Driving and Cellphones

[woodensunshine]

This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. Talking and texting on cell phones is illegal in the Nutmeg State while driving. Talking on the cell phone, however, is not illegal in Mass.

I can't tell you how many people I see a day chattering away on their cell phones, driving 60+ mph and driving like drunk person. Is it really that hard to put your damn phone on speaker? Does that text message to your buddy really need to be sent now?

I've seen a paramedic texting and driving, people driving large trucks (not quite eighteen wheelers, but bigger than a truck) talking on their cell phones. What is with people and their cell phone?

IF (and that is a big if, because there is usually one person I need to call and I'm coming home to him) I need to make a phone call, I dial the phone before I start my car, put my phone on speaker or -gasp- use my Bluetooth and after pulling out of my spot, I start talking. Easy.

I'm sick and tired of nearly getting hit several times a week by some nitwit who can't put their phone away. </endrant>

[Andara Bledin]

Actually, while the specific of talking on a cell phone while driving may not be illegal, it's quite likely that driving without both hands on the wheel (and not for a good reason like signaling or shifting) is against the law, as would be most cases of distracted driving.

Fun fact: whether you're holding the phone or using a hands-free, it's still very distracting to talk on the phone. Although fumbling with something in your hands and looking away from the road (for texting) is much worse.

Part of the problem is that there's a lack of enforcement (because we don't have nearly enough police to deal with it and everything else), so there's a perceived lack of danger.

^-.-^

[bara]

Here is how I see it.

Good news can wait, bad news will never go away.

There is not point in adding to the bad news by wrapping my car around a telephone poll. Ive seen that, the telephone poll always wins.

[blas87]

I really liked my free subscription I had for a few months when I first got my car to OnStar, because I could just press the phone button and make a call through my speakers if need be.

I will admit that if I hear my phone buzzing in my purse and I'm at a red light, I might peek at it, but other than that, I already know I can't do both at once while moving, so I don't.

Some people really don't get that I have at least a 15 mintue drive home from work/my parents house (that's if it's not winter and not high traffic time or people being retards on the freeway). If I don't answer you for a bit, it's because I'm DRIVING.

[SongsOfDragons]

"...you put your Sim card into this slot, and suddenly you have a 3.4 litre 200k telephone!! " - Top Gear

...I think even a built-in telephone system would still distract me. But that's just me. I'm a nervous driver. XD

[blas87]

My dad is a salesman and he is always on his phone while driving. I worry, because he's a horribly aggressive driver as is.

I remember the day I had to drive him to my brother's storage unit to pick up his truck and take his truck to the dealership to get worked on, and I didn't know how to get there from the storage unit, and I had to follow him.

The damn man speeds worse than I do and weaves all over the road. Yet, when he's in the car with me, he reminds me to stop at stop signs and not straddle the middle line.

[woodensunshine]

Do you ever play the game of "Are they on a cell phone or a senior" when you see terrible driving?

[Andara Bledin]

Do you ever play the game of "Are they on a cell phone or a senior" when you see terrible driving?

It's, "are they on a cell phone or drunk" around here.

But as I said before, talking on the phone actually takes a lot of attention. A lot more than talking to someone that's actually in the car.

The sciency people surmise that it's because your mind is busy filling in details about the person on the other end because you can't see them, whereas if they're in the car, your mind keeps that processor power focused on driving.

^-.-^

[bex1218]

My dad would start calling me and calling me and calling me when he knew I was driving. I hate cell phones and driving. Whether talking or texting. If its an emergency, pull the fuck over.

[Greenday]

I have no problem driving while talking on the cell phone. It doesn't distract me and I've never had trouble paying attention to the road because of it. These days, I drive with my phone on speaker because NJ laws say you can talk on your cell if it's hands free.

But I understand the purpose of the law. There are plenty of people who think they are better at multitasking than they really are and make other people pay the price for it.

Can't wait for my new car. It'll have a blue tooth sync in it so I can just talk to my car and it'll do everything for me.

[Andara Bledin]

I have no problem driving while talking on the cell phone. It doesn't distract me and I've never had trouble paying attention to the road because of it.

There are plenty of people who think they are better at multitasking than they really are and make other people pay the price for it.

There is so much going on with the operation of a vehicle that it's technically not especially safe just paying attention to your driving and nothing else; adding a remote conversation to the mix raises the risk by an order of magnitude. I liken it to smoking and cancer; smoking won't give you cancer, but it raises the probability that it will develop. Having a remote conversation and driving won't make you have an accident, but it raises the probability that you will be involved in one.

I happen to know that I'm a really good driver and really good about paying attention to the driving first, but I still won't talk on the phone and drive at the same time because most accidents happen in a split second, and you just can't have that sort of reaction timing available if you're partially focused on something else entirely.

Funnily enough, yours was also the same exact argument some otherwise intelligent kid on another forum said regarding his driving and texting.

^-.-^

[woodensunshine]

Andara, in regards to the safety of talking on the phone and driving.

Do you think that it could also apply to listening/singing to music?

[crashhelmet]

Here in Nevada, a new law took effect in January making it illegal to talk or text on the phone while driving. Like California, you need a "hands free" device to talk while driving, otherwise you get a ticket.

My belief is that it stems from people texting while driving and the issues caused by looking down at the phone instead of keeping your eyes on the road.

if it truly was an issue with taking your hand off the wheel, they'd ban eating or drinking while driving as well. What would that do to the fast food industry?

[Andara Bledin]

Andara, in regards to the safety of talking on the phone and driving.

Do you think that it could also apply to listening/singing to music?

There is a minor amount to that, but compared to holding a conversation, it's a magnitude of difference.

There's something that goes on in the brain when holding a remote conversation, particularly if you actually know the person involved, that really takes away from your ability to do other things.

I've seen the effect when doing work and getting a call. When it's someone I know who isn't giving me vital information that I have to stop and work on, but merely FYI-level stuff, I can see my typing speed drop by at least 20%, and that's on stuff that is so rote that I couldn't even tell you what keys I'm hitting, I just let my subconscious run it all.

When you consider how great an impact it has on something like that, and then realize how little time it takes to avoid or be involved in an accident, it's obvious that talking on the phone while driving is a risk that should be avoided except in extreme circumstances. Especially considering that it's possible that you could end up responsible for the death of others over it; it's just not worth it.

^-.-^

[Nekojin]

Do you think that it could also apply to listening/singing to music?

As Andara says, it's several orders of magnitude in difference. When you're in a conversation, you're subconsciously listening for breaks in the other side, signifying that a response is due; analyzing what the other person is saying, and visualizing some parts of it; visualizing the person in question and their expressions, if they're not present in the car; thinking about and visualizing your responses to the questions asked; and possibly exploring other avenues of discussion branching off from the discussion at hand.

Most of that is done at a subconscious level, but it does impact your awareness. Visualization takes away from optical processing - it occurs in the same area of the brain. Listening to music and singing along with the music doesn't impinge on most of that*.

Take the simple question, "What do you want to have for dinner?" Depending on the context, you're likely to visualize either the selection of restaurants that have food you like; the contents of your refrigerator; or the types of food that you normally prepare, if you're going to need to shop for ingredients.

* That's not to say that singing along with the radio, or even just listening to the radio, doesn't affect your awareness, but that the degree that it does is usually well below a hazardous level.