What kinds of fines do you think should be imposed on people who text and drive?

No fines.Just glue their phone to their ass.

Yessss, what @lucillelucillelucille said.

A 4king big 1 tw@‘s

How about “an eye for an eye” type fine? Since the offender did no harm to anyone else, no harm will be done to him/her.

@lucillelucillelucille But that would make them crooked and could cause a wreck too!

@erichw1504 You’re not serious. So, by the same token, if a person runs a red light, or bonzies 90mph through a residential district, but doesn’t hurt anyone, he or she shouldn’t be in trouble?

@ChazMaz -I am nothing if not a problem-solver!
@lucillelucillelucille -Glue an airbag to their ass too ;)

What is with this gluing of things to their asses??? This is bringing up the weirdest mental pictures in my mind! LOL!!

@Val123 http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10444717-266.html

@Val123 – What is bringing me the weirdest mental picture. Is that you are Farrah Fawcett.

Back from the grave. ;-) Just don’t text message while driving.

@erichw1504 From your article, “In other words, it’s the distraction, and not a cell phone, per se, that causes accidents.” That was a very dumb comment, IMO. Of course it’s not the phone itself! Guns all by themselves are totally harmless too.

You can’t get much more distracted than when you’re trying to read a text AND text back.

@ChazMaz ROFL!! It’s that…whatever day on Facebook that JLeslie posted the Q about. I can’t change it on FB because I sent out a job app for a position I REALLY want, so in case they go looking they’ll see the really me.

@Val123 Guns aren’t illegal with a permit. So, are you saying that you need a permit to text on a cell phone?

@erichw1504 What? What does legality have to do with anything? I said guns all by themselves are harmless. Guns don’t shoot people. Cell phones all by themselves are harmless. It’s the idiots behind the guns, and behind the cell phones that hurt and kill people.

@Val123 So you’re saying shooting & driving should be banned?

i think that it could range from a fine similar to speeding, or to a penalty of something like reckless endangerment. i’ve had numerous instances where i was driving behind someone whom i was positive was drunk, or otherwise impaired, only to realize that they were texting!

it should be firm, but the punishment should fit the crime…i don’t think that texters are any worse than people eating cheeseburgers while driving.

Personally I don’t think they should stop at $75, they should continue to fine another $25 for each subsequent violation. Just think of the look on the guys face when he has to pay $1 million for his 40,000th illegal use of a mobile phone. :D

Note: okay now it’s mathematically correct…I hope! :)

I say, everytime they get caught texting. They have to do a shot.

@the_state_of_wisconsin Oh, I think it’s worse than eating. Eating is a bit distracting (Depending on what you’re eating) but you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to do it, you don’t have any emotional involvement AND you don’t have to think about what how you’re going to respond to such and such. It requires very little brain activity to eat, quite a bit more to have a conversation.

@erichw1504 I’m going to stop discussing this with you, because you’re being silly!

@HTDC LOL! Sounds like a plan!

@ChazMaz Shooting them is a BIT excessive, don’t you think? :)

@Val123 Haha, you finally caught on!

What exactly is excessive any way? ;-)

Seeing as how I’ve known three different people involved in auto accidents that happened while they or the driver in the other car was texting… I’m going to say that the fines should be much higher than they currently are. In fact, if someone is caught more than once, it should be the equivalent to getting a DUI. If you want to risk your own life doing it, fine, but I sure as shit don’t want mine risked too just because someone else can’t wait until they stop the car to tell X about that LOL moment Y had.

@ChazMaz You guys are pickin’ on me!

@borderline_blonde Well said. My first thought was that the fines should be much steeper too, but….well, read the details.

I think if you wait till the third time it may be too late to do anything.
Make them or any adult attend drivers ed for one weekend the first time.

Then if there is a second time fine the person and make them do community service.

The third time should be a real hefty fine and your license should be revolked for 6 months and you should get a sticker put on your vehicle with your photo saying you should not be driving cause you have no license and your an idiot. And it should stay on your car until the cops remove it.

Step number three should be used for drunk drivers on the second time.

@Pandora YAY!! I vote for that!!!

What confuses me is why cant they just put the phone down? Is the need to be needed so great?

@ChazMaz I think its from a need to gossip and feel important. Worst thing to come along is twitter. Now they also feel the need to tell everyone about every foolish moment of there lives. (I’m driving down the road to my boyfriends house and the road is congested)

@ChazMaz what @Pandora said. For the kids, it’s all about being popular….and we all remember how important that used to be. And still is, for some adults.

No fines unless they are driving recklessly.
It’s really not that hard to text and drive.

“and we all remember how important that used to be.”

Yes but I did not mix up responsibility/irresponsibility and popularity.
Actually, responsibility caused gain in my popularity.

Irresponsibility causes the opposite. Driving while texting is irresponsible.

@ChazMaz Same here….but you know we were in the vast minority.
@Facade Right. Sure thing.

no fines, they pay the biggest fine with their lives.

or the guilt of hurting/killing another.

@bigboss Don’t care if they die. Do care if one of my kids dies because of them. And if they can’t feel the remorse before the fact, then that is a next to useless deterrent.

@ Facade, I’ve been driving for over 20 years and so far I have not had an accident but I can truly say that a few times I was caught off guard by someone suddenly pulling out in front of me.
If it weren’t for the fact that I always keep my eye on the road and practice dillegently in being a defensive driver I would’ve been road kill a few times already. It was my quick reaction that saved my life and the life of others traveling along side and behind me.
Many times I just had one second to react. If I was busy reading and texting I would’ve been dead. You cannot look at a screen and at all the drivers around you at the same time. People take for granted that other drivers will be so very cautious around you. That is not the case. Not everyone who has a license has the skill to drive. And at anytime you can drive up along someone who has been drinking or is under the influence of some drug.
Driving is not a right its a privilege. If it were a right than DMV would just not bother with the road test and give out licenses to every 16 year old.

@Pandora I’ll ride with you! I’ve noticed that many, many times, when people are recounting accidents they’ve been in, it starts with “I looked up and….” Yeah. Accidents happen in a space of seconds. Sometimes less than a second. If I take my eyes off the road for more than, literally, half a second, I feel very uneasy. I don’t understand people who don’t. I don’t understand people who will actually turn their heads all the way around to talk to someone in the back seat. Can’t they feel It coming?? I can.

It should be dealt with as drunk driving is, which is also not hardcore enough in my opinion. Bigger fines, and revoking licenses.

Also I disagree, it isn’t “mostly” kids that do this, far from it.

@Pandora True, but there are many things which can distract a driver, not just texting. Eating, drinking, having kids in the car, drifting off into thought, using the radio. Do you suggest everyone who does these things be fined as well. Of course not.

And I for one don’t look down at the screen to text.

@Facade How do you manage to read a screen without looking at it or even to text something without putting both hands on it and look at the tiny buttons? Unless you are legally blind and your phone reads text to you, (in which case you shouldn’t have a license),I don’t see how its humanly possible. I’ve seen people text while driving and tell me it only takes a second and I can tell you most look away for more than half a minute. They always think they are faster than is humanly possible.
As for the other distractions you mentioned, a good driver knows to pull over. The reasons phones are a problem is because its not even a second thing. My neice can text like a bandit. She is lightning speed, but she still has to look at the keys as she types. I’ve seen drivers talk on a phone for 2 hours on the road or as they are driving home for the length of the drive. I’ve done a lot of long road trips over the years and more often than not, when I get cut off because someone didn’t notice me was because of someone on the phone. True it could be they were just jerks, but than it makes them a jerk on the phone.

Handsfree cell phones are obligatory in many countries for use of a mobile phone while driving.

@Facade You said, “but there are many things which can distract a driver, not just texting. Eating, drinking, having kids in the car, drifting off into thought, using the radio. Do you suggest everyone who does these things be fined as well. Of course not.” The better drivers avoid doing this kinds of things. I for one never drift off into thoughts of anything except the road. If I “use” the radio it’s simply to push the #4, which is preset to my station, and I usually do that before I leave my driveway. I do NOT fiddle with it. I don’t usually eat in the car, but if I do it’s going to be something that requires little to no concentration, such as fries. Even when I had kids in the car I NEVER took my eyes off the road. Pulled over on more than one occasion to address an issue, but I NEVER turned around. I never, ever talk on my cell phone while I’m driving. It’s stupid to do that.