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.
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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.