So, like many have been saying, it’s not just the “handsfree” part that is an issue.
Why not test it as we do every day – have the participants smoke, drink coffee, dial numbers, apply makeup, play with GPS and sattelite radio, text, AND talk. Now there’s a real world test.
That all makes sense but where do you draw the line? What about passengers in your vehicle, do we ban speaking with passengers too? Not to mention screaming kids, looking at your GPS navigation system or listening to the Magellan give you directions? How about reading billboards? Anything can be distracting while driving.
It is misleading to cite 25% of accidents are due to distractions and NOT cite what % of those distractions are due to cell phone conversations. It is also misleading to say that 73% of drivers talk on cell phones when they drive and NOT cite what % of total driving hours drivers are actually on the phone. It is also misleasding NOT to discuss how some people can drive very well even when on the cell phone or with other distractions, while others can barely drive well even when they are not distracted. Drunk drivers are infinitely more dangerous when they drive than the worse cell phone user. Many teens are more distracted by their traveling companions than they are by their cell phones. Also, your article does not explore if there is any difference between using a hands free phone while driving or not using one.
Now there is empirical evidence to support what most reasonable people have known since cell phones were invented. Unequivocably, they are a significant distraction to the driver. The only necessary and valid reason to be on a cell phone while driving is an emergency situation. Those are few and far between. Most mindless idiots are on the phone with social calls and nothing important. Therein lies the problem. Too many people are un-disciplined and lack the ability to focus on driving the car. They grow bored and want to be entertained so they pick up their little cell phones and make an un-important call. These people will never understand the inherent danger in that practice. Don’t look for the situation to improve anytime soon. Driving is becoming more dangerous than ever because fewer people are paying attention to what should be their priority. There is no valid/acceptable contrarian point except from those who fall into the category described above.
It is not misleading to quote that 25% figure. That report is right on. I can say that 100% of my 3 auto accidents over the past 4 years were caused by the other driver, while talking on the telephone.
I get real edgy on the road when I see all these folks talking on the telephone, those that are holding cell handsets. At any given time during the day, I can see at least 25% of the drivers out there are on cell phones, and of those 75% are women … and half of those with kids in the car …
I found that it made doing the NY Times Sunday Magazine crossword impossible – in ink, of course.
So, then I stopped doing the crossword because even though my drive was long, it sometimes took a couple of commutes to complete each one, with all that “outside” interference from other drivers.
Then I found Sudoku. It required almost as much attention, but at least I could complete one of the easy ones during an average ride.
Then I stopped the Sudoku because with $4.25 gas, I bought a motorcycle. The paperbacks kept getting blown off the gas tank so I painted the tank like a blackboard for solitary Tic Tac Toe.
Now that I am laid up at home with two broken legs (another driver was at fault, of course), I am catching up on all those Sunday Times crossword puzzles.
Well said. How many times have you stopped talking to an occupant in your vehicle because you had to make a driving decision? It’s much harder to interrupt a phone conversation, so your attention is definitely diverted and it’s not safe. As an aside, Volvo would not add drink holders to their vehicles until 1996 and then only due to competitive pressure. Their attitude was – when you are driving-drive. If you want a drink – stop driving.
This sounds like a rant from someone who spends all their time in the office and has no need to be productive while driving. For many of us in sales or related activities, it’s essential and frankly, we’re quite good at it.
KP: you’ve just proven the point raised in a previous post. Of course these concerns couldn’t possibly apply to “you” because you’re a saleman or whatever and “you’re good at it”. “some seed fell on rock”. Let’s just say I hope you don’t ever hit a car I’m driving while you’re on your phone. It will become an instant suppository for you to ponder.
Nothing any scarier than a young girl (woman) driving down the road with a cell phone in one hand a cigarette in the other.
Younger woman think smoking is real cool and for sure the know cell phone conversation is real cool.
I see this often and just hope they do not kill or seriously mame someone. Parents should and can police this but refuse to!!!!
You know, you might see people talking on phones while driving as you drive past them on the road, but you don’t really get the full appreciation of distracted drivers until you’re at their mercy by biking on the roads with them. I’ve started biking to the office more often, and have noticed even on bike paths how pathetically and wholly distracted drivers are when they’re talking on cell phones. I have extremely bright (and expensive for that matter) LED lights on the front and back of my bike, and still, drivers on their phones don’t even see me. Technically you aren’t supposed to bike on the sidewalks here, but I do it anyway. Its quite dangerous otherwise. Spend a day on a short bike trip through town and I guarantee you’ll see that cell phone use really should be banned while driving.
You want something scarier JMA? How about a early twenty something girl driving 75+ miles per hour on a packed highway in rush hour with BOTH hands off the wheel while looking in the vanity mirror putting on make-up. How’s that for scary?
well, to the cyclists, how many of them do you see with the mp3 player in the ear? how many of them are actually paying attention to traffic? how many of them are correctly riding on the correct side of the road — supposed to drive just like a vehicle – with traffic. at nighttime how many of them wear reflective clothing or even have a headlight or taillight?
now back to the real article: cell phones and the drivers. it is an issue, i see too many driving with the head against the window and talking. this means they are not looking and using their mirrors. not even looking out either window! with a conversation on the phone, you are on that for more than a few seconds! this includes more so w/those trying to text.
This is not the first study I have read that shows talking on a cell phone, (hands free or not) distracts the thought processes of the brain. However, I believe that the amount of distraction varies from person to person and that this is a skill that can be practiced and learned.
Wudchuck, when bicyclists aren’t paying attention, people don’t get killed.
You do make a good point though, that there are some cyclists that aren’t following the rules of the road, or managing their risk of injury in a common sense way. There’s a big difference around here between those cyclists that bike as a hobby or as regular transportation, and people that are pleasure riding or “new” bicycle commuters and aren’t yet aware of the bicycle rules of the road.
Ha! I doubt you’re so good at it, but why not put your money where your mouth is…how would you feel about a $10,000 liability deductible that would apply only if you were deemed to be at fault and cell phone use was a contributing factor?
Police in my state have begun to check on cell phone use whenever a teen driver is involved in a moving violation. If the teen was on the phone at the time of the incident, they have been known to pull their license for double the amount of time – usually from 90 days to six months longer. The word is beginning to get out to the local teen drivers. Of course if parents would lay down the law it would also help.
Every study I have ever read says the same thing, driving while on the cell phone increases your risk of accident significantly.
One person commented that talking on the cell phone is infinitely more hazardous than driving drunk. Not according to a study by VA Tech. Who had them almost on par in terms of distraction.
And to the person who said they are quite good at it. Well I do believe that a few people can do it better than others, but it is still a large distraction and it is like saying that some drunks are ok to drive. Foolish.
If you are on a lonely highway, fine, talk away. If you are zipping home during rush hour traffic, get off your phone because the only reason you have not hit some one is because the other drivers are saving your a$$ by avoiding you.
We are all guilty sometimes, but if we all make an effort to keep cell phone use to a minimum while driving, then our roads would be a much safer place.
remember, even if you tell a teen, they sometimes just think they know better, even if you laid down the law. i know i have a 17yr old dau. what made it important is the day i caught her on the phone driving mom’s car, while mom and i were driving to a store. she did not see us as we were leaving she was coming to the store we just left. funny, i pulled back into the parking lot, found mom’s car and moved it to where i had parked my car. i watched for her coming out of the store and she saw me move the car. she asked why and i told her. she understood and does not do that anymore. i said that driving is priviledge not a right. so abide by the state rules and my rules!!
You are so right Dread, that most are un-necessary and unimportant but for those salesfolks who insist that it lend to their productivity, I say, pull over then. Why the hurry? Never heard of “haste makes waste”?I know that there are many distraction to drivers, other than cell phones but this is the newest and I say we don’t need to allow another distraction to eating, reading, putting on make up….we can’t stop that realistically but we CAN stop the chatter! Someone said, let’s test the proposition that cell phones are an unsafe distraction. It should not be a problem for the Consumer Product Safety Commission or J.D. Power associates to do so. why not, why should the telecommunications lobby have more influence than safety experts? We can at least limit the distractions to all of those cited, MINUS the cellphone exposure. when I look in my rearview mirror and see someone yakking, I let them pass so I can keep them where I can watch them. And for those who are sitting in the passing lane, passing the time, passing gas and yakking, they have no clue where they are, let alone how fast they are going etc. I pass them on the right and speed up to put some distance between us just in case they forget to brake. This is no joke, I think penalties for cellphone use should be severe, to get the attention of these knuckleheads. I have a right to be safe on the road and that trumps anyone’s priviledge to talk at will while driving!
so what did you do in the stone age for sales calls? Bet you made no money then, huh? without a cellphone pasted to that bump between your shoulders, you had to use it for a hat rack instead?
No one can hit a golf ball while speaking; nor does the batter at the plate chatter with his teammates while in the batters box; the only one who talks during a pro football game is the signal caller; there is no yakking during the execution of the play, except maybe grunting for exertion. I never talked while I was bench pressing. Never heard Kobe Bryant ask how the wife and kids were during a lay up. the fact is that all of these activities require attention to detail and concentration in order to do them successfully if not very well; and none of these activities is inherently dangerous. If one hits a bad shot, it only affects the score, not one’s physical safety nor the safety of others (to a great extent)….but driving is inherently dangerous and those who do not drive well, do not drive safely….now why would anyone think that driving while talking is a safe thing to do, AT ALL? that why you need a license to drive but not to play sports. Yet people can follow this simple logic and shut up if they want to play a sport well, why would you not use the same logic for something with potential catastrophic results,i.e., a collision. this morning, I almost got side swiped by two drivers who couldn’t decide which lane to use because they were talking on the phone during the A.M. commute….go ahead…..try to convince me otherwise…I’m listening (and not talking by the way)
So, Alfonso, she’s going 75 miles an hour in packed rush-hour traffic, but you can see her clearly enough to know that she’s using both hands to apply mascara? I doubt it. Distracted drivers are scary enough without having to resort to phony tales of women drivers. I think it’s funny that only men seem to ever see women applying mascara while they’re driving. I’ve never seen it. Of course, maybe it’s because I’m looking at the road and not staring at other drivers.
The occassional delayed reaction to a change in road traffic signals or to a change in the speed of traffic occurs when a driver is preoccupied on a cell phone or some other distraction. The results of this research will hopefully motivate saftey improvements that could save lives.
I have never gotten a ticket or an accident while talking on the phone in the car. Just as I hever have talking to people in the car. Many of the times it is simply to passengers, but what of the business calls. Ignore them…they must be made. Pulling over then getting rearended and/or killed is not the answer either. I have used the phone for over 10 years before they passed the hands free law in my state. Maybe I can see how it can help some, but it doesn’t stop people from still holding the phone and talking. I still use the phone while driving and now am law compliant with the new law also. So what of the built in phone capability in the cars now? Are we going to lose that. Like the passive restraint seatbelt. Maybe we need to cut more things, why not? What is next no coffee or food? Maybe they should just close down all the fast food chains then. In the first week the hands free law came out, a man was killed after he pulled of the road and stopped his vehicle to comply with the law. It was amazing that a man could completely follow the new law and still be killed. Funny I thought he was suppose to be safe or at least safer. Maybe if he hadn’t stopped he would still be alive today. Maybe we are not suppose to understand it like the never ending climb of gas in this country.
At work I also have to multitask all day long at a real job like most of us. I find the car conversations less taxing then the ones at my desk acutally. I am sure there are busier people who have been on the road a lot longer than me, who are also accident free. Bottom line is some people can, some people can’t. It comes down to what you are used to. And what is your training and experience behind the wheel.
Skydiving & Bungee Jumping are dangerous, are they making those activities illegal?
The only reason they are making talking on your cell phones illegal is because the government is just trying to find more ways to make money off of the average joe. Just another fine a cop can hand out. It’s all about the money, not what is safe.
So, like many have been saying, it’s not just the “handsfree” part that is an issue.
Why not test it as we do every day – have the participants smoke, drink coffee, dial numbers, apply makeup, play with GPS and sattelite radio, text, AND talk. Now there’s a real world test.
That all makes sense but where do you draw the line? What about passengers in your vehicle, do we ban speaking with passengers too? Not to mention screaming kids, looking at your GPS navigation system or listening to the Magellan give you directions? How about reading billboards? Anything can be distracting while driving.
It is misleading to cite 25% of accidents are due to distractions and NOT cite what % of those distractions are due to cell phone conversations. It is also misleading to say that 73% of drivers talk on cell phones when they drive and NOT cite what % of total driving hours drivers are actually on the phone. It is also misleasding NOT to discuss how some people can drive very well even when on the cell phone or with other distractions, while others can barely drive well even when they are not distracted. Drunk drivers are infinitely more dangerous when they drive than the worse cell phone user. Many teens are more distracted by their traveling companions than they are by their cell phones. Also, your article does not explore if there is any difference between using a hands free phone while driving or not using one.
Now there is empirical evidence to support what most reasonable people have known since cell phones were invented. Unequivocably, they are a significant distraction to the driver. The only necessary and valid reason to be on a cell phone while driving is an emergency situation. Those are few and far between. Most mindless idiots are on the phone with social calls and nothing important. Therein lies the problem. Too many people are un-disciplined and lack the ability to focus on driving the car. They grow bored and want to be entertained so they pick up their little cell phones and make an un-important call. These people will never understand the inherent danger in that practice. Don’t look for the situation to improve anytime soon. Driving is becoming more dangerous than ever because fewer people are paying attention to what should be their priority. There is no valid/acceptable contrarian point except from those who fall into the category described above.
It is not misleading to quote that 25% figure. That report is right on. I can say that 100% of my 3 auto accidents over the past 4 years were caused by the other driver, while talking on the telephone.
I get real edgy on the road when I see all these folks talking on the telephone, those that are holding cell handsets. At any given time during the day, I can see at least 25% of the drivers out there are on cell phones, and of those 75% are women … and half of those with kids in the car …
Some folks don’t have a clue.
I stopped using my cell phone in the car.
I found that it made doing the NY Times Sunday Magazine crossword impossible – in ink, of course.
So, then I stopped doing the crossword because even though my drive was long, it sometimes took a couple of commutes to complete each one, with all that “outside” interference from other drivers.
Then I found Sudoku. It required almost as much attention, but at least I could complete one of the easy ones during an average ride.
Then I stopped the Sudoku because with $4.25 gas, I bought a motorcycle. The paperbacks kept getting blown off the gas tank so I painted the tank like a blackboard for solitary Tic Tac Toe.
Now that I am laid up at home with two broken legs (another driver was at fault, of course), I am catching up on all those Sunday Times crossword puzzles.
Well said. How many times have you stopped talking to an occupant in your vehicle because you had to make a driving decision? It’s much harder to interrupt a phone conversation, so your attention is definitely diverted and it’s not safe. As an aside, Volvo would not add drink holders to their vehicles until 1996 and then only due to competitive pressure. Their attitude was – when you are driving-drive. If you want a drink – stop driving.
This sounds like a rant from someone who spends all their time in the office and has no need to be productive while driving. For many of us in sales or related activities, it’s essential and frankly, we’re quite good at it.
KP: you’ve just proven the point raised in a previous post. Of course these concerns couldn’t possibly apply to “you” because you’re a saleman or whatever and “you’re good at it”. “some seed fell on rock”. Let’s just say I hope you don’t ever hit a car I’m driving while you’re on your phone. It will become an instant suppository for you to ponder.
Just down the street from my office, a girl ran over a bicyclist on the opposite side of the road while downloading a ringtone for her cell phone.
Nothing any scarier than a young girl (woman) driving down the road with a cell phone in one hand a cigarette in the other.
Younger woman think smoking is real cool and for sure the know cell phone conversation is real cool.
I see this often and just hope they do not kill or seriously mame someone. Parents should and can police this but refuse to!!!!
You know, you might see people talking on phones while driving as you drive past them on the road, but you don’t really get the full appreciation of distracted drivers until you’re at their mercy by biking on the roads with them. I’ve started biking to the office more often, and have noticed even on bike paths how pathetically and wholly distracted drivers are when they’re talking on cell phones. I have extremely bright (and expensive for that matter) LED lights on the front and back of my bike, and still, drivers on their phones don’t even see me. Technically you aren’t supposed to bike on the sidewalks here, but I do it anyway. Its quite dangerous otherwise. Spend a day on a short bike trip through town and I guarantee you’ll see that cell phone use really should be banned while driving.
You want something scarier JMA? How about a early twenty something girl driving 75+ miles per hour on a packed highway in rush hour with BOTH hands off the wheel while looking in the vanity mirror putting on make-up. How’s that for scary?
well, to the cyclists, how many of them do you see with the mp3 player in the ear? how many of them are actually paying attention to traffic? how many of them are correctly riding on the correct side of the road — supposed to drive just like a vehicle – with traffic. at nighttime how many of them wear reflective clothing or even have a headlight or taillight?
now back to the real article: cell phones and the drivers. it is an issue, i see too many driving with the head against the window and talking. this means they are not looking and using their mirrors. not even looking out either window! with a conversation on the phone, you are on that for more than a few seconds! this includes more so w/those trying to text.
That sounds terrifying, Alfonso. But I think you made it up.
Just goes to show you the women can’t drive
This is not the first study I have read that shows talking on a cell phone, (hands free or not) distracts the thought processes of the brain. However, I believe that the amount of distraction varies from person to person and that this is a skill that can be practiced and learned.
Wudchuck, when bicyclists aren’t paying attention, people don’t get killed.
You do make a good point though, that there are some cyclists that aren’t following the rules of the road, or managing their risk of injury in a common sense way. There’s a big difference around here between those cyclists that bike as a hobby or as regular transportation, and people that are pleasure riding or “new” bicycle commuters and aren’t yet aware of the bicycle rules of the road.
Ha! I doubt you’re so good at it, but why not put your money where your mouth is…how would you feel about a $10,000 liability deductible that would apply only if you were deemed to be at fault and cell phone use was a contributing factor?
Police in my state have begun to check on cell phone use whenever a teen driver is involved in a moving violation. If the teen was on the phone at the time of the incident, they have been known to pull their license for double the amount of time – usually from 90 days to six months longer. The word is beginning to get out to the local teen drivers. Of course if parents would lay down the law it would also help.
Every study I have ever read says the same thing, driving while on the cell phone increases your risk of accident significantly.
One person commented that talking on the cell phone is infinitely more hazardous than driving drunk. Not according to a study by VA Tech. Who had them almost on par in terms of distraction.
And to the person who said they are quite good at it. Well I do believe that a few people can do it better than others, but it is still a large distraction and it is like saying that some drunks are ok to drive. Foolish.
If you are on a lonely highway, fine, talk away. If you are zipping home during rush hour traffic, get off your phone because the only reason you have not hit some one is because the other drivers are saving your a$$ by avoiding you.
We are all guilty sometimes, but if we all make an effort to keep cell phone use to a minimum while driving, then our roads would be a much safer place.
remember, even if you tell a teen, they sometimes just think they know better, even if you laid down the law. i know i have a 17yr old dau. what made it important is the day i caught her on the phone driving mom’s car, while mom and i were driving to a store. she did not see us as we were leaving she was coming to the store we just left. funny, i pulled back into the parking lot, found mom’s car and moved it to where i had parked my car. i watched for her coming out of the store and she saw me move the car. she asked why and i told her. she understood and does not do that anymore. i said that driving is priviledge not a right. so abide by the state rules and my rules!!
You are so right Dread, that most are un-necessary and unimportant but for those salesfolks who insist that it lend to their productivity, I say, pull over then. Why the hurry? Never heard of “haste makes waste”?I know that there are many distraction to drivers, other than cell phones but this is the newest and I say we don’t need to allow another distraction to eating, reading, putting on make up….we can’t stop that realistically but we CAN stop the chatter! Someone said, let’s test the proposition that cell phones are an unsafe distraction. It should not be a problem for the Consumer Product Safety Commission or J.D. Power associates to do so. why not, why should the telecommunications lobby have more influence than safety experts? We can at least limit the distractions to all of those cited, MINUS the cellphone exposure. when I look in my rearview mirror and see someone yakking, I let them pass so I can keep them where I can watch them. And for those who are sitting in the passing lane, passing the time, passing gas and yakking, they have no clue where they are, let alone how fast they are going etc. I pass them on the right and speed up to put some distance between us just in case they forget to brake. This is no joke, I think penalties for cellphone use should be severe, to get the attention of these knuckleheads. I have a right to be safe on the road and that trumps anyone’s priviledge to talk at will while driving!
so what did you do in the stone age for sales calls? Bet you made no money then, huh? without a cellphone pasted to that bump between your shoulders, you had to use it for a hat rack instead?
Alas, if only I were making it up Terrifying. Oh…and I forgot to include the fact that it was eye make up she was putting on…mascara (sp) maybe.
No one can hit a golf ball while speaking; nor does the batter at the plate chatter with his teammates while in the batters box; the only one who talks during a pro football game is the signal caller; there is no yakking during the execution of the play, except maybe grunting for exertion. I never talked while I was bench pressing. Never heard Kobe Bryant ask how the wife and kids were during a lay up. the fact is that all of these activities require attention to detail and concentration in order to do them successfully if not very well; and none of these activities is inherently dangerous. If one hits a bad shot, it only affects the score, not one’s physical safety nor the safety of others (to a great extent)….but driving is inherently dangerous and those who do not drive well, do not drive safely….now why would anyone think that driving while talking is a safe thing to do, AT ALL? that why you need a license to drive but not to play sports. Yet people can follow this simple logic and shut up if they want to play a sport well, why would you not use the same logic for something with potential catastrophic results,i.e., a collision. this morning, I almost got side swiped by two drivers who couldn’t decide which lane to use because they were talking on the phone during the A.M. commute….go ahead…..try to convince me otherwise…I’m listening (and not talking by the way)
Now that is the best analogy I have seen yet! Great Comments!!
So I suppose, stat guy, that you don’t talk to your passengers while driving?
So, Alfonso, she’s going 75 miles an hour in packed rush-hour traffic, but you can see her clearly enough to know that she’s using both hands to apply mascara? I doubt it. Distracted drivers are scary enough without having to resort to phony tales of women drivers. I think it’s funny that only men seem to ever see women applying mascara while they’re driving. I’ve never seen it. Of course, maybe it’s because I’m looking at the road and not staring at other drivers.
The occassional delayed reaction to a change in road traffic signals or to a change in the speed of traffic occurs when a driver is preoccupied on a cell phone or some other distraction. The results of this research will hopefully motivate saftey improvements that could save lives.
I have never gotten a ticket or an accident while talking on the phone in the car. Just as I hever have talking to people in the car. Many of the times it is simply to passengers, but what of the business calls. Ignore them…they must be made. Pulling over then getting rearended and/or killed is not the answer either. I have used the phone for over 10 years before they passed the hands free law in my state. Maybe I can see how it can help some, but it doesn’t stop people from still holding the phone and talking. I still use the phone while driving and now am law compliant with the new law also. So what of the built in phone capability in the cars now? Are we going to lose that. Like the passive restraint seatbelt. Maybe we need to cut more things, why not? What is next no coffee or food? Maybe they should just close down all the fast food chains then. In the first week the hands free law came out, a man was killed after he pulled of the road and stopped his vehicle to comply with the law. It was amazing that a man could completely follow the new law and still be killed. Funny I thought he was suppose to be safe or at least safer. Maybe if he hadn’t stopped he would still be alive today. Maybe we are not suppose to understand it like the never ending climb of gas in this country.
At work I also have to multitask all day long at a real job like most of us. I find the car conversations less taxing then the ones at my desk acutally. I am sure there are busier people who have been on the road a lot longer than me, who are also accident free. Bottom line is some people can, some people can’t. It comes down to what you are used to. And what is your training and experience behind the wheel.
Skydiving & Bungee Jumping are dangerous, are they making those activities illegal?
The only reason they are making talking on your cell phones illegal is because the government is just trying to find more ways to make money off of the average joe. Just another fine a cop can hand out. It’s all about the money, not what is safe.