Drive Now, Talk Later

I have not had an accident since before the cell phone age, but I have had maybe a half dozen close calls and I believe half of them involved the other driver on a cell phone.

It’s perfectly possible to drive and talk with an acceptable level of safety. As pointed out, pilots do roughly the same thing every day.

The problem, IMO, is a failure of discipline and prioritization. When I was learning to fly, I was taught: “Aviate, navigate, communicate–IN THAT ORDER!” I use the same philosophy in driving: I’ve tossed the phone aside (without explanation) when presented with a novel or demanding traffic situation so that I might not be distracted. The problem arises when drivers want to assign higher priority to “not offending” their conversation partner that driving, with predictable results.

I’ve adopted a version of the “sterile cockpit” rule from aviation, which states all conversation during t/o, departure, approach and landing must be directly related to flight ops. I’ll allow myself to talk fairly freely on a lightly-travelled interstate; however, I’d probably just ignore a ringing phone while driving in unfamiliar, urban traffic.

I’m sick and tired of the people who are so self-important that they block the intersection trying to squeee their way into the last little bit of a green light, thereby blocking those who actually do have the green. 9 times out of 10 I hit the red light at the busy intersection near my home and to pass time while waiting I count the number of people on their phones as they drive past me- it’s unbelievable! WHAT in the world is everyone talking about?!! I passed a car that was going 50 mph on the freeway yesterday- the guy was READING the newspaper!! It’s all fun and games until someone’s day is ruined by losing their life because of someone else’s stupidity.

Have you ever been behind someone who thinks talking on their cell phone causes accidents, so when their phone rings they slam on the brakes and swerve to the side of the rode to answer it “safely”?
Please! Talking while driving, cooking, or any other activity is not multi-tasking because your brain is constantly working. When you talk you are simply vocalizing your thoughts. Now when someone stops to think…that is when problems arise.

Personally, I thing Bill Maher said it best:

“No answering the phone during sex. According to Ad Age magazine, 15% of Americans answer their cell phones during sex. Which is not only rude but dangerous because it interferes with your driving.”

I ride a motorcycle regularly, and cell phone yakkers are just another of the many species of idiots trying to kill me. A soccer mom in a minivan with virtually no visibility, juggling three kids, a cell phone, and a hot latte is the kind of suicidal death threat Al Quaeda can only dream of.

However, back in the days before cell phones were widespread, I used to work on my Uncle’s watermelon farm. (cue wavy flashback lines…)

There were many, MANY times when people would look DIRECTLY at me – look me in the eye, even – driving a huge bright red truck stuffed with 20,000 pounds of watermelons… and then calmly proceed as if they saw nothing but blue sky.

I have no idea how I avoided several gruesome wrecks with severed limbs and squashed watermelons flying everywhere. Any truck driver can tell you the same type of story – narrow escapes from determinedly suicidal car pilots are just a many-times-daily part of the job.

Idiotic drivers are everywhere. Cell phones have just given them another weapon.

I also agree that driver education is a joke in the US. But God forbid we try to keep idiots from driving – one core idiot belief is that they’re all born with the ability to drive like Emerson Fittipaldi. So driver training or testing is obviously a complete waste of time…

" – one core idiot belief is that they’re all born with the ability to drive like Emerson Fittipaldi. "

It could be worse, they could think they drive like Shumaker trying to make his flight in a cab.

The only two accidents I was ever in as a driver were caused by the other driver being on the phone.

In both cases, the cop had to repeatedly tell the other driver to get off the phone during the investigation questioning.

In one case, the cellphoniac passed me on the right on the shoulder while I was signaling and starting to make a right turn. The driver behind me was turning left, and she passed both cars on the right shoulder.

Sometimes I wonder if they downloaded their brains into their phones, and then deleted the originals.

In the other case, the celladdict turned left from the middle lane of a one-way street (an illegal move) because she saw the restaurant she wanted to go to on a side street. I was in the left lane, going straight (a legal move).

EXACTLY. I learned to fly before I learned to drive, and I was horrified, frightened, and aghast when I found out how little you have to learn before they hand you a DL.

On the other hand, pilots are a self-selecting crew, and drivers mostly aren’t. It’s not much different from K12 ed. I used to teach community college, and I will never forget spending 20 minutes on “What is a noun?” I mean you’d think this is simple, right? Person, place, thing? Half the class couldn’t get it. Point to a chair. “Noun, yes or no?” Silence. “Is it a person?” Silence. “Is it a place?” “No.” “Is it a thing?” “No.” All native English speakers, mind. They’d all graduated high school.

The DMV people understand that there are limits to what you can expect from people who don’t care.

The pilots are getting steering instructions when they are on the radio. That is part of “driving” the plane.

Also, pilots have autopilots and collision warning alarms to help them when they are not near airports.

What you are hearing on that scanner is not pilot talk over air traffic control frequencies. Such talk is banned.

You are hearing the airport maintenance, luggage, and plane towing crews on their frequencies. You will hear them identify with the planes they are servicing at the time, for location purposes. These people are often waiting to be used at the time they are yakking.

Wrong.

The problems with cell phone conversations are:

  1. The conversation has nothing to do with driving (pilots are getting instructions on where to fly to avoid other planes, so the pilot argument is specious).

  2. The person on the other end of the conversation is not in the car. (Someone in the car will see a developing traffic situation, and hopefully will shut up.)

The worst case is when the driver’s boss is on the other end of the conversation, and is giving business instructions to an employee who is driving. And it is doubly dangerous if the boss is the kind who demands undivided attention.

Almost as bad is a salesman who is trying to make a sale on the cell phone, and is calculating figures for the deal while driving.

Cell phones are probably the most common and dangerous distraction but I would certainly include user-unfriendly auto "features, including air conditioning controls, stereo system controls, GPS units, etc. Some of these devices/features are unnecessarily complex and non-intuitive. That is a design issue that can be laid squarely on the laps of manufacturers. Some cars place useful controls right on the steering wheel, which can be helpful. And last but not least - kids and pets. I was broad-sided by a woman who ran a red light because she was yelling at her kids in the back seat. :o)

The worst “feature” I’ve seen in a while was the multi-purpose display on a prius rental car that I was riding in. It includes this very sill cartoon to show what the hybrid system is doing at the moment, along with some very poorly designed climate control and audio controls. As the passenger, I was having trouble navigating this silly thing (about as user-unfriendly as possible); it would be pretty distracting for the driver.

I have no problem talking on the phone when driving, it’s no worse than talking to a passenger. I did notice that the state of CO prohibits people driving on learner’s permits from using phones (my daughter is taking a driving test soon), it’s probably a good idea for student drivers not to have any distractions.

Many of the above posts hit the nail on the head…DRIVER TRAINING. And this is the first I’ve seen my opinion expressed by anyone else, ever. Air plane pilot training should be applied to drivers of motor vehicles ( most semi drivers are heavily trained in this manner ). When I got my pilots license in 1977 it occured to my then ; if car drivers learned to drive in the manner that pilots learn to fly the accident rate would be cut in half or better, the death rate would follow suit, the insurance rates would tumble, and along with well trained drivers comes the logic of not doing these distractive activities listed above. Another pilot licensing requirement that should be applied to automotive ; the bi-annual revue to keep your license. Do you realize how politically IN-correct this idea is but the impact it would have ? Here’s another politically in-correct idea for LIABILITY insurance, insure the DRIVER not the car. Yes, laws would have to be changed but more cars on the road would be insured for liability ( cars can’t be on the road without a driver ). If the car’s new enough have “comp & collision” insurance on the vehicle but liability on the driver. For anything he drives his actions are covered within his personal risk factors which will be entirely different than hers. Got three cars in the garage ? They can’t do any damage just sitting there until…a DRIVER gets behind the wheel. But I digress…insurance is another topic. But fot this post I must agree…LEARN TO DRIVE and the rest follows suit.

I have nearly been hit by more women yakking on a cell phone than anyone. One woman was driving in Washington DC traffic with a pen in one hand and a notepad in the other and 2 fingers on her Jeep Grand Wagoneer’s steering wheel with her shoulder pressing her phone to her pin head.
Another was dictating notes to her office while reading from a file folder and driving.
All states need to adopt a law that states you must use a hands free device while driving or pull over to the right shoulder of the road and STOP. Fines should be $500.00 for the 1st offense. $1,000 for the 2nd, $2K for the 3rd and so on. This would prevent all the useless talking on the cell phone while driving.
As the bumper sticker says 'SHUT UP & DRIVE".

I have nearly been hit by more women yakking on a cell phone than anyone. One woman was driving in Washington DC traffic with a pen in one hand and a notepad in the other and 2 fingers on her Jeep Grand Wagoneer’s steering wheel with her shoulder pressing her phone to her pin head.
Another was dictating notes to her office while reading from a file folder and driving.
All states need to adopt a law that states you must use a hands free device while driving or pull over to the right shoulder of the road and STOP. Fines should be $500.00 for the 1st offense. $1,000 for the 2nd, $2K for the 3rd and so on. This would prevent all the useless talking on the cell phone while driving.
As the bumper sticker says 'SHUT UP & DRIVE".

LOL, I happened to be working in NY when their hands-free law went into effect, as expected it had absolutely no effect on the number of people driving and talking on phones. The “we need another law” approach is always silly. The police have no interest in enforcing this type of nonsense and the drivers will simply ignore it. Some politician will get to claim he accomplished something and get on the evening news for 10 seconds. Don’t get in the way of people who are on the phone, they’re busy.

I just received this in my e-mail yesterday. I figured I’d share it here. Pass it on…


Right now, there are millions of dangerous killers roaming the streets.

They just don?t realize that driving while talking on a cell phone has been proven, without question, to be as dangerous as driving drunk. And yet everyday, we all see people driving next to us, behind us, or in front of us who are talking on their cell phones. Maybe you?re one of them. I?m sure you?re not, though, because surely your conversation isn?t more important than your life, right? Or mine?

If your brain is busy with a conversation, you?re endangering everyone around you, including your passenger, or my nephew in the car seat behind me, or the old couple crossing the street.

You can?t ?will? yourself to focus on driving while you?re on a cell phone; research has shown that that doesn?t work because your brain is just busy with ?cognitive workload.? You can?t get around it.

And guess what? Ear pieces don?t actually help much, either. If your brain is busy with a conversation with someone who isn?t a passenger (who acts as an extra set of eyes), you are as dangerous as a drunk driver. If you?re talking on a cell phone while driving, your response time is dangerously slow.

If you don?t believe Mythbusters (who tested and proved cell phones can be as dangerous as driving drunk), here?s some more proof:

A 1997 American study [2] and a 2005 Australian study [3] both show that collisions when using a cellular telephone was four times more likely.
A 2003 study by University of Utah Psychology professor David Strayer found that ?cell phone drivers exhibited greater impairment than intoxicated drivers. [7] Do you hate traffic? People on cell phones actually cause traffic jams, too. In 2008, Strayer reported that motorists who talk on mobile phones don?t pass sluggish vehicles. [26]

Over 30 countries now ban cell phone use while driving completely, regardless of whether or not a headset is being used.
A 2002 Transport Research Laboratory report also showed that talking on a cell phone is ? more dangerous than being over the legal alcohol limit.? Drivers under the influence of alcohol required 115 feet of stopping distance, while people holding a cell phone required 148 feet of stopping distance, and drivers wearing headsets required 128 feet. (Normal drivers required 102 feet or less.)

It takes less than a split second for a lapse in concentration to result in an accident.
Even if you don?t care about anyone around you, and let?s hope that?s not true, in 2005, an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found that drivers talking on the cellphone were four times more likely to get in an accident serious enough to injure themselves.
Let?s not wait until we all know someone who was killed in a car accident caused by cell phones. Please hang up and drive, and pass it on.

Just a few links:
http://www.iihs.org/
http://www.forcesciencenews.com/visuals/strayer.pdf


Scientific Evidence:
http://cartalk.com/content/features/Drive-Now/scientific-evidence.html
Get a “Drive Now, Talk Later” bumper sticker
http://cartalk.com/content/features/Drive-Now/bumper-sticker.html

It is not just women. I’ve sat on my corner on a nice day, and counted the demographics of people on phones. It’s all groups, and all ages. I’ve actually been a bit surprised by how many older men are on the phone. And younger men. And younger women. And … so on.

ALL distractions are dangerous driving. Eating, drinking, slapping the kids in the back seat. My wife used to joke and raz me about a little quirk of mine that makes sense to her now. During a long road trip, say on vacation and such, we’d have the radio, tapes or cd playing the whole time then arrive at our destination. As i would pull down the exit ramp and turn into this unfamiliar town I reach over and TURN DOWN THE RADIO. She questions…“why ?” and I reply " so I can think straight and pay attention" . There are more than cel phones that are distractions.