XX Factor: the blog

Texting While Driving Without Children

I am too embarrassed by Emily's trumpets-blaring charge against texting while driving to admit to doing it. But if I did, my sin would of course be committed in the service of the holy grail of multi-tasking. The research the NYT cites, however, has reminded me that when the risk entailed by squeezing two tasks into the same minutes is death, it is utterly and obviously a risk not to take.

Ann, you're right to chide us for talking on the phone while driving, too, even it's not quite as crazy dangerous, because of the message it sends to kids. The upright answer is to quit doing this cold turkey, too. But if we're honest, how many of us will in reality fudge, by abstaining when the kids are in the car (I'd rather talk to them, anyway), and yakking, and even typing, when they're not? I'd like to say I am above such inconsistency. But then I'd be claiming high ground I'm not really standing on. Is anyone in the same uneasy spot?

Photograph of mom and kids driving by Ryan McVay/Getty Images.

Tags: texting while driving

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Emily Bazelon is a founding editor of Double X, and a writer and editor at Slate.

Comments

Distance and Emergencies

By: akgirl | Fri, 07/31/2009 - 13:07

I keep thinking about the second poster's comments. Not only do I live further from family than the poster (not that I'm competing!), but my husband is in Iraq and my job requires people to call me in an emergency, with my cell being the first option. However, if I can't pull over safely or quickly, I will usually miss the first call. It's unbelievably painful to be trying to get to the side of the road safely, knowing that each ring puts me closer to missing a much desired call from my husband (who can only call once a week) or missing the first call from someone who is hoping I will be able to meet them at the hospital or at home before the crisis peaks. However, I don't want to be an additional casualty on the highway- so all texts and calls can and should wait. Even if your minutes don't "rollover", your life and the life of those around you are worth more to someone that any amount of money.

you cell phone addicts are just in denial

By: jerseygirl | Thu, 07/30/2009 - 16:24

Like the first poster on this thread I may just be too old and too recent a cell phone adopter to understand why it's hard to avoid talking (or texting!!) while driving. But I'm flabbergasted by the many ways folks justify engaging in what both common sense and now research tell us are VERY HIGH RISK BEHAVIORS!! I only drive in the right lane...I'm very careful....I'll bet if we were to turn back the clock to the days before there was such universal opprobrium for drunk driving we could have found people using similar kinds of logic to justify driving after a few drinks.

And reading the remarks of parents who routinely drive and text with their kids in the car....HELLO? Are you really willing to take that kind of risk with your childrens' lives? Many parents who worry about things like second hand smoke and the registered sex offender living 4 blocks away seem to think nothing of jeopardizing the lives of their children (and the children in other cars)with this sort of behavior.

There's just no reason to be talking (or texting!! Jeez!) while driving.

I live 3000 miles away from

By: the23rdelf | Thu, 07/30/2009 - 15:58

I live 3000 miles away from my family and am a mom to a toddler and I work full time. My commute is the only time I can have a conversation with my family at a convenient time for everyone. The call starts before I start the drive and ends when I pull up to the sitter or up to my office. While driving, I stay closer to the right exit lane than the left fast lanes of traffic. When calls drop, I wait for the return call, which I can answer with the touch of a button on my headset. Oh, and I never chat on the phone once my kid is in the car.

I have been known to text at a stop light, but have since stopped doing that and will pull over when necessary. Usually it's just to update my husband on my location or to coordinate plans, so pulling over is prudent.

It's selfish to continue driving while talking on the phone, knowing that it is still riskier, even with a hands-free device. However, I would sorely miss the daily connection, albeit brief, with my extended family and friends. I don't know what the answer is, but it's different for everyone.

texting & driving

By: stopinka | Thu, 07/30/2009 - 15:34

As I have been a very late adopter of cellphones and have only sent one text in my life, I probably have a very different perspective on this topic. I truly don't feel a need to be connected to the rest of the world every moment I am awake. I enjoy the time and space of not being contactable. As the world changes perhaps I will find it more difficult to maintain this me-space but for the right now there is very little that I ever need to respond to immediately. So although I drive everyday I very rarely touch my cellphone in the car I can wait the 30-40 minutes it takes to get to my destination to respond. But for people who feel the need for all the bits and bytes perhaps thinking about texting and driving (or even talking on the phone while driving) as the same thing as drinking and driving might help curb your calling habits (literally). Why take the chance of hurting yourself or someone else? Just type "n-o".