‘Intexticated’ new Dictionary Term
Texting on one’s cell phone is a form of social networking that is astoundingly popular. Anyone still doubting this point need only read news from the Oxford University Press.
In mid November the publisher announced its top candidates for 2009 Word of the Year.
In the Top 5:
·        Intexticated: Texting on a cell phone and driving at the same time, to the point of dangerous distraction.
Clever; maybe even a little funny. But the truth is that texting and driving is very serious business. A study from the Virginia Technical Transportation Institute showed that texting and driving resulted in a greater chance of crashing – greater than driving drunk!
If the federal government has its way, this bad habit will soon be illegal in every state in the U.S. Driving laws are generally left for the individual states to decide. But to nudge them in the right direction, the feds are considering holding back highway funds until the states comply.
Texting while driving is banned in 14 states. President Barack Obama recently pushed through a law that banned all federal employees from texting and driving. So it’s a matter of time before the campaign goes national.
States Consider Fines for Texting and Driving
Distracted driving kills. That’s why driving and texting will soon become illegal across the country.  Municipalities nationwide are trying to decide just how harsh to be on violators. And just how will police prove that a driver was texting at the time of an accident?
Better keep your hands on the wheel in Chicago. The Windy City has a cell phone/driving law that forbids speaking on the cell phone and texting on a cell phone while driving. The only exception is when the driver is using a hands-free headset while talking.
If a driver causes an accident while he or she is texting in Chicago, the fine will range from $200 to $500. But a police officer can’t easily spot a driver punching a phone keypad. Drivers, if stopped, could simply throw the phone aside. Some will probably try to challenge this violation in court, suggesting that it would be impossible to prove that the driver was punching letters on his phone at the precise same time of the accident.
Compare Text Time to Vehicle Tracking Time
It’s entirely possible to prove a driver was texting at the time of an accident, say legal experts, especially in a scenario when a cell phone and a GPS tracking system are working in concert. Both give precise times of a specific event. All one has to do is compare one against the other.
Text messages are also known as SMS or short message service. Messages are limited to 160 characters. Each time someone sends or receives a text message, that communication is included in a data packet that also includes the length of the message, the receiving phone number and a time stamp.
A GPS tracking system, whether it is a passive vehicle tracking system or a real-time vehicle tracking system, has an extensive internal memory as well as nearly unlimited space on the server, to store historic data of travel history. A GPS tracking device such as the LandAirSea GPS Tracking Key and Tracking Key Pro® are data recorders that obtain a GPS lock and accurate location reading every second. The GPS tracking report includes exact location by latitude and longitude (convertible to address), the vehicle’s speed and direction and precise time.
When a vehicle is involved in an accident, the GPS tracking report will illustrate an abrupt stop. A user can determine exactly where the accident was (geographically), what time it occurred and how fast the vehicle was going just prior to the crash.
Match that time with the driver’s cell phone records and there would be no doubt whether texting was occurring at the same time as the car crash.
What is the Solution to the Texting/Driving Problem?
The new laws offer a simple solution to what everyone recognizes is a serious problem: just stop texting while driving. But who hasn’t typed a quick message or checked an email while driving? Texting while driving has grown into a habit that is deeply entrenched in the American lifestyle. To think that drivers everywhere are going to just set down their phones while behind the wheel is short-sighted.
Better the government put pressure on wireless cell phone companies to come up with an application that will translate text messages to voice, similar to the kind lady-in-the-box featured on GPS tracking and on-board navigation systems.
Tags: GPS Tracking, intexticated, Teen Driving, Texting, Top 5
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