Letters to the Editor

[medcom3]

Over the years, I have supported AAA's view on safe driving.  However, now I must make a firm stand against your views on distracted driving, especially texting. My feelings come from fairness.  If you look inside many government vehicles, electric company vehicles, or telephone company vehicles, you will see a laptop mounted next to the driver.  The vehicle may be a police officer, fire engine, or even a building inspector. The use of these laptops is no different than me looking at my cell phone in the car. Their use is a total distraction from looking at traffic  and many times, these drivers are using red/blue lights and sirens. I agree these laptops provide essential data to the responders, but  let's put things in perspective.  Imagine a fire truck, weighting 28 tons, breaking a congested intersection while looking at the screen on his laptop. It happens numerous times every day.  Consider the building inspector that receives assignments from his/her office on the laptop. He looks away from traffic and stares at the screen reading the assignment and getting the address. He/she may also be staring at a map, trying to get directions to the the assignment.  Additionally, these laptops have the ability to send messages back and forth to the dispatch center and even vehicle to vehicle. Is that not texting? Is that not distracted driving. Is it any different that me looking at a text message on my phone? No!  

Many of the messages I receive on my phone are as important to me as those received by government and public service employees.  If Florida should ban texting on my cell phone, then it essential that ALL laptops in vehicles be placed where only passengers can view the display. The laptop must not have the capability of being  swivel allowing the driver to see the screen.  To think that law enforcement officers can control texting while driving is ludicrous. They have far more important assignments to tackle than looking for drivers who are texting.  The most recent polls concerning distracted driving concerns monitoring the actions of children in the back seat.  Please review your opinions on texting while driving and remember how important those text messages are to us who do not have a laptop installed in their vehicle. If it is fair for government and public service agencies to utilize the current communication technologies, than don't make me a criminal by doing the same thing with my cell phone.

Gregory Thomas

medcom3@gte.net

[scout11]

I don't know this for a fact, but I would assume that most police cars, fire trucks, and the like which  have mounted laptops have someone other than the driver who is monitoring the screen. Presumably they also have hands-free communication devices to allow them to get the info they need while driving quickly.

If this isn't the case, it should be. Year ago, when my children were very little and still in car seats, I was hit by a private ambulance which ran a red light. It did not have its sirens sounding or lights flashing; it was merely transporting a patient to the hospital. However, to save money, the company had only one driver who was being asked to monitor the vital signs of the patient while driving!! He admitted that he had been looking at the screen and had run the red light and hit my car. 

I think ALL distracted driving is potentially fatal as recent statistics have supported. What's fair is for the same standard to apply to everyone! Distracted driving should be forbidden across the board. 

[medcom3]

a coincidence:

fatal accidents have continued to decrease over the past few years according to FHP, however texting has continued to increase... hmmmm - texting up, fatalities down.  

continue to allow texting !

[scout11]

I respectfully disagree passionately with medcom3. Texting involves reading words, phrases, even sentences. That requires more than a glance at the screen. At least when you fiddle with the radio or shift your coffee cup, you can still keep your eye on the road. But reading a text is horribly dangerous...and deceptively so. You think you're looking for only a second, but it lasts longer. I really can't understand how anyone can defend its use!

[medcom3]

Please go back and re-read my initial letter.  Government employees, FPL, Verizon, Bright House and others are all using laptops in their vehicles.  Most are solo drivers.  These laptops provide essential data to the workers, but also allow for vehicle to vehicle communications, aka texting.  I've seen many drivers typing on the laptops as they drive.  If texting is banned in vehicles, then these laptops must be removed from the driver's reach and view.  All I ask is that you don't make me a criminal for what is approved practices by these individuals.

[scout11]

I understand clearly what medcom3 is reporting. I'm not condemning him/her, but I do think this practice of texting on a laptop should be forbidden behavior by anyone and everyone if they're driving. If they want to pull over to communicate, that's fine. The people who should be accountable are the legislators who have passed this law allowing for such behavior. 

[medcom3]

As a former Public Safety officer, the use of laptops in emergency vehicles is now essential to responding crews.  The data dispatched to private companies such as FP&L, Verizon, or Bright House is also invaluable to them.  The legislation that is now in the House of Representatives, HP299, should be dropped and not be passed!  "Texting" is done by both government and private employees every day on their laptop terminals.  There is no way that these agencies could or would remove the laptops from their vehicles.  But texting is texting whether it be on a laptop or on a cell phone.  Again, I say... don't make me a criminal for doing what others are permitted to do every day.

Should texting while driving be outlawed, then the laptops MUST be mounted so that the driver of the vehicle can not see the screen.  With only one person in the vehicle, as most police agencies are, that action would be ludicrous!  Consider all the "distractions' that car manufactures are building into our cars - maps, radios that display song/artist information, vehicle status updates... the list goes on and on.  And who wants to comment on shaving, combing hair, talking to children in the back seat, smoking, eating... the list goes on and on.  Distracted driving will always be of concern until cars are driving automatically and don't hold your breath on that.  

Let police officers concentrate on violent crime in Florida.  Forget this frivolous legislation on texting while driving and let police officers do the important and essential job that we pay them for.

[medcom3]

The bill is dead in the House of Representatives according to Representative Pilon, the sponsor.