Using a cell phone while drving

[atv_chic_18]

Let's say this much... I had a girl in my college class where we had to do professional speeches in and one girl did a speech over such a thing. If you had saw the car wreck she was in because she was on her phone, you'd stop using a phone while driving. It was a miracle she survived that car looked like somebody stuck it in a giant lawn mower. I've saw too many people with cell phones driving ridiculous and even worse my dad's friend has a wrecker company.

Bottom line for me is I do not text or talk on the phone while driving. If you do, have some respect for those out there that don't want to end up in a wreck because you're looking down texting your friend to say "OMG THAT IS AWESOME!" Because that one text may send somebody else to the hospital. I think the texting is worse than the talking on the phone in my pov that I've witnessed. If you have a phone call that important go hands free, if your text message is that important, then pull off the road!

 

[CNKFan]

You drive better drunk than on a cell phone.

 

[atv_chic_18]

You drive better drunk than on a cell phone.

Eh that's pushing it a little too far. You do know how many drunk drivers kill innocent people every day, month and year right? Like I said in my other post my dad's friend owns a wrecker service. In fact I've got a friend who was in a vehicle where the people were drunk, one girl ended up in the ICU unit for several months with a broken jaw, teeth shoved into her nasal cavity, broken pelvis and ribs and a broken heal.

She also had spinal injuries. Another girl in that same truck had spinal injuries, and another girl ended up with a concussion and minor injuries. The only thing salvagable from that truck was a portion of the front plate of her brand new stereo. In short out the two of them were lucky that they survived.

I don't feel sorry for a drunk person being injured, but when he NEARLY kills other people, or does, just because he thought it was cool to drink, that just flat out pisses me off. It shows they are irresponsible. If that story above doesn't affect you what about a former teacher of yours driving home with her spouse and another person you actually know driving drunk hitting them head on killing the teacher and nearly killing the other person.

In most European countries they don't even consider driving drunk, they call a cab or walk.. Yet here in America we decide to drive drunk and risk everyone elses lives. And the celebs all get off because they're famous. Ridiculous is what it is.

 

[Amnestic]

Because it's common sense. You use your hands to drive. So use them. Quit distracting them away from the wheel.

This. I mean, jesus christ, you might as well say "I drive with one hand anyway, so why can't I masturbate while driving?"

You mean you don't?

Of course not. I'm a responsible driver.

>.>

<.<

There's a reason the latest models come with TVs installed into the dashboard.

And DVD players.

Bit worrying taht they have them in the back seats for the kiddies, though.

Pro-tip: You don't get kids in your car. You get "mates". Or you're in the back seat with the pr0nz on all of the TV screens in some sort of crazy stereo visual arrangement.

But I don't suppose you'd be driving then, unless your limbs were plenty long.

 

[Haydyn]

The problem is that almost all of the time I see someone driving eraticly (sp) they are texting on their cell. In Librashington, it is illegal to talk on your cell phone while driving, but most people ignore that law.

 

[Matronadena]

actually here in this city 90% of the accidents last year involved cell usage.. hands free/not hands free, texting etc. they are looking county wise at restricting even hands free on a trial run to see how much that cuts back.

 

[Skeleon]

And DVD players.

Bit worrying taht they have them in the back seats for the kiddies, though.

Bah, you're just prude.

Anyway, imagine you had to react really fast.
If you're driving with one hand but your other hand is free, you can still grab onto the steering wheel and react quickly.
If your other hand is full (i.e., phone) you can't very well grab the steering wheel or whatever without dropping the other item first.

The distraction alone is not the main reason, else we wouldn't be allowed to talk with our passengers or listen to the radio or anything like that.

now all of a sudden HOLDING a phone is why people are getting in accidents while driving is the problem.

Perhaps because now they realise that it causes accidents?
Just like they didn't know smoking led to lung cancer in the past or whatever else you can think of.

 

[Dys]

Most people throughout the world drive manuals (and they damnwell should!), so holding a phone in your hand is a bad thing as you cannot change gears. Despite how it's been repetedly and clearly shown that it more than quadriples your chance of having an accident, I'll go ahead and list some of the more obvious problems.

The phone is pressed right up against your ear, meaning you have a degree of noise suppression, not hearing an emergancy vehicles siren is not a safe problem (this is obviously not a problem with hands free, the radio or talking to a passenger).

Text messages: Need I say more?

Digging the phone out of your pocket can often lead to tears, a car isn't designed to have it's driver moving about and funbling with small electronic devices.

People often get important, pressing calls on their phones, as I'm no doubt sure you realize, what you may not realize is that the majority of people focus on the phone when they speak on it (they do not do this when speaking to passengers or if using a hands free kit), this is because they are physicially holding it and it is very apparent that they are using it.
It also removes a large amount of stress from the driver if they aren't in a position where there boss could call up and abuse them, there's always that moment when your phone rings and you don't know who's calling or why, if your life is full of drama (as most are at some point) it will incite a level of panic, thus reducing the drivers control of the vehicle.

 

[New Troll]

I never, ever talk on my cell while driving.

Unless I'm drunk.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

You drive better drunk than on a cell phone.

Eh that's pushing it a little too far. You do know how many drunk drivers kill innocent people every day, month and year right?

actually watch the aforementioned Mythbusters stuff, it's about the same really, the ONLY difference is you can stop talking on the phone. other than that driving drunk was pretty much on par with driving while talking on a cell phone

the thing with is that if you use a hands free device, it's the same as talking to someone else in your car. however if you put it up to you head, you are limiting you view of the road AND you are blocking yourself from seeing things and giving yourself a great distraction for your eyes

i will only ever use my hands free in the car and if that's dead then my speaker phone

 

[Zenn3k]

The conversation isn't the problem, as its easy to talk and drive. With a hands free its just like talking to a passenger.

However, when you are holding a phone you are removing a hand from the steering wheel + making sure not to drop the phone. This causes a distraction and the driver will often put more effort into holding the phone than driving the car.

 

[Scrythe]

There's an unspoken rule of the road, and although it feels very redundant for my to say this, but:

PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THE FUCK YOU'RE DOING.

Kinda hard for people to do that while driving considering most people can't seem to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

Besides, if you still don't understand, imagine this scenario: you're driving on the freeway doing 60+ mph with one hand while talking on your cell phone with the other hand. Someone cuts you off and "squats" (ie, the brake check). Kinda hard to react fast enough when half your attention is focused on your conversation, and you're using only one hand.

 

[Blow_Pop]

First off, I have a problem when descriptions on a thread are difficult to read due to the lack of paragraphs.

Secondly, it's because you can use your other hand to drive the car as we don't have automatic transmission here.

i drive stick and drive with only one hand.

The problem with people in general and not just cell phones. If you drive with someone and are talking to them, you pay more attention to the conversation than you're driving. unfortunately, cell phones take the fall.....

I believe in California that it's illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving, but you can still text. Not sure how that works out.

That would be pretty stupid, seeing as you actually have to *look* at the phone for texting as well.

as of january 1, 2009 texting while driving is illegal as well....

i still do both. i text all the time but don't look at my phone while i'm texting.. very quick reader and i always leave one eye on the road. but i also have very fast reflexes.

 

[phwbt]

I still to this day don't understand why people think that the problem about using a cell phone while driving his holding the phone, hence the hand free laws, but its not I drive a standard meaning most of the time I drive with one hand any way. So why is driving while holding a phone now a problem. I see the problem being the fact you are having a conversation and not paying attention while you drive. this just seems obvious to me and everyone I talk to, so why is it hands free is the legal solution> what did this solve?

Are you an idiot? Seriously.

Because it's common sense. You use your hands to drive. So use them. Quit distracting them away from the wheel.

This. I mean, jesus christ, you might as well say "I drive with one hand anyway, so why can't I masturbate while driving?"

I think the real question here is, are you an idiot? Seriously. Just because both of your hands are on the wheel doesn't mean any less likely to get in an accident.

Using a cell phone - even a hands-free one - while driving quadruples the risk of getting into a crash with serious injuries, a study finds. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/12/tech/main708253.shtml] This. I mean, jesus christ, you might as well say something with no evidence to support it. The problem with talking on the phone while driving is that drivers get distracted, not that they have too few hands on the steering wheel.

 

[A random person]

I'll regurgitate what everyone's been saying and say it distracts you from the road. I have my doubts about drunks being equally good drivers or better, but:

You drive better drunk than on a cell phone.

Eh that's pushing it a little too far. You do know how many drunk drivers kill innocent people every day, month and year right?

actually watch the aforementioned Mythbusters stuff, it's about the same really, the ONLY difference is you can stop talking on the phone. other than that driving drunk was pretty much on par with driving while talking on a cell phone

the thing with is that if you use a hands free device, it's the same as talking to someone else in your car. however if you put it up to you head, you are limiting you view of the road AND you are blocking yourself from seeing things and giving yourself a great distraction for your eyes

i will only ever use my hands free in the car and if that's dead then my speaker phone

the Mythbusters seem to say otherwise.

Now texting while driving, that's just indescribably stupid. Maybe, maybe, you could send a short one if you're one of those kids who can text quickly without looking or really thinking about it (like that Iowa girl), and that's a massive stretch. Many seize on this as why teens shouldn't drive, but those teens who text while driving are simply just stupid (and there's my trademark inappropriate shoehorning of age issues. G'night, folks).

 

[konkwastaken]

I mean, jesus christ, you might as well say "I drive with one hand anyway, so why can't I masturbate while driving?"

But there are no laws against it right?

 

[gbemery]

I've been ran off the road once by someone texting on the highway, and most of the accidents I have worked since being on the fire department have probably been even between drunk drivers and those people on cell phones.

 

[Frenger]

I've almost been run over three times this past year.

EVERY SINGLE ONE talked in their ¤%/&%¤/ing cellphones. One waved to me as he graced my foot with his bumper, he w a v e d to me like he should get a medal or something.

No, if you talk on the phone and drive, you're most likely 1.) Retarded 2.) More than likely to focus on the phone than driving 3.) More focus on the phone than on the surrounding trafic 4.) Stuck in a tree.

If I'm at a crossing, and I see a car approaching and the driver talking to his phone, I just let him pass, because odds are he haven't got the slightest what's going on expect what is infront of him.

 

[AngloDoom]

I've almost been hit 4 times by people driving cars on cellphones in the last month actually.

Holy fuck. Do you drive a motorbike, or powerful electro-magnet?


Are you sure

You drive better drunk than on a cell phone.

Doesn't that depend how drunk you are? I mean, you can drink until you go blind or pass out, and that strikes me as quite disadvantageous.

 

[MelziGurl]

Wow, I drive one handed too...whatta ya know. The problem isn't the amount of hands you use to drive (although in a manual car you do need your other hand for the gears) but the fact that talking on the phone is a distraction. This ad is a personal favourite of mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wd8bG39qYk