Cellphone use while Driving - More dangerous than Drunk Driving

It's been proven that talking on a cellphone while driving is more
dangerous than driving while drunk. Drunks actually pay better
attention to their driving than do people on cellphones.
On the other hand, people who are both drunk and using a cellphone
while driving are the most dangerous drivers of all.

I never could understand how a cop can arrest someone who is driving
relatively safely, but they had 3 beers so their BA level is over the
limit. Yet they do nothing about cellphone users behind the wheel. If
I buy some liquor, I must legally keep it in the trunk or another
place out of the drivers compartment. When are they going to make it
a law to require cellphones be kept in the trunk? The sooner the
better.

Until then, whenever I get near a driver on their cell, I know to
blast my horn, flash my lights, and do other annoying gestures to take
their mind off their phone and direct it to their driving.

In article <sblp33d0vvnr7ikq1gqomvj2psib2l8hcp@4ax.com>, pitnee2@botmail.com wrote:

> Until then, whenever I get near a driver on their cell, I know to
> blast my horn, flash my lights, and do other annoying gestures to take
> their mind off their phone and direct it to their driving.

So where is this "proof" you speak of? I think, if you're a crappy
driver, you're a crappy driver regardless of what you do while
driving. If you're a decent driver and can keep your eyes and focus on
the road while chatting (think "handsfree kit"), you're generally OK.
The problem is that some people can't.


--
Steve Sobol, Professional Geek ** Java/VB/VC/PHP/Perl ** Linux/*BSD/Windows
Victorville, California PGP:0xE3AE35ED

It's all fun and games until someone starts a bonfire in the living room.

> "Steven J. Sobol" wrote:
> So where is this "proof" you speak of? I think, if you're a crappy
> driver, you're a crappy driver regardless of what you do while
> driving. If you're a decent driver and can keep your eyes and focus on
> the road while chatting (think "handsfree kit"), you're generally OK.
> The problem is that some people can't.

No surprise to me. People think they multi-task better far better than they
actually do.

If you think a drunk driver is safer than a cell phone driver, check these
links:

http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/hea...out533489.html

http://motorcyclists-against-dumb-dr...k-driving.html
(lots of bibliography data in this one)

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...?artid=1769537

http://www.nsc.org/issues/idrive/inincell.htm


Google listed 41,000 articles on the subject.

B~

On Mon, 07 May 2007 11:10:32 -0700, Evan Platt
<evan@theobvious.espphotography.com> wrote:

>>What about ppl talking to their passengers while driving?
>
>The passenger watches the road for the driver.

And you dont have to push tiny buttons on the passenger to dial their
vocal cords !!!

pitnee2@botmail.com wrote in news:sblp33d0vvnr7ikq1gqomvj2psib2l8hcp@
4ax.com:

> It's been proven that talking on a cellphone while driving is more
> dangerous than driving while drunk. Drunks actually pay better
> attention to their driving than do people on cellphones.

That is completely argumentative.

The main problem with your statement is that you put all cellphone
drivers into one group. This simply is not the case. There are bad
drivers, regardless of whether or not they are talking on a phone. And
there are good drivers whether or not they are talking on a cellphone.

I have been using a cellphone, while I drive, for about 20 years. I have
never had one cellphone related incident. There is one important reason
for this. My driving is a much higher priority than my phone call.
Sure, there are plenty of people who don't act this way. There are
plenty who do. Please do not regard all drivers to be in the same class.


> On the other hand, people who are both drunk and using a cellphone
> while driving are the most dangerous drivers of all.

If they ARE drunk, then you speak the obvious.

>
> I never could understand how a cop can arrest someone who is driving
> relatively safely, but they had 3 beers so their BA level is over the
> limit. Yet they do nothing about cellphone users behind the wheel.

Even you can figure out this situation. One is against the law, the
other is not. (I can hear you say, "Yet!")

If their BA is above the legal limit then they are already a bad driver,
because they are impaired. Yes... they may be driving safely at a given
moment, but it is their inability to handle the critical problems that
arise. Like observing red lights or pedestrians, or other drivers.


> If I buy some liquor, I must legally keep it in the trunk or another
> place out of the drivers compartment. When are they going to make it
> a law to require cellphones be kept in the trunk? The sooner the
> better.


> Until then, whenever I get near a driver on their cell, I know to
> blast my horn, flash my lights, and do other annoying gestures to take
> their mind off their phone and direct it to their driving.
>

Interestingly enough, all of those activities ARE against the law if done
for the reason you give. YOU would be responsible, if in doing those
things, you distracted a driver enough to cause an accident. This makes
you proud?

In my state, there are presently no laws on the books about handheld
phones while driving. It WILL come however. So to that end, I have
begun using a handsfree headset. So I will be used to it when the laws
do change. Now... even though I may not be actively talking on the
phone, I get more static about 'talking on the phone' than I ever (never)
did while using the phone in my hand. Simply because the head set is so
visible, others think I am on a call, any time they see me.

The bottom line is... there are bad rivers and there are good drivers.

The bad drivers will be bad drivers whether or not they are using a cell
phone.

Good drivers will be good drivers whether or not they are using a cell
phone.


I have a prediction... The next thing to be a problem (like bad drivers
with cellphones), will be bad drivers with Navigation Screens. There is a
fine line between a navigation screen and map reading while driving.

It will happen.

respectfully

buck

I have witnessed an accident right before my eyes and had to rescue an
infant from an overturned vehicle because a woman wanted to be on her
cell phone instead of watching the road. I watched the whole incident
unfold, and I'll tell you, it's dangerous.


www.topsavings.net

"Mr.Spock" <spock@no.klingons.net> wrote in
news:46691317$0$12060$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com:

> siegel@topsavings.net wrote in
> news:1181263675.841988.125100@i38g2000prf.googlegr oups.com:
>
>> I have witnessed an accident right before my eyes and had to rescue
>> an infant from an overturned vehicle because a woman wanted to be on
>> her cell phone instead of watching the road. I watched the whole
>> incident unfold, and I'll tell you, it's dangerous.
>>
>>
>> x
>>
>>
>
> It's stupid people!
> It can be anything. Such as the man I was following today who kept
> playing with this face and looking in the mirror. He kept speeding up
> and then slowing down while swerving and looking in the mirror.
>

That's correct!

Cell phones do not make bad drivers.

They may well make bad drivers much worse, however.

buck