Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for December 18, 2010

  1. Comic face
    comicgos  almost 14 years ago

    The end of the “texting and driving” commercial!

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  2. Hobbesheart
    tis4kis  almost 14 years ago

    Oh no! They have cell phones in Heaven?! Oh… wait… he’s not going there, is he?

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  3. Nebulous100
    Nebulous Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    I don’t get it. For several years they’ve been saying that holding the little blinky box to your ear with one hand and talking to it while driving is a bad thing. What sort of STUPID F’N IDIOT would think that holding the thing in BOTH hands and reading and typing on it is better?

    @Clark: They showed those movies way back when I took Driver’s Ed. Apparently they don’t anymore. Too violent for today’s kids.

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  4. Destiny
    Destiny23  almost 14 years ago

    “You can’t take it with you!”

    At least, when it comes to mobile communication devices, I hope you can’t!!!

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  5. Andy
    Sandfan  almost 14 years ago

    This is a strip we can all agree with. Nice one, Wiley. Driving while texting should carry the same penalties as driving while drunk.

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  6. Pete.bleeds
    crlinder  almost 14 years ago

    Excellent Wiley. I bike commute, and I can’t begin to tell you how lunatic so many folks are behind the wheels of their cars. Texting is about the worst of it, but it ain’t all of it. If I could make citizen’s arrests for everything I see that involves distracted driving I’m pretty sure I could wipe out our city’s budget problems just from the fines they’d collect.

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    twj0729  almost 14 years ago

    I presume no one else was killed since he’s there by himself! I agree with Sandan, texting while driving should carry the same penalty as a DUI! Cellphones: Best invention since sliced bread while at the same time one of the worst.

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  8. Missing large
    ChazNCenTex  almost 14 years ago

    Makes you wonder doesn’t it? Which cell phone service does he use - gotta be good if it works at the pearly gates.

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  9. Kitty at sunset
    wicky  almost 14 years ago

    Why post smut at all.

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  10. Owls 96
    gjsjr41  almost 14 years ago

    I think there is only one kind of porno but in either case, we don’t need it here.

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    puddleglum1066  almost 14 years ago

    gayfatnakedvet, FishStix, Submachine: before you get your knickers in a knot, note that Clark said he was trying to paste a link to the gruesome picture. You would always have the option of not clicking it.

    Back to cell phones and texting while driving… fear not; here in the land of Technological Fundamentalism (if you are unfamiliar with the term, click this link: http://www.counterpunch.org/jensen05302006.html and scroll down to the heading “TECHNOLOGY”), we have absolute faith that we can construct more gadgets to fix the risks created by that last batch of gadgets we built. Some luxury cars already have radar systems that sound an alarm if you get too close to the car ahead, and they’re one or two changes in liability law away from having these systems automatically hit the brakes if they think you’re too close. Meanwhile, it seems like every intersection is sprouting “NO TURN ON RED” and “LEFT ON ARROW ONLY” signs (which might as well also read “TEXTING ZONE”). In ten years we’ll have dumbed-down the act of driving to the point where you can’t hurt yourself no matter how stupid and/or distracted you are.

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    cleokaya  almost 14 years ago

    I prefer death by chocolate.

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    Yakety Sax  almost 14 years ago

    I don’t text. I can’t text. I don’t know how Don’t want to either!

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    milano99  almost 14 years ago

    It’s too bad the FCC banned “cell phone disruptors”. You can get them in other countries (Google the term above). The cost is dependent on the range, but basically you point it at someone talking on a cell phone, and it cuts the signal (drops the call). Can’t do anything about texting though, because the signal from the phone doesn’t activate until you push Send.

    If I had one of those, I’d probably use it 10-15 times a day on my 35-mile R/T commute.

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  15. Monty avatar
    steverinoCT  almost 14 years ago

    I use a bluetooth earpiece in the car, yet my goofy boss will insist on sending me a text when he knows I’m driving. I just ignore them until I stop– not only is it basically unsafe, in my case I can’t even see it without my reading glasses!

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  16. Cheryl 149 3
    Justice22  almost 14 years ago

    Cell phones don’t work here. I live in a

    DEAAAAD ZOOOOONE!

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  17. I am 60
    Barbaratoo  almost 14 years ago

    …and sadly, too, exoticdoc2

    I don’t consider myself “old” in age or thought as a rule, but I really am worried about the future of the young.

    I need to go back to my comic page and find something to laugh at (even tho’ this is its own kind of funny!).

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  18. 345 the puss in boots 3
    Boots at the Boar Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    I saw a woman in her late 40’s smash into the back of an elderly couple’s truck that was stopped for a red light and shattered their back window. She was so distracted with trying hurriedly to put the cell phone in her purse, she didn’t see me crossing the street. She almost took out a pedestrian too.

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  19. Turkey2
    MisngNOLA  almost 14 years ago

    The state or Maryland has a law which prohibits texting or the use or handheld cell phones while driving. I can’t count how many people, I’ve seen ignoring this particular law during my commute.

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  20. T128
    Nelly55  almost 14 years ago

    a dear friend and coworker was gruesomely killed by a teenager who blew thru a stop sign at 70 MPH while texting.

    he was 35 and had 4 kids. he was the primary bread winner for the family.

    the girl who killed him…….well at the tender age of 17 she won’t have much of a life. If that’s any kind of consolation

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  21. Missing large
    dugharry  almost 14 years ago

    In Heaven ? surely he should be in the other place!

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  22. B w catpaw
    joefish25  almost 14 years ago

    saw a bumper sticker the other day…. “Honk if you love Jesus, text while driving if you’d like to meet Him.” Thought I’d pass it along.

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  23. Junco
    junco49  almost 14 years ago

    I think there is a penalty for texting at the Pearly Gates!

    First offense, purgatory.

    Second offense ……………

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  24. Jack skellington
    dougdash  almost 14 years ago

    I saw a man reading a book resting on his steering wheel while driving in New Mexico. His little pickup truck was swerving left and right. A non-tech habit, but a dangerous distraction as well.

    “Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel!”

    Jim Morrison of the Doors

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  25. Danae
    Wiley creator almost 14 years ago

    It seems that everyone voicing an opinion is vehemently against texting while driving, yet there are so many people who do it. I would be very interested in hearing the other side, those who are doing it, on why they do it and apparently don’t think it’s such a bad thing. That’s a side of the issue I’ve NEVER heard.

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  26. Eyes
    aerwalt  almost 14 years ago

    If my cell is on when I’m driving, I ignore any calls until I can stop. I don’t text or want to.

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  27. Image
    peter0423  almost 14 years ago

    I doubt you’ll get any takers, Wiley. People who admit to texting while driving (or doing anything else that palpably stupid) pretty much all say, “Yeah, I know it’s wrong, but…” [sheepish grin, shrug].

    Personally, I think that texting impulsively (and responding instantly, losing focus on everything else) is a behavioral malady – it may be that a lot more people have some mild form of ADHD than we know, or something like it that makes them easily and immediately distracted.

    And I think that Puddleglum1066 has the right idea, although he’s dreading it rather than welcoming it. Most human beings are not, by nature, mentally equipped to operate any heavy machinery safely, much less at high speeds, and we won’t be safe on the roads until cars actually drive themselves where we tell them we want to go – “automobiles” in the most literal sense.

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  28. Puma
    durtclaw  almost 14 years ago

    I’ll used to pull over, stop, then read the text. My answer in these cases includes the fact that I AM ON THE ROAD. The same person would then reply with another text. Now I don’t answer until I get to my destination.

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  29. 104 2745
    Trebor39  almost 14 years ago

    Dumbest thing to do next to “Hey, watch this!”

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  30. Old bear
    T Gabriel Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    A note to Clark Kent and Nebulous Rikulau:

    In ‘94 during orientation with a trucking company for over the road driving in 18-wheelers they had an hour of video taken from car versus truck wrecks. The idea was the obvious - seeing such things, they thought, would deter unsafe driving.

    Just before the class started I went to the instructor and told him I would not go to that particular class and view his videos. He asked why and I told him I was fully aware of what happens to the human body when subjected to violent external forces.

    He told me the viewing was required and I couldn’t proceed further in the orientation unless I had seen the videos.

    I told him that between 1967 and 1970 I had been a radio operator in the First Marine Division in Vietnam, Republic of, assigned under the auspices of 7th Comm Battalion. I had been on combat operations with 1st, 5th, 7th, and 9th Marines, the Korean Marines, and the CAP. During those operations I had seen as much mayhem as I needed to see and was not going to watch his orgy of viscera strewn about the scene under any circumstance. I started driving over the road the next day.

    To those of you who feel the need to observe such video sickness and to those of you who think that such things might be too violent, I suggest you think about your own sick impulses.

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  31. Lonelemming
    Ernest Lemmingway  almost 14 years ago

    I doubt you’ll hear from people who text while driving, Wiley. The lucky ones who don’t get into an accident are perse…I mean, prosecuted with the same severity as driving under the influence (at least here in Utah). The unlucky ones aren’t around to say their piece anymore many times. Think of it as passive eugenics: the stupid die and (hopefully) haven’t already polluted the gene pool.

    @Legacyshooter I think the reason folks insist on showing that stuff, besides a snuff fetish, is that sheeple just don’t get it unless it’s rammed down their throats. And even then it doesn’t always work. But I agree it’s sick and disturbing. If that’s what folks think is needed to drill in the realities of poor judgement while driving, maybe we should do what Germany does: $2000 to get a license, so folks who do get it are that much more conscious of their privilege–not right–to drive.

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  32. Lonelemming
    Ernest Lemmingway  almost 14 years ago

    Not all of us of Gen X are users. I know of plenty of Baby Boomers and Gen Y that are also (grand)parents and users. It’s not just one generation; it’s humans as a whole.

    This has been a message from goComics resident nihilistic misanthrope.

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  33. Small tower
    RadioTom  almost 14 years ago

    @milano99 said, about 4 hours ago

    It’s too bad the FCC banned “cell phone disruptors”. You can get them in other countries (Google the term above). The cost is dependent on the range, but basically you point it at someone talking on a cell phone, and it cuts the signal (drops the call).

    I work in radio - and those “cell phone disruptors” do more harm than good. There was a case just this year where someone had one in his truck, but when he drove through a certain section of town, he wasn’t just dropping cell calls - he also was interfering with police, ambulance, and broadcast (studio-transmitter link) operations. So, no, a cell phone jammer is NOT a good idea. Indiana has a proposed law for the upcoming legislative session that would ban ALL handheld device use - if you hold it up to your ear, it would be verboten, as well as texting. Which would leave only land-mobile radio legally usable while driving.

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  34. J0262810
    Wildmustang1262  almost 14 years ago

    ATTENTION! Please DO NOT DRIVE WHILE TEXT! And DO NOT DRIVE WHILE TALK ON THE PHONE, too! Use your both hands on the wheel steering while you are on the road.

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  35. Dan
    sm0000t  almost 14 years ago

    Is,nt his hat on backwards?

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  36. Dan
    sm0000t  almost 14 years ago

    Is,nt his hat on backwards?

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  37. Dan
    sm0000t  almost 14 years ago

    Is,nt his hat on backwards?

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  38. Dan
    sm0000t  almost 14 years ago

    Sorry for the double post… :(

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  39. Dan
    sm0000t  almost 14 years ago

    CRAP! Sorry for the triple post… ;)

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  40. Missing large
    puddleglum1066  almost 14 years ago

    SCAATY_423 said, about 3 fender-benders ago: “And I think that Puddleglum1066 has the right idea, although he’s dreading it rather than welcoming it.”

    Actually, I’m dreading not the idea of smarter technology. In a perfect world, private motor vehicles would be used solely for pleasure, much as horses are used in our current society. I’d love to walk out the door and catch convenient public transport (be it an individual, self-navigating transport pod or a more plebian streetcar, tram or bus) for all my commuting, shopping, etc… and on a sunny Saturday afternoon, ride the public transport to the place where the scenic roads begin, get my motorcycle out of the storage building, and spend the next few hours delighting in curvy roads and pretty scenery. And then, of course, ride the public transport home. Hey, I could even have a beer on the return trip! What’s not to like?

    Two things worry me: first, that we’ll have too much confidence in our technology too soon, and we’ll deploy and trust stuff that doesn’t actually live up to its claims. We see a lot of that in the software business already. Second, I’m concerned that we’ll inflict a one-size-fits-all approach on everybody, and motor vehicles (and other machines) as sources of pleasure will also be outlawed. Moderation and honesty are essential to making something like this work, and we seem to live in a time when both are in short supply.

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  41. Missing large
    ccmills  almost 14 years ago

    @olmail - I dont think it is Wiley that intends the political statement but the viewer who reads the political inference and then comments on it. I find the comments in this comic almost as much fun as the comic.

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  42. Bleach ichigo
    NoBrandName  almost 14 years ago

    Wiley - From what I’ve seen, those who text-and-drive have the idea that “of course it’s dangerous when other people do it. Buy I can do it safely.”

    sm00t - it’s not his hat that’s on backwards, it’s his head.

    Of course, it’s not fair for me to criticize, since I don’t even have a cell phone.

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  43. 200px rorschach blot 01
    ses1066  almost 14 years ago

    “Driving While Distracted” (DWD) should carry the same penalty as “Driving Under the Influence” (DUI) and in the case of “Talking or Texting” the authorities can subpoena cell tower transcripts and the like.

    Personally, I dislike even the bluetooth and other “hands-free” types, research has shown them to be equally distracting. When you accept the PRIVILEGE of driving a ton and a half powered vehicle, KEEP YOUR ATTENTION ON THE ROAD!

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  44. Missing large
    keechum  almost 14 years ago

    Boy, you hit the jackpot of replys. Another idea is talking about those idiots who drive like the devil is after them. Like passing at 70 MPH on a hill of a two lane road.

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  45. Missing large
    sleepeeg3  almost 14 years ago

    Great one, but shouldn’t his location be more south? ;)

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  46. Dan
    sm0000t  almost 14 years ago

    for NoBrandName… dont know how to reply to you only…

    I think it might be…the head is in the correct position, the hat is on backwards…yet the texters reasoning is flawed…

    sorry for being so semantic…;)

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  47. Carnac
    AKHenderson Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    No stop signs, speed limit…

    Hm, what is the eternal “reward” for reckless driving?

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  48. My eye
    vldazzle  almost 14 years ago

    Crazy bunch of comments. I’ll never have a cell phone (though I appreciate when someone phones while seated outdoors, it there is an emergency). I also try to avoid being on the road when it is not full daylight - makes it easier to avoid idiots.

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  49. Phonepic3altered4
    yyyguy  almost 14 years ago

    and i HAVE a cell (and no other phone), but never (and i mean NEVER) use it while driving.

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  50. Phonepic3altered4
    yyyguy  almost 14 years ago

    can’t agree. most of the idiot drivers i see are in the daylight hours. (of course, it’s more difficult to see what the idiots are doing when it’s dark.)

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  51. Photo  1
    thirdguy  almost 14 years ago

    scatty 423 “it may be that a lot more people have some mild form of ADHD than we know, or something like it that makes them easily and immediately distracted.”

    I wish I could tell you how effing clueless you are. ADHD, has nothing to do with being an inconsiderate inattentive driver. A person with a learning deficiancy, who has trouble in school, can be a better driver than most anyone else, because he understands, bettter than most, how important it is to pay attention. And what may be more relevant, is that driving provides a constant change of input that will hold the attention of an ADHD person. If that sounds like I have actual experience with this, you might be gaining a clue.

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  52. Kiss fan01
    rugratz2222  almost 14 years ago

    wife and daughter saw a police car at an intersection, sitting there, with lights flashing, but not moving and no car pulled over. The officer - a BLOND female officer - was busy texting….

    I told my wife she should have gotten a cell phone pic anyways and we’d have posted it all over the web.

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  53. Phonepic3altered4
    yyyguy  almost 14 years ago

    the usual reason for texting/cell talking or other distractive acts while driving is the same as for speeding, lane hopping, cutting off other drivers, etc. it’s the “me first” (and no one else matters at all) sheer bloody minded ignorance most people seem to have towards everything these days. yes, there are exceptions (many of them); but too many people try to do too many things at once all the time - leading them to become overly stressed, ineffective, and dangerous to themselves and others. Wiley was wondering about the perspective of those who do text and drive. it would seem that they have no time for frivolous activities like recreational reading.

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  54. Phonepic3altered4
    yyyguy  almost 14 years ago

    wow! i miss this place for almost 3 weeks and my first time back in all that time, i wind up posting a rant. i won’t apologize (since i think i’m right); but it definitely looks like i needed the “recreational reading” i mentioned. i guess i should get a prescription for more of it.

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  55. Yellow pig small
    bmonk  almost 14 years ago

    @Wiley, I don’t text while driving–too much attention and fingers required–but I have made cell phone calls.

    Of course, the road is empty for a mile ahead and behind when I do…

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  56. Your image 2
    Dutchboy1  almost 14 years ago

    I agree with twypsi in that texting while driving should have the same penalty as a DUI, from loss of their drivers license and big whopping fines to jail time for multiple offenses. Also, I’m surprised that none of the people waiting in line in this cartoon weren’t put there by him.

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  57. Missing large
    sendelbachvernon34  about 2 months ago

    because there is NO good reason

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