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.
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.
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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.
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.