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Location: West Los Angeles and Rancho Palos Verdes
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis1979
Q. What do the studies say about the relative risk of cell phone use when compared to other tasks like eating or drinking?
A. The current research does not provide a definitive answer as to which behavior is riskier. In a controlled study, comparing eating and operating a voice-activated cell phone to continuously operating a CD player, it was found that the CD player operation was more distracting than the other activities. In a test track study conducted by NHTSA, the results showed that manual dialing was about as distracting as grooming/eating, but less distracting than reading or changing CDs. It is also important to keep in mind that some activities are carried out more frequently and for longer periods of time and may result in greater risk.
While the jury is still partially out, most experts feel that eating while driving is just as dangerous, if not more than dialing a number while dialing. Talking on a handsfree kit while driving is even safer than that.
So yes, eating fast food is worse than talking on a hands free cellular phone.
Which activity requires more attention, a conversation with another person, or eating?
But if we are going to outlaw phones in cars, then we should outlaw fast food while driving to. Driving, while holding a burger, holding a drink between your legs, and looking to get some fries is more dangerous than talking on the phone while driving.
I'm not sure if it's more dangerous--but it's certainly equally dangerous. When you're driving, your full attention should be to the road, and not anything else, plain and simple.
Since I'm not a big fan of the "let's pass a new law and then everything will be wonderful" philosophy, I can't say for sure how to deal with the problem. But passing a law that's virtually impossible to enforce is definitely not the solution. (I say this because I live in New York, a state which outlawed driving with a hand-held device several years ago. And you can believe me when I tell you, enforcement of this law is minimal, at best).
How is that different than talking on a hands free device?
People have linked to studies upthread where it's shown that brain activity is different when a driver is talking to a passenger vs. on the phone. For one, a passenger is in the car with the driver, and can see if the driver in a difficult situation, whereas a person on the phone can distract the driver when they really need to concentrate.
People have linked to studies upthread where it's shown that brain activity is different when a driver is talking to a passenger vs. on the phone. For one, a passenger is in the car with the driver, and can see if the driver in a difficult situation, whereas a person on the phone can distract the driver when they really need to concentrate.
This is where personal responsibility plays in.
If you're in town, in heavy stop and go traffic, you shouldn't be on the phone. If an officer saw you doing this, he should at least tell you to stop.
However, if you're on the interstate, and lets be honest, most interstate driving is very monotonous, then I see no harm in it. I will tell people if I'm going to enter a high traffic area, and I'll call them back, or pull over.
Passing laws doesn't produce personal responsiblity, it creates more problems then they usually fix.
Most of those studies don't tell you what type of hands free device they are using either. Is it wiried, is it wireless, does it play over the stereo in the car.
And back to your point on "passengers can know when to shut up" does the radio know when to shut up? No.
Everybody who has driven in the last 5 years knows - without question - that we have a SERIOUS road hazard with all these people jabbering on their cell phones and texting while driving. It's ridiculous!
I'm not necessarily in favor of passing more laws just for the sake of passing laws, but talking and texting on cell phones needs to be outlawed just like driving drunk, because it's just as dangerous. Maybe even MORE dangerous.
I believe certain things can be made illegal depending on the recurrence of damage they can cause to society.
Does eating a french fry in the car be hazardous? How about getting something out of a purse? Well, talking to the passangers on the car?
In my opinion all and many other things have cause accidents.
To say that if we are going to ban cell phones while driving we should also ban eating or something else is not advisable.
How much of damage does each one of them do in general? Statistics help with this. If eating while driving is the cause of accidents one out of let us say a million, is that good enough reason to say it should be banned?
What about if texting and/or talking with a hand held cell phone are the cause of one in let us say a thousand? Is that good enough to ban it?
That's really what it is. Drinking and driving has pretty high percentages I would say because we could not ban drinking while driving and simply charging the driver with safety violations and if he/she kills someone we can simply charge him/her with murder, no need to making drinking while driving.
But we ban drinking while driving hoping people may think twice to drink before driving because of the harsher penalties.
Texting and talking using the cell phone may the next thing to ban due to so many reports coming in of people getting in many accidents.
We need to change our driving laws making accidents due to gross negligence a felony. If a person is drunk or high, running their mouth on a phone, texting, or otherwise engaged in any behavior that deters from the operation of the vehicle they are driving and they kill someone the charge should be changed to manslaughter with a minimum mandatory sentence of at least 20 years. This may not get everybody on board but for those who continue and get caught they won't be around for some time.
I actually saw a chick the other day reading a book while driving. She had it balanced on the steering wheel.
Now that should be criminal.
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