I don’t see how talking on a cell phone and talking to a passenger are that much different, yet I have seen many near accidents where one of the drivers had a phone in his or her hand. I guess its the fact that the one hand is tied up handling the phone? I’ve tried different hands-free devices but don’t really like any of them. I guess I’ll give them another shot. But I wish they’d do something nationwide about this.
If they ban cell phone use while driving than they also need to crack down on the driving while applying makeup or reading the newspaper or eating a hamburger or hitting your kids in the backseat etc etc. The fact of the matter is, if you are a moron than the cell phone is just another WMD in your arsenal.
I am not crazy about cell phone users over all. Am tired of them yelling into thier phones oblivious of the world around them. Thank you for all the credit card, address, and additional personal information you have shared with the general public. However the people who drive and chat, piss me off the most. I have almost been run over several times by people who were so engrossed in thier important I can’t take a second to pull off the road, conversations because they weren’t paying attention. Several friends have gotten into accidents because the person who caused it was on thier cell phone. I saw one woman the other day- one hand on her cell the other- well she was talking with her hands- so look ma, no hands on the steering wheel. Either drive or pull over- this includes any and all distrations. Ladies you look stupid putting on your make up in the car, gentlemen shave at home. You going to have an arguement with the kids- excuse me what ever happened to “If you don’t be quiet I’m pulling over” worked for my parents. Wake up drivers- you are operating a machine capable of killing. You wouldn’t expect a gas station attendant to give you gas smoking a cigarette, or a bomb dismantler to start juggling the bombs?
Extreme situations but wake up, and pay attention to what the hell you are doing. Someone’s child may jump out while your scheduling that all important meeting and talking on the phone, glancing at your day planner at the same time. You had plenty of time to stop, but….
This article hits a serious problem right between the eyes. I have over 1 million driving miles on insurance business and had a portable car phone in the late 70s. I found that speaking on cell phones is no doubt the most distracting thing a driver can do. Think about it, when you are doing other things as have been mentioned, it is a distraction. But when you are on the phone, your mind is squarely on the call. Join me and mandate that your associates who have cell phones have to have “hands-free” if they want their business calls expensed. Just save one accident and you may have saved a life. If you don’t believe me, follow a cell phone user in the high-speed lane and see how often they swerve or slow down and speed up. Also see how many cell phone users roll stop signs and/or sit at stoplights after the light turns. Or perhaps check your driving when on the phone. It will make a believer out of you.
I realize that holding a cell phone is distracting yes, and definitely dangerous to have an additional hand leaving the steering wheel, but I don’t really think having hand’s free devices are going to help much in the distraction department. Yes talking to a passenger in a car is distracting, but talking to someone on a cell whether it is hands-free or not is FAR more distracting than a passenger. When you are talking to a passenger they are with you in the moment, they can see what’s ahead of you and they know exactly what’s going on while you’re talking so that if you pause mid-sentence because you are changing lanes or the moron in front of you slammed on their breaks, they’ll know exactly why you paused… the person on the other end of the cell phone, however, cannot relate to your current situation and drivers realize this therefore concentrating that much harder on keeping their conversation going and “normal” and further distracting from their driving.
Since I drive a stick I rarely ever answer the phone anyway because I need all the hands I can get, but at the same time when I’m on the freeway and I don’t need my shifting hand, if I do pick up that phone I can even recognize myself that my driving changes immediately, for some reason the human brain and a combination of driving and cell phones just don’t mesh well. It’s too bad that we have to make laws for women to stop doing their makeup while driving, for people to be courteous and concerned for the well being of others, and for people to get off their damn cell phones and recognize that they are endangering others… what a world we live in.
Not only talking but, how about finding a persons number to call or when the phone rings, looking to see who is calling?
Not only hands but eyes come off the road all too often.
The proliferation of rampant cell-phone use, whether behind the wheel or in general, has signaled the downfall of Western civilization, IMHO.
How many times have you been in church, the movies, theater, your kid\’s band performance, etc., and in spite of a million warnings, some idiot\’s cell phone goes off — usually with an obnoxious customized ring tone? How many intimate conversations have you been subjected to in public places? Enough already.
As in most other areas of public life, simple courtesy regarding cell phone use has gone out the window. We\’re living in an era where most people live in front of a video screen in the privacy of their homes and no longer know how to behave socially.
I\’m all for a ban on cell phones, not only behind the wheel, but by limiting their use in certain public places. If they can do it with smoking, they should do it with cell phones, too. Why is one politically incorrect while the most boorish behavior on the other is totally acceptable?
i think that it is ok if you are at a stop light or if you have it on speaker phone than it is defently ok to do but not if you are driving and it is not on speaker then heck no because you could get in a actcedent
Ever have an arguement while on a cell phone… trust me you are not concentrating on anything else. As far as stop lights- not many of them are that long- you need to take a call- pull over.
I don’t see how talking on a cell phone and talking to a passenger are that much different, yet I have seen many near accidents where one of the drivers had a phone in his or her hand. I guess its the fact that the one hand is tied up handling the phone? I’ve tried different hands-free devices but don’t really like any of them. I guess I’ll give them another shot. But I wish they’d do something nationwide about this.
If they ban cell phone use while driving than they also need to crack down on the driving while applying makeup or reading the newspaper or eating a hamburger or hitting your kids in the backseat etc etc. The fact of the matter is, if you are a moron than the cell phone is just another WMD in your arsenal.
I am not crazy about cell phone users over all. Am tired of them yelling into thier phones oblivious of the world around them. Thank you for all the credit card, address, and additional personal information you have shared with the general public. However the people who drive and chat, piss me off the most. I have almost been run over several times by people who were so engrossed in thier important I can’t take a second to pull off the road, conversations because they weren’t paying attention. Several friends have gotten into accidents because the person who caused it was on thier cell phone. I saw one woman the other day- one hand on her cell the other- well she was talking with her hands- so look ma, no hands on the steering wheel. Either drive or pull over- this includes any and all distrations. Ladies you look stupid putting on your make up in the car, gentlemen shave at home. You going to have an arguement with the kids- excuse me what ever happened to “If you don’t be quiet I’m pulling over” worked for my parents. Wake up drivers- you are operating a machine capable of killing. You wouldn’t expect a gas station attendant to give you gas smoking a cigarette, or a bomb dismantler to start juggling the bombs?
Extreme situations but wake up, and pay attention to what the hell you are doing. Someone’s child may jump out while your scheduling that all important meeting and talking on the phone, glancing at your day planner at the same time. You had plenty of time to stop, but….
This article hits a serious problem right between the eyes. I have over 1 million driving miles on insurance business and had a portable car phone in the late 70s. I found that speaking on cell phones is no doubt the most distracting thing a driver can do. Think about it, when you are doing other things as have been mentioned, it is a distraction. But when you are on the phone, your mind is squarely on the call. Join me and mandate that your associates who have cell phones have to have “hands-free” if they want their business calls expensed. Just save one accident and you may have saved a life. If you don’t believe me, follow a cell phone user in the high-speed lane and see how often they swerve or slow down and speed up. Also see how many cell phone users roll stop signs and/or sit at stoplights after the light turns. Or perhaps check your driving when on the phone. It will make a believer out of you.
I realize that holding a cell phone is distracting yes, and definitely dangerous to have an additional hand leaving the steering wheel, but I don’t really think having hand’s free devices are going to help much in the distraction department. Yes talking to a passenger in a car is distracting, but talking to someone on a cell whether it is hands-free or not is FAR more distracting than a passenger. When you are talking to a passenger they are with you in the moment, they can see what’s ahead of you and they know exactly what’s going on while you’re talking so that if you pause mid-sentence because you are changing lanes or the moron in front of you slammed on their breaks, they’ll know exactly why you paused… the person on the other end of the cell phone, however, cannot relate to your current situation and drivers realize this therefore concentrating that much harder on keeping their conversation going and “normal” and further distracting from their driving.
Since I drive a stick I rarely ever answer the phone anyway because I need all the hands I can get, but at the same time when I’m on the freeway and I don’t need my shifting hand, if I do pick up that phone I can even recognize myself that my driving changes immediately, for some reason the human brain and a combination of driving and cell phones just don’t mesh well. It’s too bad that we have to make laws for women to stop doing their makeup while driving, for people to be courteous and concerned for the well being of others, and for people to get off their damn cell phones and recognize that they are endangering others… what a world we live in.
Not only talking but, how about finding a persons number to call or when the phone rings, looking to see who is calling?
Not only hands but eyes come off the road all too often.
The proliferation of rampant cell-phone use, whether behind the wheel or in general, has signaled the downfall of Western civilization, IMHO.
How many times have you been in church, the movies, theater, your kid\’s band performance, etc., and in spite of a million warnings, some idiot\’s cell phone goes off — usually with an obnoxious customized ring tone? How many intimate conversations have you been subjected to in public places? Enough already.
As in most other areas of public life, simple courtesy regarding cell phone use has gone out the window. We\’re living in an era where most people live in front of a video screen in the privacy of their homes and no longer know how to behave socially.
I\’m all for a ban on cell phones, not only behind the wheel, but by limiting their use in certain public places. If they can do it with smoking, they should do it with cell phones, too. Why is one politically incorrect while the most boorish behavior on the other is totally acceptable?
i think that it is ok if you are at a stop light or if you have it on speaker phone than it is defently ok to do but not if you are driving and it is not on speaker then heck no because you could get in a actcedent
Ever have an arguement while on a cell phone… trust me you are not concentrating on anything else. As far as stop lights- not many of them are that long- you need to take a call- pull over.