it out. there are cheap pre-paid phones.

Prodigal_SOB

Prodigal_SOB Avatar

Location: Back Home Again in Indiana
Gender: Male

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:17am
JrzyTmata wrote: Lifeline Free cellphones and service for the needy I'm not sure I could qualify as needy. Now if you knew of a free phones for the nerdy site I might check it out.

Red_Dragon

Red_Dragon Avatar

Location: Dumbf*ckistan

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:16am
Once again, texting and cell phone use while driving can be cut way back very simply by insurance companies. They simply make it clear in their auto policies that if you have an at fault accident while using a cell phone (easily verified by phone company records) you ARE NOT COVERED.

JrzyTmata

JrzyTmata Avatar

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:12am
Lifeline Free cellphones and service for the needy

Proclivities

Proclivities Avatar

Location: Paris of the Piedmont
Gender: Male

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:10am
hippiechick wrote: There are just about no such things as "phone boxes" in the US any more. They have all been yanked out. If you don't have a cell, and you need to make a call in public, you are SOL. There are a few here and there, occasionally near gasoline stations, but they are quite rare. You might have an easier time finding a cobbler's shop.

Alexandra

Alexandra Avatar

Location: PNW
Gender: Female

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:07am
hippiechick wrote: Do you know that texting while driving = driving after having 4 drinks! They call it "driving while intexticated." In the movie "It's Complicated" there is even a scene where John Krasinski tells the little sister, "None of THIS while you're driving, you here?" (he pantomimes texting) "NOT safe."

hippiechick

hippiechick Avatar

Location: topsy turvy land
Gender: Female

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:06am

MrsHobieJoe wrote:

I had a poor experience waiting for a breakdown truck is a dodgy part of town one evening. It took forever (6 or 7 hours) basically because they couldn't contact me to check on where I was or something or other- I couldn't hang around the phone box the whole time and had to keep calling them back. They are totally set up for people who have a phone in their pocket. I lost an evening out with the girls and cracked to pressure from work for me to have a mobile phone the next day.

There are just about no such things as "phone boxes" in the US any more. They have all been yanked out. If you don't have a cell, and you need to make a call in public, you are SOL.

DaveInSaoMiguel

DaveInSaoMiguel Avatar

Location: No longer in a hovel in effluent Damnville, VA
Gender: Male

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 11:05am

MrsHobieJoe wrote:

I don't drive much anymore because I have a limited license from a stroke I had years ago. I do have to drive 2.5 hours to a certain Doc appointment once a month but 80% of the area the trip covers is notorious for being a total cell phone dead zone so even for having one probably won't help. The town I live in is small enough I can walk home from almost any part of it if the car breaks down anyways :)

MrsHobieJoe

MrsHobieJoe Avatar

Location: somewhere in Europe
Gender: Female

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 10:57am

DaveInVA wrote:

I don't own a cell phone either and never have owned one...

bokey

Gender:

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 10:44am
I've got a pre paid by the minute thing and I guarantee over half the minutes I've used have been calling in a pizza on my way home.

Prodigal_SOB

Prodigal_SOB Avatar

Location: Back Home Again in Indiana
Gender: Male

Posted: Jan 27, 2010 - 10:43am
DaveInVA wrote: I don't own a cell phone either and never have owned one... And judging from your tag line we probably have a lot more in common too. My cat passed away about six years ago though.

Page: Previous 1, 2, 3 Next