Ford Sync

[Miami_Son]

Originally Posted by troyftw

For the record, Ford Sync is a hands free device that is built into all of Ford's new vehicles. Everyone who is saying put the phone down is missing the point of this thread. The OP want's to know if a feature of the hand's free technology is supported.

For the time being, the text feature is only supported on roughly 20 phones, and the TP2 is not one of them.

The more the phone can do, the more drivers will try to do with it. In just the past 5 years I have seen a tremendous increase in the danger of riding my motorcycle because of distracted drivers. Between the usual things like women applying makeup, drivers eating while driving, unruly kids and generally bad drivers, there is now the distractions of cell phones, texting, NAV systems, and laptop computers. I have gone from 1-2 near misses a week to 1-2 near misses every time I ride, which is every day. Hands-free is a misnomer because most people still handle the phone in the car. Whether for texting, connecting their headset cord, turning on their BT device or dialing a number, they are still touching the phone and driving distracted. Maybe driving in L.A. exposes me to some of the worst offenders on some of the busiest freeways in America, but the danger is universal.

[troyftw]

Originally Posted by Miami_Son

The more the phone can do, the more drivers will try to do with it. In just the past 5 years I have seen a tremendous increase in the danger of riding my motorcycle because of distracted drivers. Between the usual things like women applying makeup, drivers eating while driving, unruly kids and generally bad drivers, there is now the distractions of cell phones, texting, NAV systems, and laptop computers. I have gone from 1-2 near misses a week to 1-2 near misses every time I ride, which is every day. Hands-free is a misnomer because most people still handle the phone in the car. Whether for texting, connecting their headset cord, turning on their BT device or dialing a number, they are still touching the phone and driving distracted. Maybe driving in L.A. exposes me to some of the worst offenders on some of the busiest freeways in America, but the danger is universal.

While I understand what you mean as I ride as well, My 08 Focus has Sync in it, and I don't touch my phone at all when I am in my car. When I turn the car on, the BT automatically Syncs. After that, all I have to do is push a button on the steering wheel and say "call [insert person here]. From that point the call is made, when I am done talking, I can push the button again and the phone hangs up. Who knows maybe I am the exception to the rule, but I think Sync does a lot for making the roads safer.

[Miami_Son]

Originally Posted by troyftw

While I understand what you mean as I ride as well, My 08 Focus has Sync in it, and I don't touch my phone at all when I am in my car. When I turn the car on, the BT automatically Syncs. After that, all I have to do is push a button on the steering wheel and say "call [insert person here]. From that point the call is made, when I am done talking, I can push the button again and the phone hangs up. Who knows maybe I am the exception to the rule, but I think Sync does a lot for making the roads safer.

I have the same in my truck (Sony head unit) and it works the same way. I never even take my phone off my belt clip when I get in. Still, the OP was asking about being able to text and I have yet to see a phone that can do this without some user input.
I also notice that when I'm on a call in the truck I am not completely focused on driving even without having to handle the phone. My mind is focused on the call and the scenery goes by without much notice. Our brains are not like computers when it comes to multitasking and some conversations can cause drivers to completely lose focus on their driving. Things like turn signals and staying in the lane become casualties, hands-free or not. Add in the distraction of kids or trying to eat a meal and you have a recipe for disaster.
My awareness of this makes me limit my in-car phone use dramatically, but most people are not as conscientious, especially younger drivers who have never been without this technology. They think nothing of always being on the phone, texting or playing games. I see them as I come up behind them in traffic. You can spot them by looking at their heads constantly moving up and down, eyes darting from the windshield to their laps. If not for the convenience of being able to get around L.A. much more quickly and cheaply on a motorcycle (and the fact that I've been riding and making a living on motorcycles since I was 13), I might consider giving up street bikes. Maybe.