Cell phones while driving..!

[California]

I posted these photos on here back in 2007. Here's how inattentive a driver can be.

I have no doubt the lady in the convertible Mustang was on the phone.

She came out of a side road and drove head-on into the passenger side fuel tank of a semi coming from her left.

That semi skidded on his own fuel slick and took out the gravel trailer's axle plus a Suburban behind it. Only the gravel driver was unhurt.

 

[Bedlam]

Here we had a patrolcar that was stopped on the roadside, and then the cop decided to get going and pulled out into traffic, and there was a car coming, they of cource crashed into him, sending them to the hospital.
Weeks later they announce no charges. Hmm I wonder if I could not yield and pull in front of him and have that decision.
Yes he was busy looking at his computer.So lots of distractions but they should also be held to the same standard but many times they arent.

 

[Bird]

Weeks later they announce no charges. Hmm I wonder if I could not yield and pull in front of him and have that decision.
Yes he was busy looking at his computer.So lots of distractions but they should also be held to the same standard but many times they arent.

And many times they're held to a much higher standard than the public. What you've told us doesn't include the reason for no charges (I can think of several reasons), doesn't tell us whether it's only criminal charges not filed, or whether disciplinary action in the department was called for or taken, so I don't see how anyone could tell whether the cop was or was not held to the same standard as anyone else; just not enough information.

 

[kidr]

Don't they teach in the defensive driving course, that in order to "get away" from a kamikaze driver, is to stop and let them drive away from you?

Yes, but alot of times people zonked out on phones will not be aware of their speed and slow down way below the posted speed.I get away from them. Speeders or or erratic drivers are different and I'll even slow down to "get away". I've even had a passeger call 911 to report particularly dangerous driving. In my post I said I would speed a little to get out of danger "if I had to". that implies there are other options. I didn't want make an overly long post and include them all.

 

[dave1949]

The brain attention split is the biggest problem; motorically driving with the phone is not a big deal.

Huh? Could you rephrase that comment please?
Dave.

 

[dave1949]

Yes, but alot of times people zonked out on phones will not be aware of their speed and slow down way below the posted speed.I get away from them. Speeders or or erratic drivers are different and I'll even slow down to "get away". I've even had a passeger call 911 to report particularly dangerous driving. In my post I said I would speed a little to get out of danger "if I had to". that implies there are other options. I didn't want make an overly long post and include them all.

Stopping on an interstate is a good way to get killed too, even in the breakdown lane.

What I hate to see is someone on the phone settle in behind me, usually closer than they should be even without the phone. That's just what I need - someone in position to rear-end me if I am forced to slow down.

The only thing worse is a semi tailgating, I know his stopping distance is 3-4 times longer that what I am driving. In the 1.5 seconds it takes for truck air brakes to engage, I could be dead already.

I agree with the previous poster who believes tailgating is the cause of many serious accidents. The police could easily enforce tailgating, but I suppose it's easier to ticket people for speeding.
Dave.

 

[kidr]

Huh? Could you rephrase that comment please?
Dave.

I think what he's saying is that physically handling the phone or radio in a car is not the main problem. The problem is that the eyes glass over and the brain disconnects. I call it "cell phone fog" and I want my cut if it's used as a defence in court. Not talking about texting which is different. Anyway I like the way he said it, very colorful.

 

[jimmyj]

It is impossible for a person to devote part of their attention away from one task and still have the same amount of concentration on the original task. Thus, driving alone vs driving and doing anything else at the same time is taking on a risk. The problem as I see it is we humans have different tolerances for what is "acceptable" in terms of risk and also we are lousy judges of how good our tolerances are. Just ask a drunk driver, "well, I thought I was OK."

I'm not saying that talking on a phone or lighting a smoke or changing the radio station is the same as being drunk, it's just that any time a person divides their attention while driving they take on a level of risk. I must admit due to my job I am on the phone constantly while I drive. I know for sure it makes me less competent as a driver and I do it anyway. Dumb, and proof of my point I think.

A good topic, I think a core issue is that we drive so very much we take the risks associated with it for granted. Each of us posts here about how careful we need to be when using a PHD or FEL, yet we drive at 50 to 80 mph on a strip of road in opposite directions to people doing the same thing with nothing to separate us but a line painted on the ground every day! There is no way any industrial union or plan manager would allow such a practice in a factory, but we do it with our kids in the back!

 

[Bedlam]

thumbs up Jimmy well described

 

[Alan L.]

The problem is not with talking, its with dialing and texting. I don't use bluetooth, but I do use voice activated calling - "call home". Most good drivers can drive and talk at the same time, but shouldn't be taking their eyes off the road to text, read texts, or punch in phone numbers.

 

[JB4310]

The problem is not with talking, its with dialing and texting. I don't use bluetooth, but I do use voice activated calling - "call home". Most good drivers can drive and talk at the same time, but shouldn't be taking their eyes off the road to text, read texts, or punch in phone numbers.

I don't agree, not counting texting as that is just insane, IMO dialing a number is not a big problem, it is that brain split as Prokop put it so eloquently.

I use voice commands and blue tooth sometimes, Not sure why the blue tooth is safer but for me it is, I'm less distracted when on head set than when holding phone to my head. Don't know why, it can't be just cause it frees up my hand as I never use 2 hands on the wheel?

Going down the road in a straight line, you can handle some distractions, my peev is in intersections then your risking others safety and you look like an idiot doing it. That's why for me anyway if I'm on a phone to head call I'll always put it down or switch to speaker phone when approaching an intersection.

 

[Steve C]

The problem is not with talking, its with dialing and texting. I don't use bluetooth, but I do use voice activated calling - "call home". Most good drivers can drive and talk at the same time, but shouldn't be taking their eyes off the road to text, read texts, or punch in phone numbers.

I glanced back at the semi, there was a Jeep station wagon coming off the on ramp about to run into the side of it at a high rate of speed. I couldn't believe my eyes, How could you not see the truck if you were getting on the road. I quickly moved to the left lane and hit the brakes thinking the truck driver was going to have to take evasive action and swerve left if by chance he happened to see the idiot in the jeep, although he was probably in the truckers blind spot on the right hand side. The trucker probably never saw the guy because he remained in the right lane.
Just before impact, the Jeep violently careened to the right hand shoulder of the road and almost hit the guard rail, then shot back accross the road just clearing the rear end of the truck and almost hit the guard rail on the left side of the road. All this time his brake lights never came on. I followed him for a couple of miles and he was constantly crossing the center line and running off the right shoulder of the road all the while slowing down and speeding up.
I was about to call 911 and report a drunk driver when he slowed down to about 45 and I shot past him.

When I went by I noticed he had the drivers seat cranked back at about a 45 degree angle. He was leaning to the right far enough that his head was centered in the car. He was holding a cell phone in his right hand almost like he was leaning on his elbow on the passenger seat, and he was staring up at the headliner with a far away look on his face, and steering with his left hand and his jaws were just flapping. I don't know who he was talking to but whoever it was sure had 110% of that guys attention. That guy had no clue that he was surrounded by traffic. He never saw me when I went by.

This man (I ashamed to say it was one of us) wasn't doing anything except talking.

It has been my experience is that the subject that one is talking about has a great deal of impact on the ammount of attention that is being diverted. If you are calling home to tell them the you are going to be 20 minutes late. It takes almost nothing away from your attention because you already know what you are going to say before you say it. If on the other hand you get a call from your construction crew and they are trying to describe some unforseen problem to you and are asking you for a resolution, it will divert a great deal of attention away from driving. First you will be trying to visualize what they are talking about, then you are going to be thinking of various ways to fix it. Contractors seem to live on their cell phones. I have seen them talk while driving, and I have seen them pull over and stop when the conversation requires more attention than can be safely diverted. I don't think the average person bothers to makes those distinctions.

 

[California]

I think the problem *is* with the talking, not just the taking eyes off the road to dial or text. Sometimes it means mentally departing from present reality and 'getting lost' in the conversation.

Three times now I have seen someone lost in conversation jaywalking across a busy street with no awareness of the evasive maneuvers that drivers are making to save his life. This isn't the same as drunken jaywalking. The talker is glancing around and clearly misjudging the situation, assuming that others are giving him the courtesy to not interfere with his conversation, like the courtesy he would expect from his family inside his home.

And the same thing several times in supermarkets, where the talker assumes the right of way and would walk right through you if you didn't challenge this rudeness. I think we have all seen a customer delay a cashier while talking.

My photos at the top of this page are the clearest illustration of this 'otherness' that I can think of.

 

[Western]

I use Bluetooth exclusively, It's the safest thing to me because of the hands/wire free angle BUT, in all honesty, it is a distraction and DOES take away a certain amount of concentration, I bet at least half.
When talking with family, friends or business calls I think is when you devote the most concentration, unlike when listening to a good tune on the radio..

I think to some extent you are "impaired" when on the phone and don't be surprised if in the future that will be the angle to curb cell use in a moving vehicles..

Remember, it's only you against 300 million other drivers...

 

[dave1949]

I think to some extent you are "impaired" when on the phone and don't be surprised if in the future that will be the angle to curb cell use in a moving vehicles..

Remember, it's only you against 300 million other drivers...

I think you are right. Maine just passed a 'distracted driving' law. Anything you do that distracts from driving, not just phones or texting.
Dave.

 

[archerm3]

Yes, but alot of times people zonked out on phones will not be aware of their speed and slow down way below the posted speed.I get away from them. Speeders or or erratic drivers are different and I'll even slow down to "get away". I've even had a passeger call 911 to report particularly dangerous driving. In my post I said I would speed a little to get out of danger "if I had to". that implies there are other options. I didn't want make an overly long post and include them all.

Stopping on an interstate is a good way to get killed too, even in the breakdown lane.

What I hate to see is someone on the phone settle in behind me, usually closer than they should be even without the phone. That's just what I need - someone in position to rear-end me if I am forced to slow down.

The only thing worse is a semi tailgating, I know his stopping distance is 3-4 times longer that what I am driving. In the 1.5 seconds it takes for truck air brakes to engage, I could be dead already.

I agree with the previous poster who believes tailgating is the cause of many serious accidents. The police could easily enforce tailgating, but I suppose it's easier to ticket people for speeding.
Dave.

good points.

 

[archerm3]

The problem is not with talking, its with dialing and texting. I don't use bluetooth, but I do use voice activated calling - "call home". Most good drivers can drive and talk at the same time, but shouldn't be taking their eyes off the road to text, read texts, or punch in phone numbers.

I highly disagree with this statement. Again, it's about divided attention and being able to see and then intepret everything thats going on outside the drivers seat. The problem with talking is in the seriousness or complexity of the topic of discussion. I'm sure if you (rhetorically) were called up on your hand's free and someone was describing to you at that very moment that there was an accident involving your family, most people wouldn't see the car that ran the stoplight is about to Tbone them.

Scariest people i've found to take a ride with as a passenger is a busy real estate agent.

 

[archerm3]

I don't agree, not counting texting as that is just insane, IMO dialing a number is not a big problem, it is that brain split as Prokop put it so eloquently.

I use voice commands and blue tooth sometimes, Not sure why the blue tooth is safer but for me it is, I'm less distracted when on head set than when holding phone to my head. Don't know why, it can't be just cause it frees up my hand as I never use 2 hands on the wheel?

Going down the road in a straight line, you can handle some distractions, my peev is in intersections then your risking others safety and you look like an idiot doing it. That's why for me anyway if I'm on a phone to head call I'll always put it down or switch to speaker phone when approaching an intersection.

I agree. If i'm aproaching a traffic situation that needs more attention, I just stop talking and rewind when the danger is past.

 

[Redbug]

Here's something I have considered. The price has really come down on these things and you should shop around since there are different models and manufacturers. Only thing, while driving it may make matters worse. Other places, no problem.

Cell phone blocker, mobile cell phone blocker high powered cell phone blocker and detectors.

Cell phone jammer :: Mobile phone jammers :: Online store :: Buy here !

 

[JB4310]

Here's something I have considered. The price has really come down on these things and you should shop around since there are different models and manufacturers. Only thing, while driving it may make matters worse. Other places, no problem.

Cell phone blocker, mobile cell phone blocker high powered cell phone blocker and detectors.

Cell phone jammer :: Mobile phone jammers :: Online store :: Buy here !

The range on those things is very limited one says up to 5 meters, that's probably the only way they can make them and not be internationally banned as a terrorist tool. I would think you'd have some serious explaining to do to the FCC if you got caught jamming signals outside of your own home or business. Probably a federal offence.

Could of used one of those when on vacation a couple years ago, enjoying a nice quiet breakfast in a hotels continental dining room, when some jerk comes in having a loud conversation with what sounded like a lawyer. I went and turned up the television so loud it bothered him, he went and turned it down, then I went and cranked it as loud as it could go and stood by guarding it.
My wife was scared and tried to get me to stand down but I wouldn't. The guy left the room, my wife saw him later that day in the lobby and she said he apologized and that he was going through some tough times.