Cell phone use while driving

[thooks]

Whether it be yapping or texting, I'm finding myself more and more in favor of an all-out ban against the driver using a wireless device for any reason, bluetoofed or not.

I see "grown men" (40,50,60 yo) going down the road (interstate, major surface street, minor 4-lane divided road, etc) with their phone in hand, looking down at it, going 10-20 mph below the speed limit/normal traffic flow.

I see 20-something girls on the interstate in their Honda Civics, going 20+ mph lower than the traffic flow, looking down at their phones/texting/etc.

I see the moms on their phones, yapping away, mostly in the morning rush hour at 7 am. WTH are they talking to???


Tired of it.

 

[KrisZ]

In Ontario such a ban will be taking effect this month, no hand held electronic gadgets (cell phones, iPods etc.) can be used without a hands free device.

 

[Familyguy]

In spite of the rash of accidents and new laws prohibiting the behavior, I haven't noticed any real reduction in morons yapping/texting while driving. I don't have any personal problem with using a bluetooth/hands-free device to talk while driving, though I remember seeing a study saying that this was quite distracting as well. However, so is chatting to another person IN the car and that isn't illegal.

 

[StevieC]

I spend my days on the road for work as a district manager and I have been talking on my cell phone (no texting or e-mailing) for the last 8 years and 500K KM's (312K miles) and have 0 accidents, and 0 close calls I have also avoided about 20 accidents that others were going to cause.

I think some people (very few) have the coordination like me to do it safely and know that driving comes first and talking comes second.

I'm always checking my mirrors and will end the conversation if the driving conditions warrant it. I also never talk on my phone during bad weather.

It's the soccer moms that think their SUV is a mobile couch and carry on a conversation with their friend Sally and forget they are driving. The young inexperienced drivers, and the elderly who have lost some co-ordination over the years due to age, although this group seems not to do this.

That is what the problem is and it is too bad that they have wrecked it for us other folk.

Nevertheless I have purchased a Blue-Tooth speaker phone and use that or my ear-piece one now.

It leaves my hands free for changing the radio station, coffee drinking, eating etc. So it was a good trade off.

(J/K)

 

[GMBoy]

I'm with you StevieC. It's the few incompetents that ruin it for the others. I get my blood boiling when these people sit thru an entire turning light or drive 10-15 under the limit all because they can't talk and drive. Meanwhile, I can have conversation and drive fine - actually I take MORE care when I talk, being aware of my driving and surroundings. I am not for gov't banning many things, but I can see people's points in favor of it just because their really are some idiots out there!

 

[StevieC]

The only reason I support the ban is because Blue-Tooth is still available and I will trade of a bit of convenience for me to have safety for children in school zones that I have seen (not at the time) hit by vehicles where people were talking on cell-phones.

I'm all for it for this reason... But I hate that people are this stupid that we need a Government imposed ban.

Not sure about the bans in the US but ours isn't just cell-phones it's anything with a screen requiring user input. Even GPS are banned from being touched while driving. You have to input your info while stopped.

 

[John_K]

Originally Posted By: thooks
Whether it be yapping or texting, I'm finding myself more and more in favor of an all-out ban against the driver using a wireless device for any reason, bluetoofed or not.

I see the moms on their phones, yapping away, mostly in the morning rush hour at 7 am. WTH are they talking to???

Tired of it.


That's just it. Any time I am anywhere and I hear someone yapping on a cell phone, I have yet to hear anything important being said. It's usually like this...

"Yup, I'm over here at Burger King havin a Whopper. Whatchya doin?"

Ooh, yeah, let's fill up bandwidth and risk an accident for that.

Ban cellphones!

John

 

[StevieC]

For those instances yes... But if I couldn't talk on the phone between restaurants I'm visiting that day I would have another 3 hours of work when I get home for the day and/or would have to leave that area of stores early because I need to make calls in my car in the parking lot or at my home office. NOT an effective use of time.

Our company doesn't make us talk on the phone and make it mandatory, but with the work load we are given it's impossible not to. They are "Safety comes first" people.

I can follow that and talk on the phone without incident.

 

[crazyoildude]

In New Jersey there is a ban and pretty big fines also there are some instances where it is legal and it is also legal for some official city and state people including Police to use their phones while driving

 

[aquariuscsm]

Cell phone use while driving should suffer the same consequences as drinking and driving imo.

 

[Familyguy]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Cell phone use while driving should suffer the same consequences as drinking and driving imo.


According to some studies, a typical driver yapping on the phone is MORE impaired than a drunk driver.

 

[ThirdeYe]

I only use my phone in my car if I absolutely have to. I try to avoid it if possible. I bought a bluetooth headset but I could never figure out how it worked and it's been sitting on my desk collecting dust.

 

[ryansride2017]

When I retire (in 23.5 years!) the first thing I am looking forward to is throwing my cellphone as far into a lake as I can get it! While they are a necessity for my work, they take so away so much from the dinner table. Use to be that the whole family could talk talk about how their day went over dinner. Nowadays everyone is basically in contact all day and there is nothing to discuss....just a bunch of people chewing.

 

[Bamaro]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Cell phone use while driving should suffer the same consequences as drinking and driving imo.

Agree.

 

[Whimsey]

Big pet peeve of mine is people who get into their vehicle move it out of the parking space then start calling people while they are now moving. Couldn't they make the call while they were still in the parking space? And yes NJ has points for hand held cell phone usage while driving. But it has to the most ignored law on the books

. While I'm driving I have my phone off and then check it when I'm parked.

Whimsey

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: Familyguy
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Cell phone use while driving should suffer the same consequences as drinking and driving imo.


According to some studies, a typical driver yapping on the phone is MORE impaired than a drunk driver.


I've seen a couple studies like that. Also mentioned was, just like drunk drivers, drivers talking on cell phones didn't realize they were impaired. They were certain they were competent enough to handle both tasks at the same time.

They weren't.

 

[KrisZ]

Each of us has a limited brain processing capability, some may have more and are better at multi-tasking, and some have less, but that capability is still limited.

The moment you start multi-tasking your attention is divided and the resultant reaction times and general awareness is reduced, and whoever thinks that their driving abilities are not compromised are kidding themselves.

A lot here are saying that all those "idiots" on the road, that are yapping on the phone, are dangerous, but think of themselves as "smarter" or that the issue doesn't concern them, well, do you think that all those "idiots" think of themselves any different? Of course not, that's why they're yapping on the phone.

So I totally support the ban, now let's hope that it will be actually enforced.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: Familyguy
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Cell phone use while driving should suffer the same consequences as drinking and driving imo.


According to some studies, a typical driver yapping on the phone is MORE impaired than a drunk driver.

Who studied this the people at Bovine University? Gimme a break. (Not you, the people who claim this study is true)

Soccer Moms, and people with only half a brain sure... But not people like me who do it for a living and are "used" to it and don't make driving a second task to talking on the phone.

 

[tig1]

No matter who you are cell phone use while driving is a distraction, some more than others. No doubt cell phones will be banned while driving in the future.

 

[sciphi]

I can't count the number of yahoos who fly past me doing 10-20 over the speed limit who I later catch up with who are jabbering away on the phone. I use a wired headset picked up off a parking lot, and it works fine. Leaves both hands free to drive, and it retrieves the phone when it falls to the floor to boot. I try not to talk on the phone and drive, but sometimes it's unavoidable.

I know one of the first things that insurance companies and personal injury attorneys ask for are the cell phone records of the motorist(s) involved in an accident. If they're on the phone when the accident happened, it makes for a much larger settlement.