Vigilante Internshipshttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/vigilante-internships http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/vigilante-internships#commentsFri, 19 Dec 2014 16:01:00 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=964957This just in from the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency: it’s a bad thing for you to drive while texting. Well, duh. Why did you think you needed to put it in writing? But NHTSA thinks it needs to make you think about the other kinds of distracted driving as well: What if you are the […] ]]>This just in from the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency: it’s a bad thing for you to drive while texting. Well, duh. Why did you think you needed to put it in writing? But NHTSA thinks it needs to make you think about the other kinds of distracted driving as well: What if you are the kind of driver who drives around with one hand on the wheel and the other holding a half-eaten bag of Cheetos? Of course, as we have previously explained, texting is bad for everyone. Whether driving a car, texting or eating, it is all bad for you. You might have a small, quick, brief moment of pleasure — and then you’re on to the next thing. Your mind is elsewhere. What do you think people will be wondering about you when you get in a car accident, or do something else stupid? Besides, it’s all about the attention you give to what you’re doing. Why are you sitting in a car that’s stopped in a line of cars? Because you are not aware of what’s going on around you. Of course, we’re not supposed to be talking about this because NHTSA has declared its campaign against distracted driving to be secret. “NHTSA has chosen to withhold information about the campaign from the public, in part because research findings have not yet been finalized,” explains the agency in its press release. The press release, in fact, is all about the finality of the findings, which are “preliminary,” as the agency has made clear to anyone with an open mind (there is only one of those!). When we say preliminary, it means that what we’re saying is an expression of our own personal prejudices against people who have the temerity to use technology when they’re supposed to be driving. We believe these “preliminary” findings will back up what we all know: if you drive, you’re looking at a future in prison. ]]>http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/vigilante-internships/feed3Vigilante Internshipshttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/vigilante-internships-2 http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/vigilante-internships-2#commentsFri, 12 Dec 2014 17:01:28 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=961353We’re not quite sure why you’re reading a Christmas-themed story about distracted driving, but then again, we can make up a reason just like you. So. Here goes: Last week, Washington Examiner, one of the news outlets that really ought to know better, actually managed to find something to complain about with the fact that the National Highway […]]]> We’re not quite sure why you’re reading a Christmas-themed story about distracted driving, but then again, we can make up a reason just like you. So. Here goes: Last week, Washington Examiner, one of the news outlets that really ought to know better, actually managed to find something to complain about with the fact that the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency’s campaign against texting and driving was going to become far too real this year. In case you had any doubt as to how seriously people were taking the whole thing, now we have even more proof. “Federal Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the agency would be introducing a campaign this year called ‘Distracted Driving: Risky Business’ for the holiday season,” reports Examiner reporter Jim McElhatton. “The campaign includes videos, animations and graphic images designed to educate the public about the dangers of distracted driving.” It appears that the campaign is designed to make you uncomfortable, after all. Distracted driving, we might as well let you know, is not a good thing, and we have ways of determining who is responsible for distracting other drivers from the task at hand. We’re not going to release the names of those people who engage in it, but don’t be fooled into thinking this is going to end before your next visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles. “It’s not like it can stop and go back to normal after Thanksgiving,” McElhatton says. “The reality is everyone is going to be looking at this every year — everyone is going to know about this, and think twice. Maybe it won’t stop some of these people from texting and driving, but it will make them stop and maybe think about it, and maybe drive slower, which could save lives.” Again, what we have here is a perfect example of people who, at this moment, have more important things to worry about than distracted driving, as if we didn’t all know that it’s a bigger problem than just a holiday season. We’re not going to let you talk yourself into the idea that they’re doing this because there are so many more important things to worry about. Don’t get us wrong, though. We’re all well aware of the fact that not only is distracted driving a dangerous activity, but the more people engage in it, the more deaths there will be. How can you possibly make it through Christmas without falling victim to a distracted driver? “The campaign seeks to emphasize the effects of distracted driving on families, on holiday plans and on friends and families of those who have been affected by distraction-related crashes,” writes McElhatton. Well, that’s good news, isn’t it? You mean that’s not going to cause you to become distracted, and ultimately, to crash? That’s the way things have been working. Maybe all that will change now. ]]>http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/vigilante-internships-2/feed0Vigilante Internshipshttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/vigilante-internships-3 http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/vigilante-internships-3#commentsMon, 09 Dec 2013 13:00:00 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=926394We want to believe that with “national safety month” behind us, people will finally start seeing the folly of distracted driving. With news headlines about deaths in accidents, new legislation, and a full-court push by the Department of Motor Vehicles, you might think that distracted driving — as in the act of actually talking or eating or […]]]> We want to believe that with “national safety month” behind us, people will finally start seeing the folly of distracted driving. With news headlines about deaths in accidents, new legislation, and a full-court push by the Department of Motor Vehicles, you might think that distracted driving — as in the act of actually talking or eating or sleeping or having fun — would start becoming taboo. The fact that the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency hasn’t decided what to do about distracted driving may have something to do with the fact that it’s not really a safety issue, since all three states that have already “legalized” texting in cars — Georgia, Texas and Washington — have seen a marked increase in accidents as a result of the change. What is clear is that, with more and more news from every corner of the country on the subject, distracted driving isn’t going away. Indeed, the latest story appears in The Washington Examiner: distracted driving safety campaign launches in the new year. We suspect that no matter what comes out of this campaign, it won’t be enough to deter the distracted drivers we all know, you know and love, and maybe even don’t like. In the end, we all know what has to happen: the drivers have to be punished. You can do your part to prevent this: don’t text while driving, and never get behind the wheel of