SHUT THE CELL UP !

How about an informal unscientific survey... how many people here think
smokers drive slowly and too cautiously? If you say no, are you a smoker?

I have to pull out of my development into 50 mph traffic and the side road
usually has a long line of cars waiting (yeah, we need a red light). It's an
intersection where you should not be distracted by anything, especially
during rush hour. Some people just will not pull out if there is not a
football field length between cars. They are almost always smokers and older
drivers. Or talking on a cell. (It's hard to say about other distractions,
like eating or screaming kids.)



"JohnF" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> So, it wasn't a distraction except for when it was a distraction?
>
> "John Richards" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> "cricket" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>>
>>> The study didn't mention if other distractions had the same effect on
>>> traffic physics - from what I see on the roads, smoking does. (This
>>> means you don't want stuck behind an elderly smoker talking on a cell
>>> phone <g>).
>>
>> Back when I was a smoker, I don't recall it interfering with my driving
>> concentration, except the few times when a hot ash dropped on my lap...
>>
>> --
>> John Richards
>
>

---

› See More: SHUT THE CELL UP !

John Richards wrote:
>
> "cricket" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> >
> > The study didn't mention if other distractions had the same effect on
> > traffic physics - from what I see on the roads, smoking does. (This means
> > you don't want stuck behind an elderly smoker talking on a cell phone <g>).
>
> Back when I was a smoker, I don't recall it interfering with my driving
> concentration, except the few times when a hot ash dropped on my lap...

Was the cigarette in your hand at all times? Did you have to look
at the ashtray to pickup or put down the cigarette? What'd you do
with the butt when you were finished?

Notan

John Richards wrote:
> "cricket" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>
>> The study didn't mention if other distractions had the same effect on
>> traffic physics - from what I see on the roads, smoking does. (This
>> means you don't want stuck behind an elderly smoker talking on a cell
>> phone <g>).
>
>
> Back when I was a smoker, I don't recall it interfering with my driving
> concentration, except the few times when a hot ash dropped on my lap...
>

It seems to me that we have a choice - we can concentrate on driving or
concentrate on a cell phone conversation, but not both at the same time.

On the other hand, it doesn't take a lot of concentration to smoke a
cigarette or listen to music. Though I have seen people with a cell
phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other, which would seem to
necessitate the car needing to be driven "hands free" while puffing on
the cigarette.

Considering the possible consequences from not paying attention to our
driving, for any reason, I would prefer people pull over and stop to
carry on a phone conversation, read a map, put on makeup, or anything
else that requires full concentration.

Tom

cricket wrote:
> How about an informal unscientific survey... how many people here think
> smokers drive slowly and too cautiously? If you say no, are you a smoker?
<cut>
I am an ex-smoker, and I think once the cigarette is lit then it
requires little further attention, unless you manage to drop it
somewhere and end up trying to find it before your car catches on fire.
It is hard to drive when your head is below the dashboard looking for
a burning cigarette; but even under the above circumstances, most people
would have enough sense to pull over and look for the cigarette instead
of continuing to drive.

Tom

Then why do smokers seem to interrupt the flow of traffic? Or is it that you
notice the pokey butt holding up the line of traffic is smoking and s/he's
just by nature a slow and overly cautious driver who would drive just as
slow if they weren't puffing?

Doing anything while you are driving affects traffic physics. My father in
law likes to look around - at other cars, houses, trees... you name it, he
doesn't miss it. His eyes are off the road more than they are on it. Not
surprisingly, he gets a lot of gestures when people pass him. I can't
imagine him driving with a cell phone - fortunately he's anti anything
invented since the 70's. <g>




"Tom" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:lC1Td.13575$755.5673@lakeread05...
> cricket wrote:
>> How about an informal unscientific survey... how many people here think
>> smokers drive slowly and too cautiously? If you say no, are you a smoker?
>>
> <cut>
> I am an ex-smoker, and I think once the cigarette is lit then it requires
> little further attention, unless you manage to drop it somewhere and end
> up trying to find it before your car catches on fire. It is hard to drive
> when your head is below the dashboard looking for a burning cigarette; but
> even under the above circumstances, most people would have enough sense to
> pull over and look for the cigarette instead of continuing to drive.
>
> Tom

cricket wrote:
> Then why do smokers seem to interrupt the flow of traffic?
<cut>
If you have noticed lit cigarettes come flying back at your car, from
who knows where, then maybe the answer to your question is because some
smokers are inconsiderate assholes who have no consideration for those
around them - much like many non-smokers.

"My father in law likes to look around - at other cars, houses, trees...
you name it, he doesn't miss it. . . "
Knowing what is going on around you is part of safe driving. If your
father-in-law drives under the speed limit on a two lane road, then he
is a hazard to everyone unfortunate to be around him. No offense.

Tom

In news:[email protected],
Steve Sobol <[email protected]> typed:
> cricket wrote:
>> I think it's the ear volume...
>
> I know I tend to talk louder when I perceive the other person to be
> talking louder because my earpiece volume is up. I end up having to
> turn my earpiece volume down often so I don't annoy everyone within a
> mile of me!

Maybe it's because I'm an audio expert that I've never made the assumption
of them talking loud as I've assumed they're loud due to amplification.
I've always talked quiet and close to the mic because of the stereotype that
people talking on cell phones shout all the time and I'm there to present
the case that, yes, it's a stupid stereotype that may be true 95% of the
time but not in my case.

Drewdawg, low cell talking since 2001 ;-)

> "My father in law likes to look around - at other cars, houses, trees...
> you name it, he doesn't miss it. . . "
> Knowing what is going on around you is part of safe driving. If your
> father-in-law drives under the speed limit on a two lane road, then he is
> a hazard to everyone unfortunate to be around him. No offense.

He does at least 5 mph under the speed limit and what part of safe driving
does looking at the guys painting a house fall under?

I'm very aware of the other cars on the road, what's going on ahead of me,
and what traffic is at side roads. I watch for pedestrians and such but I
will not rubberneck accidents and I don't care about what's going on away
from the road. A house could be on fire for all I know - but as long as it's
not burning in the highway right of way, I'm not going to look. In fact, I
want past it as quickly and smoothly as possible so I'm not in the way of
the emergency crews. I'll read about it in the paper...

In that case you are unlike 95% of the drivers out there (I like to
think I'm one of the 5% myself by the way). And I salute you!

Right, for all of 5 seconds every 5 years or so.
Not exactly on the same scale as cell phone use.

--
John Richards


"JohnF" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> So, it wasn't a distraction except for when it was a distraction?
>
> "John Richards" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> "cricket" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>>
>>> The study didn't mention if other distractions had the same effect on
>>> traffic physics - from what I see on the roads, smoking does. (This means
>>> you don't want stuck behind an elderly smoker talking on a cell phone
>>> <g>).
>>
>> Back when I was a smoker, I don't recall it interfering with my driving
>> concentration, except the few times when a hot ash dropped on my lap...

"cricket" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> How about an informal unscientific survey... how many people here think
> smokers drive slowly and too cautiously? If you say no, are you a smoker?

I've never noticed a correlation between smoking and driving slow.
In fact, the opposite might be true. Smokers are reckless with their
health, so possibly the devil-may-care attitude might carry over
as far as taking more chances with traffic safety and road rules.

--
John Richards

"Notan" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> John Richards wrote:
>>
>> "cricket" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>> >
>> > The study didn't mention if other distractions had the same effect on
>> > traffic physics - from what I see on the roads, smoking does. (This means
>> > you don't want stuck behind an elderly smoker talking on a cell phone <g>).
>>
>> Back when I was a smoker, I don't recall it interfering with my driving
>> concentration, except the few times when a hot ash dropped on my lap...
>
> Was the cigarette in your hand at all times? Did you have to look
> at the ashtray to pickup or put down the cigarette? What'd you do
> with the butt when you were finished?

From habit I knew exactly where the ashtray was, without having to look for it.
Any glances at the ashtray were probably shorter than a look at the radio/time
display.

--
John Richards

>> Sounds like PA...
>
> I disagree. You're making it sound like cities like Harrisburg,
> Pittsburgh and Philly are all just one-horse hick towns, and they're
> not. Even Erie isn't.
>
> There aren't any major urban centers in North Dakota.

I thought it was just age...not lifestyle (althought I do agree that
North Dakota is Hicksville, USA).

TH

drewdawg wrote:

> Maybe it's because I'm an audio expert that I've never made the assumption
> of them talking loud as I've assumed they're loud due to amplification.

Well, I've had cell phones attached to my ear since the spring of 1993... close
to twelve years now, and I *know better.* It's just a bad habit.

--
JustThe.net - Apple Valley, CA - http://JustThe.net/ - 888.480.4NET (4638)
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / [email protected] / PGP: 0xE3AE35ED

"In case anyone was wondering, that big glowing globe above the Victor
Valley is the sun." -Victorville _Daily Press_ on the unusually large
amount of rain the Southland has gotten this winter (January 12th, 2005)

Radios are not a distraction for most people. Generally most of us
don't flip around from station to station while driving. I had a friend
that used to do it though- he'd flip from station to station everytime
the song changed or a commercial came on. Drove me friggn nuts to ride
with him.