Using a cell phone while drving

[gbemery]

I've been ran off the road once by someone texting on the highway, and most of the accidents I have worked since being on the fire department have probably been even between drunk drivers and those people on cell phones.

 

[Frenger]

I've almost been run over three times this past year.

EVERY SINGLE ONE talked in their ¤%/&%¤/ing cellphones. One waved to me as he graced my foot with his bumper, he w a v e d to me like he should get a medal or something.

No, if you talk on the phone and drive, you're most likely 1.) Retarded 2.) More than likely to focus on the phone than driving 3.) More focus on the phone than on the surrounding trafic 4.) Stuck in a tree.

If I'm at a crossing, and I see a car approaching and the driver talking to his phone, I just let him pass, because odds are he haven't got the slightest what's going on expect what is infront of him.

 

[AngloDoom]

I've almost been hit 4 times by people driving cars on cellphones in the last month actually.

Holy fuck. Do you drive a motorbike, or powerful electro-magnet?


Are you sure

You drive better drunk than on a cell phone.

Doesn't that depend how drunk you are? I mean, you can drink until you go blind or pass out, and that strikes me as quite disadvantageous.

 

[MelziGurl]

Wow, I drive one handed too...whatta ya know. The problem isn't the amount of hands you use to drive (although in a manual car you do need your other hand for the gears) but the fact that talking on the phone is a distraction. This ad is a personal favourite of mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wd8bG39qYk

 

[la-le-lu-li-lo]

*snip*

i don't think i meant it took talent to drive automatic.
but rather was making a joke about being able to multi-task.

and i can drive manual transmission as well, but the vehicle i have now is automatic / techtronic. so... i guess i'm only sort of a real driver.

and i guess i don't get distracted that easily? i usually don't even notice when people call me because i'm more focused on driving... but yes, i agree, it can be dangerous. which is why i try not to do it too much... and like i said, never had a close call or anything, so clearly it doesn't affect my driving that much. but thanks.

 

[la-le-lu-li-lo]

First off, I have a problem when descriptions on a thread are difficult to read due to the lack of paragraphs.

*laughs* you really hate that don't you? i've seen a similar comment from you before. makes me giggle.

Ugh, I really do hate them!!

well for those of us who also hate them, i both commend and thank you for pointing out the error in their ways.

 

[bushwhacker2k]

Go watch the Mythbuster's episode about driving with a cell phone. You'll understand.

OOOO! Where can I find this? I like Mythbusters.

Well it's both, really. If you are about to hit another car and you don't want to let go of your cellphone, you are an idiot, but it's NOT uncommon. The main thing is that they don't pay attention though, I agree.

 

[Kif]

My point I drive with one hand I have a standard transmission so I have to drive only using one hand on the wheel, Its been like that since the advent of the cars, now all of a sudden HOLDING a phone is why people are getting in accidents while driving is the problem. I say no its the conversation or the other distraction you mentioned that's the problem so why not ban the use of phones while driving instead the holding of phones. That is what I don't understand

Okay then, you're driving while on your phone with one hand on the wheel fair enough... you hit a roundabout and have to slow down, the car starts to judder cause you're in a high gear, can't stop steering you're on a roundabout, can't change gear you have a phone in your hand. Clutch control wont help you there cause unless you drop the phone you'll stall.

This is why people have also gotten in trouble for drinking, eating and other activities that require the use of one hand in this country. Phones have the added distraction of lending a part of your concentration to a conversation, but you could argue that's the same as talking to a passenger.

 

[The-King-Of-Spades]

Speaking as a daughter of a family of cops, talking on the phone while driving is stupid. No matter how much you argue that you're a good driver, you don't get distracted or bullshit like that, you're still putting everyone around you in serious danger. I don't see the point either. You've got an important call? Pull over. You're in a hurry? Delay the call. You have both? Get hands free.

It's as bad as the idiotic people who do their makeup while driving, or ... *sigh* roll a cigarette or something equally ignorant. Though really, I shouldn't expect anything less from people.

 

[SmartIdiot]

What I find puzzling is why people need to have phones glued to the side of their faces all the time. It's illegal in the UK anyway as we have manual transmission (yet it doesn't stop me from drinking coffee and driving at the same time...).

I don't understand why people debate about it so hotly either. If you have an incoming call, grab your phone, pass it to one of your passengers and ask them to take the call. If you're travelling alone then I guess you could just pull over and take the call instead of being a total fucktard about it.

 

[Arcadia2000]

I believe in California that it's illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving, but you can still text. Not sure how that works out.

That would be pretty stupid, seeing as you actually have to *look* at the phone for texting as well.

Actually, I know people that don't for the actual input of text section. One does have to read what they're replying to, but beyond that, I've watched my sisters input text and not even look at it, and it comes out perfectly fine. Not saying it's s-m-r-t while driving, just possible.

Also, while hands-free does solve many of the problems that comes with doing something else with the hands while driving, it doesn't solve the distraction part. Even talking to someone else while I'm driving while they're in the car with me can cause me to miss turns or many, many years ago, run a stop sign.

It's not all about what the hands are doing, it's about what the brain is doing, and that includes the hands. Very simply, it can be extremely difficult to talk and do something else that isn't directly related to what's being talked about. We have a phrase called "auto-pilot" we use when driving, and that's "I went there/did that without consciously thinking about it." This can get me into trouble. I'll auto-pilot towards work when I wanted to go the other way, or towards home when wanting to go to a friend's house. This occurs when the brain is not actively involved in the driving process; it's just letting the feet, eyes, and hands do what they normally do, whether it's correct or incorrect.

Auto-piloting because you're talking to someone else can occur whether your hands are busy or not. Because you're not 100% "there" behind the wheel, it's an increaed potential for accidents. But making a concession towards taking the hands and eyes away from the driving process is a step forward in the correct direction, whether it completely solves the problem or not.

Phones today are more than just audio communication devices. When it's your MP3 player, which is legal to have in your car at that size, then looking at it to switch playlists presents the same danger as looking down at the screen to see who's calling/texting. Using GPS includes the same dangers - you have to take your eyes away from the road in order to read it, whether it's talking to you or not. You also have to take your eyes away from the road in some cases just to use the radio. We still have radios in cars, though, even though they represent a safety risk. Why are they there then? Because as much as possible has been done to them to reduce the risk presented by having the device in the car. It's still a risk, but it's acceptable because of all the steps taken to minimize as much of the potential risk as possible, and it has become small enough to fit within a margin of acceptability.

Just because it doesn't make sense right now doesn't mean it's not a good idea. We begin with small steps - start narrowing down the risk. People aren't just going to stop using their phones - we've let it go too far for too long. But we can scale back on what's acceptable. And eventually we narrow the risk down in order to fit it within that margin of acceptability. That's what this is about - margin of acceptability.

 

[Woem]

It's not so much that you have to drive but since you have to use part of your conscience to have the conversation, you put your brain on automatic pilot, as it were. So you're less likely to react as fast to a situation as when you wouldn't be using the telephone. My advice would be not to use the fastest lane when picking up a call.

 

[Ushario]

The OP's english almost stopped me from posting.
Your profile says that you are a zoologistm so I am certain that if your profile is correct, you are fully capable of structuring sentences properly.

Driving with a phone in your hand is more distracting than a handsfree as you automatically start paying attention to holding the phone. This distracts you even more than just talking. Add in the fact that the general population anywhere in the world is made up of people that know only the bare basics of driving.

Please don't drive while talking on the phone unless it is handsfree. Hundreds of motorcyclists are hit every year by people driving while using their phones.

 

[3rd rung]

My point I drive with one hand I have a standard transmission so I have to drive only using one hand on the wheel, Its been like that since the advent of the cars, now all of a sudden HOLDING a phone is why people are getting in accidents while driving is the problem. I say no its the conversation or the other distraction you mentioned that's the problem so why not ban the use of phones while driving instead the holding of phones. That is what I don't understand

Okay then, you're driving while on your phone with one hand on the wheel fair enough... you hit a roundabout and have to slow down, the car starts to judder cause you're in a high gear, can't stop steering you're on a roundabout, can't change gear you have a phone in your hand. Clutch control wont help you there cause unless you drop the phone you'll stall.

This is why people have also gotten in trouble for drinking, eating and other activities that require the use of one hand in this country. Phones have the added distraction of lending a part of your concentration to a conversation, but you could argue that's the same as talking to a passenger.

Not the point I am trying to make actually. What I am saying is that while I drive I have one hand on the wheel and one on the gear shift. Now I get in an automatic and I only need one hand to steer so I can in theory hold something with out a problem, right. So why is holding a phone scene as the problem with cell phone while driving. When in fact it is the distraction of talking with some one that is the real problem and the source of the accidents. So my question is what inspired the rule that hand free would solve the problem of accidents caused by cell phones, when driving with one hand is not the problem, the example of being people driving manuals.

 

[Soxafloppin]

Its more the distraction than the hand thing, plus changing gear could be a problem

 

[Nmil-ek]

Its more the distraction than the hand thing, plus changing gear could be a problem

Americans pretty much only drive automatics thats not really the issue, but yeah our brains aint really wired to carry out more than one heavy concentration task at a time and convo uses alot of what should be put into not running people over.

 

[Andaxay]

I can't see how handsfree helps much. I've driven behind people who talk on mobiles, and people who use handsfree, and honestly? Both were drifting across lanes at some point during the conversation. Talking handsfree is as distracting as talking to a passenger, and I certainly know I get distracted if chatting to someone sitting next to me. Speaking from experience, I know that I'm more alert when alone, and my concentration wavers whilst speaking to someone.

Long story short: I don't believe having handfree helps much at all. Fumbling for a phone and pressing buttons is more distracting, granted, but I don't believe handsfree is the "safer" alternative.