Driving and Cell Phones

[Shannow]

It's illegal down here unless you are a cop, fireman or ambulance driver...that's stupid.

Problem is that there's more than one thing to do on them.

I've got no problem with people answering a call or being handed a call while driving, or talking to someone that they dialled while stationary.

Dialing and texting IMO are the things that need to be banned, but it's easier to do the lot...I've tried dialling, and it's just plain too distracting...and I don't consider legally searching for a song on an I-Pod any safer.

I thought that I was going to die the day my boss (driving) dove under the dashboard on the Bell's Line of Road to dial a number on his hands free.

 

[rslifkin]

Personally, I feel that anything that requires the use of your hands or eyes is dangerous. However, talking on a voice-dialed hands-free cell phone is no worse than talking to the passenger next to you in the car.

 

[sasilverbullet]

Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: sasilverbullet
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: sasilverbullet

Let's all stop being "busybodies" (old term) and worry about our own driving. If they get in an accident while using their cell phone (without hands free) then they get to pay the piper just as if they were doing one of the 30 other things a driver can be doing and get distracted.

I’m sure when someone smashes into you and kills your wife in the passenger seat because they were yapping away on their phone, you’ll feel differently. When these morons are sharing the road with ME, and have the very real potential to kill ME, it becomes MY business. It’s NOT being a busybody.


Yes, I'll be upset, whether they were talking on the phone or just not paying attention...

I agree with you that what other drivers do can kill me - my point is that there are a LOT of other things besides talking on a cell phone that other drivers do that are distracting enough to get you or me killed.


So why is not doing one of those things not a good thing? You can't justify bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior...


I'm not justifying it - I'm just saying that if we ban one, then let's ban it all - drinking, eating, putting on make up, playing MP3's, putting CD's in our radio, turning around and calming the crying baby in the back seat, and oh, my favorite, talking to the folks in the car...

 

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
Personally, I feel that anything that requires the use of your hands or eyes is dangerous. However, talking on a voice-dialed hands-free cell phone is no worse than talking to the passenger next to you in the car.


We overestimate our capacity to multitask. Next time, as a passenger, observe the driver who is trying to do something else in addition to driving.

Not a pretty sight.

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
Personally, I feel that anything that requires the use of your hands or eyes is dangerous. However, talking on a voice-dialed hands-free cell phone is no worse than talking to the passenger next to you in the car.


The passenger can scream about the deer that ran in front of you.

 

[65cuda]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
Personally, I feel that anything that requires the use of your hands or eyes is dangerous. However, talking on a voice-dialed hands-free cell phone is no worse than talking to the passenger next to you in the car.


Actually I believe that the studies have shown that there is little difference between hands free and hand held phone accidents or ability to focus on the driving. Seems like when on the phone the brain is partially concentrating on the conversation.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: sasilverbullet


I'm not justifying it - I'm just saying that if we ban one, then let's ban it all - drinking, eating, putting on make up, playing MP3's, putting CD's in our radio, turning around and calming the crying baby in the back seat, and oh, my favorite, talking to the folks in the car...

It cracks me up when people say we should ban everything in a vehicle because all theses activities are equally distracting, and yet I'll guarantee you there were no such thing as distracted driving statistics until people started using cell phones while they drive. Besides, some of the things people want banned would be impossible to detect by someone outside the vehicle. How are you gonna monitor whether or not a driver is carrying on a conversation? Get real. Pass a nationwide law that prohibits ANY use of cell phones while driving, AND ENFORCE IT, and I'd bet you a year's salary accidents caused by distracted driving would become almost non-existent....