News

**Spread** · **Spread** More Washboard User ID: 112471 08-04-2012 03:00 PM **Posts: 11,723**

About six months ago, Chance Bothe typed out a text message while driving down a familiar Texas road. It was a simple "b right there," but it changed the 21-year-old man's life. While sending it, he veered off the road and into a ravine. Instead of visiting his pal, the young man wound up in a hospital, battling for his life.

Even more chilling was a message he'd written in the moments prior to that: "I need to quit texting, because I could die in a car accident," he'd typed. Luckily for him, the prophecy was only partly right.

The Victoria, Tex. college student had been driving home, to Ganado —less than 40 miles away —after an early class on Jan. 24. Based on what his family managed to piece together later, the young man had been texting his childhood friend throughout the drive.

They were having an argument of sorts, when the Chance missed a slight curve in the road. He drove straight through it and his truck slid —what his mother estimates is 20 to 30 feet —into a ravine.

http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_...avine?lite

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 68357 08-04-2012 03:11 PM

Damn. Just a kid.

Crying shame.

**RoseRed** · (This post was last modified: 08-04-2012 03:14 PM by RoseRed.)

Wow!! I've seen people who're talking on their cells who swerve all over the place, I couldn't imagine these people texting! People need to understand that it only takes a second of inattention for an accident to happen. :(

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 62850 08-04-2012 03:20 PM

Spread Wrote:

About six months ago, Chance Bothe typed out a text message while driving down a familiar Texas road. It was a simple "b right there," but it changed the 21-year-old man's life. While sending it, he veered off the road and into a ravine. Instead of visiting his pal, the young man wound up in a hospital, battling for his life.

Even more chilling was a message he'd written in the moments prior to that: "I need to quit texting, because I could die in a car accident," he'd typed. Luckily for him, the prophecy was only partly right.

The Victoria, Tex. college student had been driving home, to Ganado —less than 40 miles away —after an early class on Jan. 24. Based on what his family managed to piece together later, the young man had been texting his childhood friend throughout the drive.

They were having an argument of sorts, when the Chance missed a slight curve in the road. He drove straight through it and his truck slid —what his mother estimates is 20 to 30 feet —into a ravine.

I died in a car wreck (my heart stopped but then restarted). Someone talking on the phone t boned me and the car flipped over. It was a bummer too because it was a couple of days before my birthday and I wasn't wearing a seat belt but that actually saved my life.

**Aqua** · (This post was last modified: 08-04-2012 03:30 PM by Aqua.)

yeah, and imagine, texting is even more distracting than talking on a cellphone while driving...!

People have lulled themselves into believing they can put their makeup on in the car, fry up an egg on a hot plate plugged into the cigarette lighter, and text at the same time whilst driving!

there's this weird attitude that they have all that 'free time' while behind the wheel, so they need to find ways to keep themselves busy... rofl2

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 58069 08-04-2012 03:35 PM

Remember this one?

A Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who died when his Jeep Wrangler veered off Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu appears to have posted Twitter updates about his dog minutes before the crash.

Dr. Frank Ryan, 50, may also have been texting at the time of the accident, his ex-girlfriend said.

Ryan posted a picture of his border collie at the beach on Twitter at 4:10 p.m. and 20 minutes later, while driving south on PCH north of Deer Creek Road, swerved and tumbled down a rocky embankment toward the ocean, his car landing on its roof.

The accident was reported at 4:33 p.m., according to California Highway Patrol Officer Steve Reid. Ryan was declared dead at the scene. His dog, Jill, survived the accident.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/20...libu-.html

**Hero Protagonist**

I heard an interview on the radio yesterday. The guy said texting and walking was so bad that in the UK they started padding the lamposts. Can anyone in the UK confirm that?

**Fred** lop guest User ID: 111947 08-04-2012 04:19 PM

Too bad we don't have more trains, can spend your whole trip texting, eating, etc. And not endanger anyone. Caltrain even has outlets for laptops.

**geminigirl**

Aqua Wrote:

yeah, and imagine, texting is even more distracting than talking on a cellphone while driving...!

People have lulled themselves into believing they can put their makeup on in the car, fry up an egg on a hot plate plugged into the cigarette lighter, and text at the same time whilst driving!

there's this weird attitude that they have all that 'free time' while behind the wheel, so they need to find ways to keep themselves busy...

I just saw an experiments with cell phones on the discovery channel. One of them was a clown riding by people talking on their cell phones several times. Not one person on their phone noticed the clown riding right next to them.

Another experiment showed how talking on your phone distracts the people around you & causes them to complete tasks in a longer period of time. Very interesting.