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'TXTNG KILLS' Anti-Texting Thumb Bands Get Thumbs Up from Police
As part of a new program in Iowa, police are distributing pink and blue thumb bands designed to deter people from texting while driving.
Posted 10/ 20 10 at 4:00 PM | News, Advertising & Marketing, Legal Issues, Consumer Products & Services, Government Services, Logistics & Transportation, Travel, Inventions & Innovations
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We've all been guilty of it at some point, especially the harried business travelers among us, but texting while driving is not only illegal in most places -- it can be fatal. Several campaigns are under way to encourage people to kick the habit, including a few smartphone apps (such as Zach Veach's URtxt), and laws in 30 states have made texting while driving illegal. Now, police in Cerro Gordo, Iowa, are taking a more hands-on approach, distributing pink and blue thumb bands that read, "TXTNG KILLS." Since most people text with their thumbs, law enforcement is hoping the tangible reminder that "TXTNG KILLS" will serve as a deterrent. The bands are reminiscent of Lance Armstrong's popular yellow Livestrong bands, but while Livestrong is a fundraising tool, the thumb bands are being used simply for awareness. Cerro Gordo Sheriff Kevin Pals says his office has been inundated with phone calls and e-mails from people looking for the bands, so he hopes they will catch on.
The Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau bought 30,000 bands at 12 cents apiece to distribute to drivers. Pals received 150 for his county, which were gone within two days, and he has since requested 5,000 more. The bands were initially just for people pulled over by police, but Pals says many parents and teachers want them distributed at schools.
Texting was made illegal in Iowa in July, but officers cannot issue tickets until January 1, 2011. In the meantime, anyone pulled over and seen to be texting while driving receives a warning and a thumb band. (Texting while driving is a secondary offense, which means a driver can't be pulled over just for texting.) Sheriff Pals says he and his colleagues see a lot of people texting at stoplights, and hopes the dangerous behavior will be curbed, but added that it will take some time to know if the bands are an effective tool.
The Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau already has plans to order anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000 more thumb bands.
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Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Why only txtng? People also ready and reply to emails at stoplights
I think a lot of people are missing the big picture! Sure texting while driving is not good but evenly so is eating, talking to the person next to you, adjusting the gazillion controls in the newer cars, reading the newspaper, applying make-up, swatting the kids in the back seat... I love this , So does My boyfriend .he is almost 11year older than me .i met him via age'ming gle.c'om a nice place for seeking age le ss love.which gives you a chance to make your life better and open opportunities for you to meet the attractive young girls and treat you like a king. Maybe you wanna check it out or tell your friends..
If your really bored and want a surprise, query the databases of NHTSA, FARS and some others. The surprise is texting is not problem, its most of the other distractions. I do not text and drive by the way!My boyfriend thinks the same with me. He is eight years older than me, lol. We met online at agegapsing les. c om a nice and free place for younger women and older men, or older women and younger men, to interact with each other. Maybe you wanna check out or tell your friends.
IF YOU ARE TIRED OR ANNOYED BY THESE IDIOTS DOING THIER FREE ADVERTISING THEN SEND IT BACK TO AOL. AFTER AOL HAS HAD ITS E MAIL JAMMED BY MANY COMPLAINTS THAT THEY HAVE TO READ; MAYBE THEY WILL CRACK DOWN ON THESE AZZHOLES. MAYBE AOL WILL EVEN GO SO FAR AS TO TAKE AWAY THEIR PRIVILIGES
You people with your advertisements on these comments MAKE ME SICK! Get a real life!!!!
Excellent idea. . but schools need to include in their curriculumsLife Skills programs that instill the deeper philosophical habits reflected in moral philosophy --the natural virtues of prudence and justice that shape the character of students so that they reject the kind of behavior that places their individual goods above the common good of society. Until there is the abiding consciousness/conscience about such behavior, gimmicks will only go so far so long. . .
Ask your school why programs such as that found at
www.connectionsedu.com is not part of their curriculum.
Schools have to get serious about character education for the democratic good society or the Me First philosophy will continue to wreak havoc and tragedy everywhere.
"We need to have a device on all vehicles that turns off cell phones, etc. when the engine is in gear and moving." I don't like this idea because the engine could be in gear and the vehicle on following an accident, when a person needs to dial 911. Also, this would disallow passengers from using their phones, where making an emergency call is necessary, eg. a child is directing the parents to a place where they're in an accident or has an emergency. Or, the passenger might be enjoying their cell phone, but not disturbing the driver.
We need to have a device on all vehicles that turns off cell phones, etc. when the engine is in gear and moving. What is wrong with pulling to the side and then making an emergency call, and only an emergency call when you are in a car. Texting and dialing when driving is not only stupid but can be fatal. What is so important that it cannot wait until you are stopped and in a situation where you can focus on your telephone and texting? Absolutely nothing unless it is an emergency, then pull over and when its safe dial 911 and only 911.
Linda, You hit the nail on the head. That would sure save lives.
First we had smoke signals, then Morse code, then the telephone and now the idiots are back to Morse code. Only idiots text. Why talk to someone when you can spend twice the time pushing buttons to say something stupid?
Im confused as to who wants to use the bands. If youre a texter and you dont want to text, than dont. DO YOU REALLY NEED A PIECE OF PLASTIC ON YOUR THUMB TO REMIND YOU??? YOU ARE THAT STUPID AND WEAK YOU CANNOT *NOT* TEXT WITH OUT IT??!!! WHY ARE YOU EVEN DRIVING A CAR????
Here's a solution...draconian action that should apply to drunk drivers as well. Found texting?? your car is impounded immediately on the first offense.
Thumb rings? Now how am I supposed to pick? Is nothing sacred?
Why not make the inside of your car a dead zone, where texts and voice calls are 'dropped'. Have an override button that is enabled when the car is in park, so you can only use your cell when the car is stopped.
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Chas T.
We need to look at this issue from a different perspective. We have come a long way in technology, but we still have miles to go. Instead of creating technology to restrict our communication, lets enhance it. The communication module should be a part of the car. Voice recognition to drive text messaging, phone,and navigator systems, and radio. Totally hands off. Technology is currently being demonized by those who have allowed technology to pass them by. Their can not see how much more productive life can be.
I think a lot of people are missing the big picture! Sure texting while driving is not good but evenly so is eating, talking to the person next to you, adjusting the gazillion controls in the newer cars, reading the newspaper, applying make-up, swatting the kids in the back seat... Lets not focus on only texting, we need to bring the rest of these more abused distractions in and penalize those or just live with it. If your really bored and want a surprise, query the databases of NHTSA, FARS and some others. The surprise is texting is not problem, its most of the other distractions. I do not text and drive by the way!
wow
I was thinking the same thing! I have NEVER NEVER NEVER texted while driving.
No, we do NOT "all do it"... and that kind of thinking and statements promote stupidity.
Talking on a phone is one thing but texting while driving is totally unnecessary - business traveller or student or whatever.
What could possibly be so important as to jeopardize your or other's lives?
Yes, texting in and of itself does not kill. But texting while driving is easier to do than to wield a firearm while driving, and that's why people choose one over the other. Yes, texting while driving is a stupid thing to do, but it's the "oh, it won't happen to me" kind of thinking that gets people killed. People know they can be killed by guns and gunfire, but they don't think about how someone texting while driving can kill them, too.