Texting while driving

[turnkey4099]

There's another type: those who do it because they believe they are capable and still maintain focus on driving even though other people clearly cannot.

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Oh yeah. They will insist that they can "multitask" in spite of the science that says the brain does things serially, not simultaneous. No such thing as multitasking the way our brains are wired. Lots of "reaction timers" out there. Ask one of them to try one and text (or even talk) at the same time...oddly they never say what their scores were.



Harry K

 

[5 string]

Have you quit using your phone while driving? The conversation is the big distraction

It's no more of a distraction than talking to someone in the seat beside me.
When I get to the point that I'm not capable to do that, I will surrender my drivers license.
Phones now can be operated pretty much completely by voice commands, and I suspect I can text by voice also, but haven't tried it.

 

[Streetcar]

It's no more of a distraction than talking to someone in the seat beside me.
When I get to the point that I'm not capable to do that, I will surrender my drivers license.
Phones now can be operated pretty much completely by voice commands, and I suspect I can text by voice also, but haven't tried it.

Why would you think holding the phone is distracting verses being involved in the conversation
Voice text does not understand my accent, lots of wrong words

 

[turnkey4099]

It's no more of a distraction than talking to someone in the seat beside me.
When I get to the point that I'm not capable to do that, I will surrender my drivers license.
Phones now can be operated pretty much completely by voice commands, and I suspect I can text by voice also, but haven't tried it.

And tests have proven that conversing with someone in the car is just as bad as talking on the phone except that there is a second pair of eyes that may or may not be distracted.

Anything you do dthat takes your mind off of driving is hazardous.

 

[paulsharvey]

It's all in degrees, not black and white. Maybe we say texting reduces your driving ability by say 40%, talking on phone by 15%, shaving 30%, ect. Speeding by even 10 mpx has a large increase in accidents, too close follow distance, lots of things... texting is just another one of many contributing factors.

Too some people, texting is a stupid increase in danger, but they don't really think of their own behavior.

I saw something one time, comparing German drivers to US drivers. The point was that most US drivers, driving is one of many activities they are doing, we view it like walking or breathing, and we drive, eat, talk, text, fix a sandwitch, and hand a sappy cup to kid in back seat; where as Germans viewed driving as an Active thing, where you are pretty much just driving.

 

[5 string]

Why would you think holding the phone is distracting verses being involved in the conversation
Voice text does not understand my accent, lots of wrong words

Because when operating a phone by hand, one must take the eyes off the road to to dial a number or send a text. Also, during a conversation, one hand is constantly occupied holding the phone and if it is dropped for some reason, who isn't going to look down to find it?
A Bluetooth headset takes all of this out of the picture.
As for the "wrong words" you speak of, I don't have the answer except possibly try to improve your speech.

 

[5 string]

And tests have proven that conversing with someone in the car is just as bad as talking on the phone except that there is a second pair of eyes that may or may not be distracted.

Anything you do dthat takes your mind off of driving is hazardous.

What I said earlier was "This takes distracted driving because of using your phone, out of the picture."
By this I meant that when using a BT headset, both hands are always free to operate the vehicle and ones eyes never have to leave the road.
I think this makes operating a cellphone quite a bit safer than operating the the HVAC controls, wipers, radio and anything else I have missed, on any vehicle I own.
This thread is about the dangers of taking your eyes off of the road while driving when using a cellphone. In most cases, a BT headset can be the answer to that problem. Distracted driving can never be totally eliminated as long as humans are in control of the vehicle. If we want to nitpick about this, even thinking about anything other than driving is a distraction and this can happen whether conversing with someone on the phone, someone in the seat beside you, or alone in the car.

 

[Deere Dude]

I can't think of anyone who is driving and focused totally on the road and other cars. Everyone daydreams, but for some reason am able to see and comprehend dangers to watch for as they drive.

It seems possible to eat or even converse with a friend sitting next to you and drive somewhat safely because you can still be focused on the duty at hand.

But, just talking on the hand held phone and definitely texting takes the mind completely off the road. The eyes may be looking downfield while talking on the phone, but the awareness just doesn't seem to be there. With texting, even the eyes are focused off the road along with the mind, and then the driver will be. But that is just may be me.

I have driven and talked on the phone and 20 miles later I can't recall anything that happened along the way. I have played with the CD player and that is a disaster to play with that and drive safely at the same time. If all I have to do is press the advance button for a second, that is one thing, but to select a specific song that needs visual attention, that takes the whole mind.

I listened or read an article about 10 years ago which spoke scientifically to why it is impossible to text safely while driving. It seems the brain isn't wired to do both at the same time. That is true with me.

 

[jlgurr]

But that is just may be me. I have driven and talked on the phone and 20 miles later I can't recall anything that happened along the way.

Ditto! After that happened to me I stopped talking on the phone and driving at the same time. Scared me half to death.

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[5 string]

I have driven several miles before alone in the car before the days of cellphones while thinking about something, daydreaming or whatever you want to call it, and not remember anything that happened over that distance. I must have been relatively safe during that time because I have never put a scratch on anything I've driven during the 40 plus years since I got my license. I attribute this to me always trying to keep my eyes on the road and anything that allows me to do that, can only be a good thing.
A car traveling 60 mph will travel 88 feet in one second so taking your eyes off the road for 5 seconds, means you have just traveled 440 feet entirely on the grace of God, and luck.