Texting while driving, this has to stop

[Splinter]

It's a pic of a stationary/moving vehicle with a person typing on a phone. Hardly evidence of any wrongdoing.

A video would have been something else.

Say what? The OP has stated that she was driving. This whole thread is about her driving and using her phone. Your post is basically what might be a defense in a disciplinary hearing. Which only lends credence to the fact that this might lead to her dismissal.

 

[Splinter]

Can you show how my driving habits have any bearing on the topic at hand? THAT is what I tried to get through to you there. But, as you're hell-bent on this: no, I am not perfect, I would submit that no-one is; which is also besides the point. That said, years ago I was texting while driving (so this was on a keypad phone sending SMS, it was a really long time ago) and happened to be going uphill and looking into the sun, so late afternoon. What I earned for my troubles was driving at 50-60(ish) into a horribly tall and steep concrete verge, and put a FAT ding into my mag rim. Which came as a horrible shock and I'm glad I was lucky enough to not have done any damage to anyone else's property.

I've never forgotten that incident but that was also then. As for now; well, I make a conscious effort to not text, it's just not worth it. That said, I have a few regular spots out on the open road where I text my gf as to my progress when I'm travelling between Jozi and Rustenburg. And that's a one word message - "Goblin" is typical - and there's almost never anyone anywhere near me. Which is clearly the same thing as the point I've raised here.

Now, are you ready to let this go, or do you have more irrelevant haranguing you feel is relevant to the point at hand?

Look closer, you may even find that I am.

One: I thank you for your honesty.

Two: What you did to this woman is appalling.

 

[Sinbad]

Eish. The truth I would say. But talking about the truth, can you please specifically confirm you have never used a cell while driving.

What difference does that make? It's completely irrelevant.

That said, not in the last 10 years, no.

 

[Bona Botse]

Protecting criminals is our country's speciality.

 

[Mike Hoxbig]

Protecting criminals is our country's speciality.

If it was a fat bloke then everyone would agree. But since it's a pretty woman, it's all good, because everyone did it at some point or the other.

 

[BigAl-sa]

Maybe spunkywunky is the person in the pic?

 

[Ancalagon]

One: I thank you for your honesty.

Two: What you did to this woman is appalling.

Appalling? You know what I think is appalling? When drunk drivers kill entire families. When people texting on their phones kill other innocent people, like pedestrians and cyclists. That's appalling.

Getting busted and reported for doing something illegal? Hardly appalling.

Everyone moans about how dangerous the roads are, but when it comes to enforcing the rules, somehow nobody wants to be around.

 

[Sinbad]

Protecting criminals is our country's speciality.

Yup.
I don't get it...

"IT'S OK FOR ME TO DO IT BECAUSE LIKE YOU DID IT ONCE! AND THAT GUY THERE DID AS WELL" ... no successful defence testimony in court ever.

 

[Splinter]

What difference does that make? It's completely irrelevant.

That said, not in the last 10 years, no.

I am worried that I might have had a stroke. This whole thread has been about castigating someone who used her phone while driving. You and bdt have said it's cool if she loses her job, shame on her. Both of you have then said it's irrelevant that you two in fact are guilty of the same behaviour. I find that to be bizarre, hypocritical, bewildering. So am I right to feel so, or have I indeed had a stroke?

 

[Sinbad]

One: I thank you for your honesty.

Two: What you did to this woman is appalling.

No. What this woman did is appalling. And that people will DEFEND her for doing it is even more so. Way to shift the blame from the perpetrator of the crime to the witness/reporter.

 

[Splinter]

Maybe spunkywunky is the person in the pic?

No. Sorry to dash your hopes but I am a nothing but a boring, male accountant.

 

[Splinter]

No. What this woman did is appalling. And that people will DEFEND her for doing it is even more so. Way to shift the blame from the perpetrator of the crime to the witness/reporter.

Can a rational person please come in here and explain the words "major" and "hypocrisy" To synbad? Please. I need to go away before I become sarcastically unpleasant, amongst other things.

 

[cpu.]

Say what? The OP has stated that she was driving. This whole thread is about her driving and using her phone. Your post is basically what might be a defense in a disciplinary hearing. Which only lends credence to the fact that this might lead to her dismissal.

Chill and read properly. My post have nothing to do with texting while driving - wrong or right - or what the OP said. In the pic the wheels are non-blurry and therefore could be in stationary position too. You can't just fire people, because of what someone said and then use a photo that could go either way to back it up.

 

[Sinbad]

Can a rational person please come in here and explain the words "major" and "hypocrisy" synbad? Please. I need to go away before I become sarcastically unpleasant, amongst other things.

wait wait wait, chunkymonkey1, so hypocrisy justifies breaking the law? You saying a metro cop CANNOT convict you for negligent driving because once upon a time he ran a stopstreet?

You are already unpleasant, and a horrible example of humanity IMHO.

 

[Bona Botse]

I am worried that I might have had a stroke. This whole thread has been about castigating someone who used her phone while driving. You and bdt have said it's cool if she loses her job, shame on her. Both of you have then said it's irrelevant that you two in fact are guilty of the same behaviour. I find that to be bizarre, hypocritical, bewildering. So am I right to feel so, or have I indeed had a stroke?

So what if it's hypocritical? Does that make them reporting it wrong? Or are you just pointing it out?

And if them reporting it is wrong, what are the rules then? Is it only wrong to report a transgressor if I've also transgressed the same laws at some or other point in my life? Or perhaps I can't report any transgressions if I've ever transgressed at all?

 

[Splinter]

wait wait wait, chunkymonkey1, so hypocrisy justifies breaking the law? You saying a metro cop CANNOT convict you for negligent driving because once upon a time he ran a stopstreet?

You are already unpleasant, and a horrible example of humanity IMHO.

So what if it's hypocritical? Does that make them reporting it wrong? Or are you just pointing it out?

And if them reporting it is wrong, what are the rules then? Is it only wrong to report a transgressor if I've also transgressed the same laws at some or other point in my life? Or perhaps I can't report any transgressions if I've ever transgressed at all?

I have one simple question for the two of you:

So you will agree that, should either of you be caught using your cell while driving from now on, it will be acceptable for you to be fired from your jobs?

 

[Sinbad]

I have one simple question for the two of you:

So you will agree that, should either of you be caught using your cell while driving from now on, it will be acceptable for you to be fired from your jobs?

Should I be driving a company vehicle, yes absolutely. A branded one - even more so.

Also, since the job I am in requires no criminal record, then should I be convicted of ANY crime I will lose my job regardless of circumstances. Therefore, it's in my interest not to break the law. So I don't... Simple, eh?

 

[Splinter]

LOL

Oh dear...

Yes, I get angry when people drive recklessly and negligently. You should too. Every accident someone like this causes costs our country a LOT of money. You might be happy to carry on funding it, but I'm not.

Ah, you took out the insult about me only being able to use a calculator or some such? Look, once again, you chaps are trying to shift the focus. No one was condoning her behaviour. The question was should the OP, who has now just admitted to doing the same thing, have emailed her employer about it.

But please answer my most recent question before this post.

 

[bdt]

Can you explain why you had to link this thread for Motorite’s consumption? Is it not enough that you reported her?

Yes, to be fair, forthright and even-handed about the exposure THEIR employee, out on public roads doing stupid things got caught doing. At the very least they deserve to know, and be given room to do, or not do, whatever they see fit. And now consider the Imperial i-Pledge campaign.

But, you also feel the need to escalate the matter by extending for Public exposure thus placing Motorite in a negative light which will ultimately aggravate the matter from “driving while texting” to “bringing the company into disrepute and driving while texting”.

My taking a photo of an insurance company employee that bears the payoff line "total peace of mind motoring" doing this is not the cause of bringing them into disrepute. Them, possibly (I don't know, I don't work there) not training their staff to a higher standard has a lot more to do with it. Them not doing anything about this has more to do with it. As for making it public: we've all heard the call for 'name and shame' and, regrettably, it appears to be necessary as, without given an incentive to respond business entities tend not to. So they usually need to be spurred into action, which this thread facilitates.

I would have been be more than satisfied with your conduct had you merely sent the Pic to Motorite and let them deal with the matter alone.
Perhaps you could have made this thread with the Pics without Motorite’s knowledge. Your motive, however, is confounding.

Per the underlined, and as stated, it would be dishonest of me to name and shame and hide it. My basic motive? Get this scourge to stop. Look at what we already have here in this thread: it's been brought to the fore in all of our minds, as something that we have to stamp out. And, I suspect, there has been an amount of 'what if that was me?' going on and, I have to say, I would hate to be the one in the photo.

Guess how I achieve that.

 

[Sinbad]

I did. And the insult was insulting to other accountants, not you...