Texting & Driving

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
25,104
Location
ON, Canada eh?
cjones.jpg
 
Hands free devices should be banned as well. your field of view actually narrows as you concentrate on a conversation. Despite our egos our brains can't process more than one piece of information at a time. As we dip into memory to recall data in a conversation we literally become blind to stimulus, verbal or visual. Cell phones should be illegal like dwi whilst driving
 
Last edited:
Bryan,

I think there should be a skills assement test. I drive 60K KM (37.5K Miles) per year and most of that is while talking on a cell phone for my job with the hands free unit. I absolutely have to talk and drive due to the distances between my restaurants.

I have never and will never put my driving at the expense of the conversation and have ended conversations when I hit sudden bad weather or when the conversation might be getting too heated for me to concentrate effectively.

I also leave extra space between me and the next guy because I know my reaction has got to be affected somewhat.

In the 7 years I have been doing it I haven't had 1 accident and no close calls either as a result of talking while driving.

I joke on BITOG about having a coffee, bagel and a phone conversation in other threads, but I would never do that.

I think for someone like me who is used to doing it day-in/day-out can learn to deal with it so long as precautions are taken as stated above.

There would be a huge cost to the economy if we couldn't talk on the phone in the car for business because so much gets done while district manager such as myself are commuting between point to point.
wink.gif


So I agree, but also disagree. I think we need to eliminate stupid drivers that "forget" they are driving and start gabbing on their phones as though they were sitting on their couch at home.
thumbsup2.gif
 
Is "novice driver" a real term, or was that part of the joke? As in people in those states never consider themselves novices? Ive been driving with a cellphone since 1997 so im a pro! Sort of like 80% of the population considers themselves above average intelligence sort of thing?
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
I think we need to eliminate stupid drivers that "forget" they are driving and start gabbing on their phones as though they were sitting on their couch at home.
thumbsup2.gif


Yep. Me too. Had to keep in contact...but then I feel I could pass a real driving test if there was one required in my state.
 
I'm glad I don't drive in Canada!!
Anyone who thinks he can drive as well while texting or talking on a cellphone, as he can while concentrating totally on the task at hand, is simply fooling himself. There is just too much undeniable evidence to the contrary for any reasonable person to think otherwise.
23.gif

You may get away with it for a while, or even forever, but, there's also the chance that, at a critical juncture, you might not respond properly. And, I, or my niece and her minivan full of kids, might be the victim.
frown.gif

I have been fortunate to dodge a number of cell-phoners at intersections who, I'm certain, thought THEY were doing a fine job; they weren't!!
mad.gif

Official company policy here is - "zero cell-phone usage while driving. If you receive a call, or need to make a call, pull over where it's safe and take care of it."
 
Originally Posted By: RWEST
I'm glad I don't drive in Canada!!
Anyone who thinks he can drive as well while texting or talking on a cellphone, as he can while concentrating totally on the task at hand, is simply fooling himself. There is just too much undeniable evidence to the contrary for any reasonable person to think otherwise.
23.gif

You may get away with it for a while, or even forever, but, there's also the chance that, at a critical juncture, you might not respond properly. And, I, or my niece and her minivan full of kids, might be the victim.
frown.gif

I have been fortunate to dodge a number of cell-phoners at intersections who, I'm certain, thought THEY were doing a fine job; they weren't!!
mad.gif

Official company policy here is - "zero cell-phone usage while driving. If you receive a call, or need to make a call, pull over where it's safe and take care of it."


I have 7 years @ 60K KM (420K KM / 262K Miles) of driving problem free. 85% of which is in treacherous winter weather.

If I had to pull over every time I needed to make a call my days would be 15 hours long and I would pollute the environment from idling my engine in order to keep warm in the winter in my "mobile office".

Most of the conversations I have are confidential and can't be made in the restaurants I'm visiting or need to be in a quiet place other than a busy restaurant etc.

If there was some way I could hook up a video camera in my car to show you all the accidents and problems on the road I have avoided and my general driving style while talking on the phone I would and I'm sure it would make you think otherwise.

Trust me driving comes first, talking comes second. The problem is that others don't prioritize it in this manner and talking on a cell phone while driving gets a bad rep. then you get the media who try to turn profits on everything and they blow it out of proportion.

Texting/e-mailing and anything else that involves taking your eyes off the road I would agree with. But talking on my blue-tooth speaker phone hooked up to my cell phone which has voice dialing, I would have to disagree.

On another note, why is Ford putting the voice control "Sync" system into their vehicles which allows for hands free dialing of a cell phone if it's such a problem? Perhaps there is more to it that the fear promoting media lets on?
wink.gif


I guess we will agree to disagree.
cheers3.gif
 
Maybe a common sense test? I don't see any problem with talking on a cell phone in a lightly traveled open area. In traffic, forget it. Texting anywhere, forget it.
 
I've told folks I need to hang up and concentrate on a road situation, or asked them to hang on while I concentrate on my driving for a moment.

So while I believe that we can do only one thing at a time, it's more about allowing one-self to become totally engaged in the conversation to the detriment of driving.

I.E. can someone remain aware enough of their surroundings to "drop the phone" when the circumstance merits 110% attention to driving.

Of course, how do you test for it?

So I can see the appeal of just outlawing using your cell phone while driving, hands free or not, etc.

However, I think it will be like speeding. Drivers every day decide they are a better judge of the appropriate speed. So why would we expect them to behave differently when it comes to cell phone usage?

And drives includes me, so no claim of superiority here
grin2.gif
 
I remember they were talking about checking your cell phone records anytime an accident occurred, and there was suspicion of using your phone while driving. How is that panning out? Are they doing it, or is it considered too intrusive to legislate this?
 
What is the first thing someone does after an accident? They make phone calls. Not necessarily 911 either, since someone else may have already done that. The first call my secretary made after her car was rear ended with my daughter in it was to me, then her husband, etc. Someone else had already dialed 911.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top