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Let me start off by saying I think banning the use of hand-held devices is absolutely necessary because, according to studies, chatting drivers are worse than drunk drivers. Where I'm from, you'll get pulled over by CT's finest and given a $120 fine.
That being said, I've noticed an added hazard to the roads. A few scenarios:
1. I was following a middle-aged woman who stopped right in the middle of a VERY busy intersection to fumble with her bluetooth. She didn't proceed until her light was red and the other traffic was already moving.
2. A soccer mom pulled over her Lexus SUV to talk on the phone on a narrow and windy country road (blocking the whole lane due to no shoulder) at the beginning of a sharp turn. No hazards, just a right blinker. I witnessed the two cars in front of me get around her, barely missing oncoming cars around the bend. I politely tapped my horn twice and she had the nerve to give ME the finger (hey, people in CT are sometimes nice....if you catch them on a good day ).
3. A family friend (19 year old) was involved in an accident when she was text messaging her friend behind the wheel. She failed to turn with the highway (the windy Merritt for anyone who lives in the tri-state) and crashed into a tree.
I see people doing this stuff daily.
Now think about it. It's no easier to talk on your bluetooth, or text message, or DIAL your phone than it is to put the darned thing up to your ear. If they're going to ban talking on cell phones, why not just ban drivers from using any communication device when in motion, unless, of course, in an emergency?
Why do we have a law that says "You can pick up your phone, put an ear piece behind your ear and make sure it's on, sync it with the phone, dial a number or text message, but you can't hold it up to your ear or it's a $120 fine."
just totally get rid of them or disable them to the point of they're only a pager while moving. It's not hard to program a phone to notice it's moving by triangulating off towers. I'm beyond sick of almost getting hit by idiots that have no idea they're even driving while they're talking on the phone or freaking texting.
seems the vast majority of them are women too, or at least here they are. especially the ones that are texting. those fools look like drunk drivers from a distance.
good topic, I seriously can't stand these people. If someone calls me I either tell them I'll call back or don't answer, depending on where I am and how the traffic is.
A soccer mom pulled over her Lexus SUV to talk on the phone on a narrow and windy country road (blocking the whole lane due to no shoulder) at the beginning of a sharp turn. No hazards, just a right blinker. I witnessed the two cars in front of me get around her, barely missing oncoming cars around the bend. I politely tapped my horn twice and she had the nerve to give ME the finger (hey, people in CT are sometimes nice....if you catch them on a good day ).
People like this make me ponder if I should spend $300 on one of those kits where you can install a train horn in your car. If she doesn't get the hint with the car horn, she'll certainly get it with the train horn. Not to mention it ought to make it a little harder for her to carry on her conversation while it sounds like there's a Norfolk Southern locomotive sitting on her tailgate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeremeyk482
Why do we have a law that says "You can pick up your phone, put an ear piece behind your ear and make sure it's on, sync it with the phone, dial a number or text message, but you can't hold it up to your ear or it's a $120 fine."
Kinda ridiculous, don't ya think?
No, it's not kind of ridiculous. It's patently ridiculous. I have been privy to some internal research conducted by a cell phone manufacturer, and here is what they found: it makes zero difference whether you're holding a phone to your face or if you are using a hands-free device. It is not having one hand disengaged from driving that is the problem; after all, in the age of ubiquitous power steering and automatic transmissions, most cars can easily driven with one hand in most driving circumstances.
And contrary to what you may think, dialing is not the primary source of distraction either; after all, it's a process that takes a very short amount of time, especially for those particularly familiar with their phone's inputs. Rather, the problem is that the conversation itself distracts the driver. It requires a lot of "brain power" to engage in a conversation, particularly when you are not doing it face-to-face and do not have the visual cues to go along with it. It takes a little more processing power to ascertain context over a phone versus face-to-face. When an emergency situation arises, it takes a bit of time for the brain to disengage from the conversation and start processing the circumstances of the emergency situation. This substantially reduces reaction time.
This reaction time is longer than if you are simply talking to a person in the car, because a person in the car with you also understands there is an emergency situation and knows to stop the conversation. A person on the phone does not understand that an emergency is developing on the other end of the line and doesn't know to shut up, so the driver's brain takes a split-second to decide whether to continue engaging that conversation, or disengage and begin processing the developing emergency situation.
So in summary, laws requiring hands-free devices are basically grandstanding piffle that will accomplish precisely nothing.
It's now illegal in the UK and yet the idiots still do it. Those people are a danger on the road and i hope the police starts enforcing it. It never ceases to amaze me that our specie has recently become incapable of spending any time without having their head welded to a cell phone. Does anybody really have to be in touch 24/7 ? How on earth did we manage before that ??? I do have a cell and use it only in case of emergency or to let my partner where to pick me up ( I am disabled). It bugs me now that wherever you go people are talking on their mobile phones, restaurants, cinemas streets and even theatres...
Mind you women putting on their make up whilst driving ,or people doing other things like eating is also not a great idea.
I drive to work at 5:30 AM and I can't believe the people who are talking on phones while driving 70 mph at that hour. Who are they talking to???? They "wander" in and out of lanes, slow up, speed up. I have a cell phone but don't turn it on when I'm driving. Nothing is THAT important that it can't wait a half hour.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rd2007
just totally get rid of them or disable them to the point of they're only a pager while moving. It's not hard to program a phone to notice it's moving by triangulating off towers. I'm beyond sick of almost getting hit by idiots that have no idea they're even driving while they're talking on the phone or freaking texting.
seems the vast majority of them are women too, or at least here they are. especially the ones that are texting. those fools look like drunk drivers from a distance.
good topic, I seriously can't stand these people. If someone calls me I either tell them I'll call back or don't answer, depending on where I am and how the traffic is.
I couldn't agree more, the technology exists to make phones inoperable while moving and doing so would be one of the more useful things the FCC could do.
I drive to work at 5:30 AM and I can't believe the people who are talking on phones while driving 70 mph at that hour. Who are they talking to???? They "wander" in and out of lanes, slow up, speed up. I have a cell phone but don't turn it on when I'm driving. Nothing is THAT important that it can't wait a half hour.
me to, have the same problem, but it's more so on the way home for me....people are absolutely crazy...I don't understand what they could be thinking, and you are correct, they are driving in the fast lane, at God knows what speed and swerve over into your lane and think nothing of it. Can't tell you how many times I've been sideswiped.
They ought to make it a law, that you get their license plate and report them to the Highway of Transportation or the Police, and they should pay a huge fine...not 100.00 but 500.00.
If your going to talk on the phone, pull the heck over....
I'd love to walk up to these people and pull the phones out of their hands..and moms driving with kids in the car, those kids should be taken from you and placed in foster care.
Whew, now I feel better
stands up, smooths out her skirt, readjusts her sweater...throws a back flip with her hair and walks to the coffee shop
You should bad the use of cell's on the road if you want. But what about here where I live? When I leave town, it's 127 miles to the next town. In that 127 miles, I'll meet 4 or 5 cars on the interstate. That's it. There's only about 5 on/off ramps in that 127 miles.
It's not a problem if people use their head. That's the key. Common sense. We don't need a law limiting everybody in the country bases on traffic patterns, curves, and people in one area.
My cell phone is set up pretty good. When I get in, I place my cell in a cradle made for it. The cradle provides power and automatic hookups. It makes it a full 3 watt phone and has an antenna on the outside. If the phone rings, I push one button. Now the persons voice comes over my sterio speakers. When I talk, there's a mic on the visor that picks up my voice. Except for the push of the button (can I can set that to auto answer after 2 rings) it's totally hands free.
That's what's called "Hands Free". Hands Free is not, fumbling with your ear piece, opening the phone and sending text messages, or ever receiving text messages.
I live in a city (Pittsburgh) and ride my bike to work and back every day. That is about 15 miles, five days a week that I am on the road with cars. I can't tell you how many times I have almost been hit because some idiot isn't paying attention.
jgussler, I know you are just trying to stimulate conversation, so I will play along. Hands free doesn't really make a difference. I got a minor in psychology in college and people cannot multitask. The human brain can only concentrate on one thing at a time. The fact is (and there are more than enough studies to back this up) if you are talking while driving - really talking at all, not just on a cell phone - you are not paying nearly as much attention to the road.
I do not want to get hit by a car on my way to work because someone 'has' to be on the phone. Believe it or not, people did just fine before cell phones were around.
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