Another Cell Phone Collision

[diamondlarry]

Originally Posted by Radio_tec

I would welcome a zero-tolerance policy to using cell phones in vehicles, hands-free or not.

I don't think banning hands-free will help. First of all, it'll never pass. Second, if they do that, they'll have to ban passengers in the front seat or ban passengers all together. For that matter, they would probably have to ban radios too as they and passengers would take away attention from driving.

[Damionk]

There was a lady "drafting" me yesterday with one hand holding her phone up to her ear. The other hand? Making wild gestures about her conversation. Over a span of about 20 seconds at 55 MPH I did not once see her free hand touch the steering wheel. What I want to know is what the hell was she steering with???

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by Damionk

There was a lady "drafting" me yesterday with one hand holding her phone up to her ear. The other hand? Making wild gestures about her conversation. Over a span of about 20 seconds at 55 MPH I did not once see her free hand touch the steering wheel. What I want to know is what the hell was she steering with???

The AAA considers it safer than hypermiling as they give a blind eye to it.

[YarSwiss]

There should at least be a ban cell phones for commercial drivers! The bigger the vehicle, the more restrictions they should have.

Or, short of a ban, there should be penalties for cellphone-related accidents as severe, no, much more severe than DUIs. If you're drunk or high, you're out of it and oblivious, but if you're gabbing away and have an accident, you SHOULD have been completely aware so the justice should come down hard!

Other than life/death situations, there is no reason why you cant just wait until you're stopped to make/take a call. Voicemail was invented for a reason.

Jail time/1000's of hours of community service is in order for this guy.

[PaleMelanesian]

Originally Posted by diamondlarry

I don't think banning hands-free will help. First of all, it'll never pass. Second, if they do that, they'll have to ban passengers in the front seat or ban passengers all together. For that matter, they would probably have to ban radios too as they and passengers would take away attention from driving.

One difference here is the passenger is also in the car and can see the surrounding conditions. They also have a vested interest in keeping safe. The person on the other end of the phone conversation has neither.

I've personally banned my radio, precisely because it distracts me. (from getting the maximum mpg...)

[groar]

There was a 2003 law against having a cell phone while driving, but a new law passed recently in France against "distracted drivers". Whatever the distraction (cell phone with/without free-hand, GPS, DVD, eating...) you can loose 2 points (out of the 12 in the driving license) and have a 150€ (220$) fine.

This is actively enforced currently and hope will be for a long time.

Next law to be enforced, even if it exists since a loooong time, is about forgotten indicators : 3 points But safety distance law (also 3 points) is always unforced

Denis.

[Nanci]

On the rare occasion that I get a call when I'm driving, my GPS picks up the call automatically, and hangs up automatically. It's really nice. It also reads text messages out loud.

Sure seems like nearly everyone in a car is on the phone, these days. What are they all talking about???

[Chuck]

One idea I have is based on the two-handed presses in factories. After a number of crushed/lost hands, machinery was redesigned so two hands were required and avoiding this danger.

If it was in my power, steering wheels would require both hands on the wheel or the engine would shut down within 60 seconds. In other words, you could not drive and be on the phone.

I know some will object to this, but get mad at the distracted drivers that kill on average eight people a day!

[hobbit]

There is plenty of mounting evidence that a phone conversation
is quite different from passengers in the car or a radio, even
with a headset. The local driver training outfit even went into
it, citing studies that equate the hazard from cellphones with
DUI because of the situation-handling parts of the brain that
are in play at the time. I have noted quite a few times with
a passenger in the car that when I need to concentrate more on
the road, the passenger gets very little of my bandwidth but
all they have to do is look over and see that I'm busy to
understand why they're not getting my full attention. A person
on the other end of a phone can't do that.
.
Then there are the self-important idiots screaming down the
on-ramp with the phone clapped up against the left side of their
heads so they can't even see to merge...
.
I noted one more reason to leave my phone off most of the time
today. Spam! Random marketing calls from obviously falsified
CIDs, and no humans monitoring the crap to ensure removal from
their creepy little lists. I think that's 100% illegal to do
to known cell-phone blocks, and yet there it is.
.
_H*

[Chuck]

Hobbit,

Maybe they are calling from Canada where it's legal for telemarketers to get away with this.