Enjoy driving; you've got until Spring 2011!

[Lazybones]

How come having two hands on the wheel while being distracted by the conversation in your ear is not considered dangerous?

Our lawmakers are pussies. They were afraid of the reaction that might cause.

Pulling over people for holding a phone is enforceable as there is a clear visible problem.

How do you spot a driver talking on hands free vs singing along in the car or talking to a passenger? Only after the fact when you check the call records.. thats how.

You really have NO EXCUSE to be handling your phone while driving...

As for cop radios vs cell phones.. You have to hold a cellphone to your head with one hand, a CB may be push to talk but it generally leaves you close to hands free. You also don't have to READ your CB to answer it, as many cellphone users feel they MUST read the caller ID info before answering... and there is no DIALING on a CB you are just one one channel.

Celphone conversations are bad, headset or not, but DIALING AND READING = 0 attention to the road for most people, at best some people can blind dial on a keypad but I bet they can't on a touch screen phone.. THIS is why voice activation and headsets are better.

[Darren Dirt]

Problem with those transfixed on their phone is that they might be driving in a perfectly normal, right until they fail to stop for a read light, rear end another car that suddenly slowed down or slam into a pedestrian crossing a cross walk.

The VAST majority of the population are VERY poor at multitasking!
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Human-Multitasking-Hype-Proved-Wrong-94874.shtml

might as well link to the the Mythbusters ep where Kari is tested while driving and doing various non-driving tasks... hilarity ensues* of course.




*mostly cones getting knocked over, and her laughing, IIRC.


edit: direct link found. (bonus alkeehawl-related clip hear.)

[Darren Dirt]

For me, there are three problems with the bill:

1. The bill doesn't cover hands-free conversations, even though studies are showing hands-free conversations to be a similar level of distraction to hand-held conversations

watch the MB clip.


Also, there's an interesting comment by "George":

Driving while talking on a cell phone is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated? would be BUSTED if the tests were done correctly.

There are three (3) missing tests. 1. Driving the course while having a normal relaxed conversation on the cell phone. 2. Driving the course while having a normal relaxed conversation with a passenger (not on a cell phone). 3. Driving the course while being asked the same complicated questions by a passenger (not on a cell phone). 4. One more test that should be run is driving the course while holding a cell phone to your ear with no conversation just to confirm that holding the phone is not the problem.

You?ll find that driving with a normal conversation on a phone or with a passenger is similar to the first control test. And driving with the intense questions from a passenger will be similar to driving with the intense questions over the phone. The conversation, not the device causes the distraction.

Also, one major difference is that a phone can be put down if a challenging driving situation arises, the intoxication can?t be turned off at will. If the tests are all run letting the driver decide when to talk and when to concentrate on driving (like in real life) there will be even more contrast between the test drives and driving intoxicated.

The ?incomplete? driving with cell phone test is what is BUSTED!

May 8, 2008 at 4:49 PM

[Mr. Analog]

All I know is this, I see some people having trouble while walking and talking on cell phones on the sidewalk, there just seems to be something about having a handset in their hand, next to their ear that turns their brains off.

[Lazybones]

Funny thing about the responses in this thread are that I think only one of the those that responded both has a licences and owns a vehicle / drives regularly.

[Thorin]

Really?  Out of five of us discussing it, three have licenses.  Lazy, you still drive, right?  I _definitely_ still drive (to a crap-load of arenas in the winter), and I thought Darren was puttering to work these days, too.

[Lazybones]

Really?  Out of five of us discussing it, three have licenses.  Lazy, you still drive, right?  I _definitely_ still drive (to a crap-load of arenas in the winter), and I thought Darren was puttering to work these days, too.

Well I wasn't counting my self and only those that responded to this thread.
Thorin - Both
Darren - licensed but I was not sure of his vehicle status my knowledge is a little out of date...
Tom - Neither
Mr.A - Neither

So based on my assumption on DD you where the only other licensed frequent driver in this thread.

[Tom]

I'm not really sure what that has to do with anything though. People like to throw that argument out when they want to ignore inconvenient arguments.

Sure I don't have a license, but I have been in a vehicle when people were on the phone, and otherwise occupied. As well as been around vehicles with drivers otherwise disposed. Been frightened for my life a few times because of drivers who think a call or the radio is more important than /driving/.

[Melbosa]

I haven't had much time to read through this thread of late, but did happen to get a free moment today.  That being said, it could also be because you guys pointed out you need more responses from regular drivers.

I commute at least 30mins one way to work.  I am in heavy traffic as it is during rush hour when I go to and from work.  I then typically am on the roads 3 or 4 nights during the evenings and at least twice on the weekends.  So that is my experience in a Week on the roads.

Both my vehicle and my GFs have Blue Tooth enabled audio decks for Device handshaking and operations. Both were installed by me because one simple action in regards to cell phones.  When you hold a phone:

• You can't shift a stick easily with the phone - have to let go of either the steering wheel with a hand or the phone, and it is typically easier to let go of the wheel than interrupt a conversation on a phone
• It is a pain to shoulder check with a chicken wing bent arm
• Your arm gets tired, your neck gets sore
• Cell Phone speaker phone is crap in a car, worse in a truck - the mic just picks up all noises, so typically you have to lift it near your mouth
• Dialing a number is a pain
• Getting the phone out of my holster on my belt, or out of the GF's purse - hard

What does most of this above do to me as a driver?  Frustrates me, causes me to pay just a little more to what I am doing with the Phone than my driving, and therefore increases my chances of causing myself or others harm.

Although conversations can be engaging, frustrating and just as displacing/distracting, it doesn't matter whether it is over the Phone or In Person.  The Phone device just adds to the problem, but isn't the source in this case.

So with all that... what do I think about the legislation?  I think it is a good thing as a deterrent, but I know it is just a cash cow.  As you all have said in one form or another, it will be hard to enforce, and when it is enforced for the reasons of safety, it is already blatantly obvious with the driver being all over the road.

So IMO, Hands Free devices with Voice Activation (and this is key), whether in your ear, or through your car's audio system, is the best.  Hands free dialing, answering, and automation of the process without the use of the Hands or your Eyes is on par with someone sitting beside you with the same conversation. In fact, in some cases better, because people have a tendency to look at someone when talking to them.

This is my take on the whole conversation.

[Darren Dirt]

I'm not really sure what that has to do with anything though. People like to throw that argument out when they want to ignore inconvenient arguments.

Sure I don't have a license, but I have been in a vehicle when people were on the phone, and otherwise occupied. As well as been around vehicles with drivers otherwise disposed. Been frightened for my life a few times because of drivers who think a call or the radio is more important than /driving/.

Darren - licensed but I was not sure of his vehicle status my knowledge is a little out of date...

To quote a certain Kid in a certain Hall: On The Subject Of Me...

I:

• am "licensed"
  
• drive daily
  
• have no problem with receiving/making quick calls while driving (because I'm not weaving thru an Obstacle Course!) perhaps because I am fully aware that I need to be paying extra-attention to the road and other cars around me (which often -- apparently -- have turn signal lights not working, at least when changing lanes!   )
  
• DO often have problems with kids fighting in the car distracting me from focused attention to road/cars
  
• therefore hold to the opinion that Bad Drivers don't need a cell phone to be dangerous and complete idiots on the road, but obviously if they are ENGAGED in a deep/lengthy/emotional conversation it certainly doesn't help -- but having a phone to your ear doesn't immediately make you STUPID/DANGEROUS.
  
  

[Mr. Analog]

From my perspective as a handicapped pedestrian paying attention is both the job of the pedestrian and the driver, however that said I can only do so well.

I have been in a lot of near misses in my life and more than a few in just the last couple of years (the intersection at 104 and 102 seems to be a distracted driver magnet). In one case (about three weeks ago) this guy driving a jacked up pickup nearly hit the old lady walking ahead of me and actually dropped his phone out the window as he stamped on the brakes, it was unbelievable.

[Thorin]

Here's another definition that could fit for "distracted": breastfeeding while driving.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/06/15/14397631.html.  Seriously.  Stupid Germans!

[Lazybones]

Here's another definition that could fit for "distracted": breastfeeding while driving.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/06/15/14397631.html.  Seriously.  Stupid Germans!

That one is already covered with a similar law hear.
"She was fined with failing to provide proper security for her child and herself. She wasn't wearing a seatbelt when she was pulled over, police said."

PS, it is very hard to travel by car with an infant that is breast feeding as you need to stop every time they wake up hungry..

[Thorin]

Unless you pump and use a bottle to feed the breastmilk to the baby while someone else is driving.  Still, with kids there are definitely more stops.

[Mr. Analog]

That is nuts!!

For Pete's sake, can't people get this into their heads?