Should Colorado prohibit holding a phone while driving? (high schools, live in)

[BarryK123]

Originally Posted by Wheatridger

This law makes no demands of new car drivers, but it discriminates against old car owners.

New car drivers are discriminated against with outrageous registration fees.

[Timmyy]

Ban the use of phones in cars PERIOD! I like my cell phone but it doesn't leave my pocket the moment I get into my car and it should be that way for everyone.

This new law is a step in the right direction.

I work in the tech world. It pays for my livelyhood but I hate what devices are doing to our society.

[MsMetal]

Originally Posted by Wheatridger

Does anybody really think that a driver using a hands-free connection is no longer distracted? No, their mind is on their phone call, or their mapping app, or their text messages. You just can't see it, because they don't have a phone up to their ear. Problem solved?

This isn't going to be popular, but no, I don't think holding the phone is the problem. We hold drinks, most of us drive 1 handed, etc. I think the problem is what Wheatridge is pointing out. You are doing 2 complex tasks at once & can't give proper attention to both of them. Having & maintaining a real conversation, short of "I'll be there in 5 minutes", is a complex task that requires a higher level of brain work. So is driving. The 2 are fundamentally incompatible. Whether you hold the phone or not, I don't believe makes a whit of difference.

However, I don't see states doing a total ban. Does any state have a ban on driving & talking at the same time?

[Mike from back east]

A poll has been added to this thread to get a sense of public opinion on the topic. Please vote, the poll is private.

[Gorges]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

Ban the use of phones in cars PERIOD! I like my cell phone but it doesn't leave my pocket the moment I get into my car and it should be that way for everyone.

This new law is a step in the right direction.

I work in the tech world. It pays for my livelyhood but I hate what devices are doing to our society.

Yup. When our kids started driving about 10 years ago, it was a mom & dad law that you did not use the phone in any capacity while driving. If you needed to use it, you pulled off the road. They all still follow this today. Sometimes when I call one of them, he will say, "You're not driving, are you?"

[cowboyxjon]

I don't think it needs to be a nanny state California-style law, though it is something I would hope most people have enough common sense to not do anyway.

[xeric]

Originally Posted by MsMetal

This isn't going to be popular, but no, I don't think holding the phone is the problem. We hold drinks, most of us drive 1 handed, etc. I think the problem is what Wheatridge is pointing out. You are doing 2 complex tasks at once & can't give proper attention to both of them. Having & maintaining a real conversation, short of "I'll be there in 5 minutes", is a complex task that requires a higher level of brain work. So is driving. The 2 are fundamentally incompatible. Whether you hold the phone or not, I don't believe makes a whit of difference.

By that logic, you shouldn't have a conversation with people IN the car either. Rather, I think that the greatest risk is when the process of accessing, dialing, or communicating on a device requires you to take your eyes off the road. I'm of the opinion that the driver should pull over to answer a call, or (better yet) just let it go to voicemail or turn it off while driving.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by cowboyxjon

I don't think it needs to be a nanny state California-style law, though it is something I would hope most people have enough common sense to not do anyway.

If the law helps protect *other people* from distracted drivers, that is not nannying.

[GregW]

I just dropped by this forum because I liked what Colorado Rambler had to say on Politics.


New Hampshire has banned using hand held devices while driving a vehicle. It is supposed to apply to thing that need dialing, scrolling, texting or distracting observation such as a GPS. It does not apply to voice controlled devices hard wired into the vehicle.


It has had some positive effect but as far as I can tell not all that much. As I use an old fashioned "flip fone" I am not distracted by all the fancy effects. I am also not distracted because I do not use "hand held devices" more complex than a coffee cup or cruller. My cars do not have modern gadgets as the newest is 13 years old.


I still see many drivers still using these distractors on the roads. A couple of cops I know have told me that the fancy devices really help our friendly NH trees get up close and personal with some drivers.

[Vision67]

I frequently travel to the San Francisco Bay area to see my grand kids.

Since that law passed I have not seen one person holding a cell phone while driving.