When you’re on the phone, you’re interacting with another person (or worse, some idiot computer system). There is a certain part of your brain that you use to do this, and it doesn’t multi-task well at all. Driving involves interacting with other people. That’s why you can’t be on the phone and driving at the same time. You can either drive or talk on the phone. Not both.
You are right. The problem is inattentiveness not phones. The only solution is to make everyone take a test that determines her ability to multi-task. Those who fail will not be allowed to have kids, in-laws, spouses or music in the car.
Get a grip!
I think the guy who invented the telephone should be boiled in acid… I consider the telephone to be an electronic toy, nothing else. But I don’t play with my toys when I drive.
I can sit at my computer and multitask while watching TV and/or listening to the radio. But when that phone rings, everything comes to a screeching halt! I can’t function or do anything with that stupid phone to my ear. I can’t wait till that never-ending conversation on the other end finishes so I can hang up (or throw the phone across the room), reboot my brain, and resume multitasking where I left off.
Of course you are being cranky. It is the job of those of us who think people with new licenses look 12.
Of course it is also time to ban cell phone use in cars. There is a law against car cell phone use in Washington DC and it works!
And if the person you are talking to doesn’t say ‘Look out for gawdssakes!’
As a frequent international traveler, especially to Germany, I have seen how effective a “hands free only” policy can be. At the speeds allowed in parts of the autobahn (it is a myth that there are no limits anywhere) there is no tolerance for distractions. Thus, there are also no cup holders in German cars, another safety law I would support.
I too have been the victim of nearly the victim of cell phone users. I have also been menaced by ham sandwich(maybe salami)eaters, coffee drinkers, toe nail polishers, ipod listeners, Tom Tom watchers, and any other distractions you can think of. Reckless driving is reckless driving. There are laws on the books already. Do we need to legislate every action that people engage in to get the police to protect us?
Anything that distracts the driver is potentially dangerous. Singling out cell phones is in my opinion giving the police a license to stop anyone at anytime. How do you defend against a wrongful stop? If the officer stops you and and issues a ticket for talking on your cell phone and you were not how can you prove it? If you have a cell phone in the car that does not mean you were on it. Could a cop profile someone and use their cell phone as grounds to stop them? If you can’t prove that you were not on the phone they cannot prove you were on it.
This brings up making cell phones illegal would the mere fact that you have a cell phone be grounds to stop and search your vehicle? Could the police use Bluetooth technology to determine if there is a phone in your car? These issues may or may not be supported by the current concerns of the people. I know the argument that if you are doing nothing wrong you need not worry, but if the last administration has done nothing else it has shown that power can be corrupted and information is not allows used for the good of all the people.
I believe that we need to make it harder to get a license for young people. Driving is a privilege. We should not hand licenses out with Crackerjacks most people if they were given a test on safe driving they would fail. Drivers education should be just that and education. European drivers, who drive on roads with no speed limits, get in fewer accidents then we do. They take driving more seriously. We should have a national standard for driving and a better public transportation system so that young people would not need to drive so much. That way if we issue a license to someone we can take it away from them without them losing there jobs.
So who hasn’t missed a turn while talking on a cell phone? It might be ok on rural interstates, but that’s all.
Well, let’s see. While we’re on the “big brother” bandwagon; let’s ban eating in the car, drinking in the car, talking to the passengers, thinking in the car and breathing in the car. Then we’ll all suffocate and no one will be alive to talk on the phone.
I agree with Ken Green’s post: Law Enforcement (at least in my area of CT) needs to become more aware of cell phone users and the signs (weaving out of lane, driving much slower than speed limit, etc).
I have witnessed police (state and local) drive right past drivers using handheld cellphones. I have also witnessed them driving right behind a cell phone driver as they were weaving into the hazard lane and not pulled them over.
Even if they weren’t using a cell phone, shouldn’t the officer have pulled them over for reckless driving or on suspicion of DUI? I have seen officers pay more attention to whether you are wearing your seatbelt (now that it is a primary offense in CT) than to cell phone use and not using a seatbelt only harms the person not using one. Distracted cell phone use harms anyone in proximity of your vehicle.
As for exemption for emergency personnel mentioned in “doctor’s”: they should be exempted. HOWEVER, I believe a separate form of identification showing your exemption should be provided by the DMV of your state, just like a license. It is too much to ask every officer to be familiar with all hospital or volunteer firefighter IDs.
I’m an avid bicyclist. When I see drivers on the phone, I stare at them, with hopes they will notice me. Amazingly, most of them don’t. I’ve had many close calls while bicycling and a few while driving. If a phone call is that important, pull over. It’s not necessary to risk lives. Cell phones should absolutely be banned. Undoubtedly, this is the most wide spread distraction indulged in by drivers. It’s scary. Ban them!!!
I am also a physician. In my state, there are shoulders on the highways and I find that if I pull off and turn on my flashers, most passing cars do not hit me and I don’t hit someone else while I am otherwise mentally involved with a patient care decision.
If you are in your car, life and death in the hospital won’t wait for you anyway, so look to the common good and DON’T DRIVE DRUNK! Take the call, but then pull off the road if you need to concentrate.
As a recently retired law enforcement officer (24 years service), I have personally seen 3 accidents happen while the driver was using a cell phone (as well as investigated several where I knew they were using a phone but I did not personally see it). Upon speaking with the drivers they stated that the accident would not have happened if they had not been on the phone. Many people have a difficult time driving with no distractions, and the phone simply adds one extra one. Every action while driving should not be regulated, but actions that cause a significant number of problems should be.
I feel that cell phone usage while driving DOES need to be regulated. I also believe that departments who oversee driving statutes should make it policy to stop and cite people (so long as more serious matters are not at hand) for this offense as well as failing to wear seatbelts. Having regulations does no good if an offense is not enforced.
Many people think enforcing these actions is unreasonable, but if YOU had investigated a large number of accidents involving death or permanent disability to children and adults, you might understand. I personally investigated 24 fatal accidents, as well as over 600 others (some involving permanent disability, so I feel I have seen some good reasons for you to drive with your full attention.
For people who say it is their RIGHT to do as they please while driving, I would ask: are you driving on a public road? If so, you need to conform to the regulations, just as your State can force you to obtain a diver’s license. This is not Big Brother, it is common sense.
I agree with Mr. Green. Another law to enforce rational behavior … the cell phone situation, especially while driving is a problem. I have come close to being hit more times than I can now count … all from someone talking on the cell phone while driving, and at the same time putting on makeup, shaving, tuning the radio, seemingly fighting w/someone on the other end of the line, or in general, more involved with the conversation than paying attention. As to the doctor … why not just pull over when you get a call. If you had a flat you would not drive to the off-ramp (we hope) … you would pull over to the side & put on your emergency lights (again, we hope). We Americans don’t seem to be able to do much thinking for ourselves anymore. So, if we are driving & talking on the cell phone, let’s hope it is a call to a advice councilor with the question, "Do you think I should be talking to you now, while I am driving?.
I had to leave before saying what I wanted to say. I would love to see a ban on cell phones but also can see it being practically un-enforcable. But in truth I think cells are only a manifestation of a serious attitude problem (Don’t forget how many people die from driving drunk but look at how many still do it).
To those who claim hands-free or BlueTooth technology is OK to use I have also been at scenes where a caller is still talking on such devices even as we are treating their injuries. Was it the cause of the crash? Sometimes they admit it was, other times the fact that even after a crash they are still talking to someone speaks to the distractive power of these insidious things.
In my profession I am usually required to monitor and use a radio, cell phone, MDT, and pager while simutaneously scanning other agencies. It is my responsibility to manage this info smorgasbord while being alert, safe, and most importantly showing due regard for others on the road. To me it is the lack of this last point that causes the ruckus. Cell phones, makeup, reading, texting, all these and more are done without due regard for the safety of others. Just try this sometime, when you feel you must use the phone while driving just pick a point during the call and drop the phone to the floor. Can you do it? Can you instantly ignore the call and focus on a driving hazard? I am able to do my job because I am able to dynamically assess priorities and keep them in a reasonable order. That means driving first then the rest. If I can’t drive while calling then I just don’t even try.
It’s not just you on the road people. Every second you have the means and opportunity to kill or maim everyone around you as you drive. Please be a responsible citizen and not a selfish dolt. Help others make it to their next birthday and drive defensively. And no, I have never unbelted a dead person.
It’s not just young women; it’s young and old, male and female. Almost every time someone is driving too slow or haphazardly or makes a really bad turn, they’re on their cell phone. I’ts extremely annoying. A Harvard study that was recently published indicated over 600,000 auto accidents have been attributed to cell phone usage. It’s not complicated, folks. Medical personnel could have an icon on their license, permitting them to use their cell while driving. That’s a very small number considering the population nowadays on the roads. As far as enforcing the law – hey, you all said the same thing about seat belts way back when. Everybody was too cool to fasten the belt. Nobody thinks twice now about using them; it’s standard procedure. All it takes is time. Get rid of the GD phones while driving!
If my child is bleeding to death in the ER and the only response the hospital can provide is to phone a physician who is on the road somewhere, it’s my own fault for taking my child to this substandard hospital!
Driving and talking on a telephone are both tasks that are unnatural to humans (or any other animal). We can learn how to perform these tasks and do them well, but they will never be “instinctive”. Unlike talking to someone in person, talking on the phone omits the non-verbal aspects of communication. When talking in person, we can take verbal shortcuts, make silent responses and silent requests.
In my opinion, the idea that human beings can “multi-task” is a fiction. When we have more than one task to perform, we focus on one at a time and alternate our focus to another when we think that one is more important.
A perfect driver (if one exists) would never allow another task to distract her. Safe drivers may get distracted, but they remain focused on driving a high percentage of the time and recognize that the driving task gets first priority no matter what else is happening. A driver talking on a phone is not safe because he is being asked to perform two non-instinctive tasks. The task with the highest priority is ambiguous. Mistakes will be made in one or the other task.
Yes, ABSOLUTELY ban all cell phone use, not to mention use of Blackberrys and any other device that removes the driver’s concentration from the road. It is not a problem of the hands being in use, but the brain. A driver chatting mindlessly (!) on a cell phone is as aware of their surroundings as a drunk driver.
Chatting with a passenger is different. A passenger is in the car with you, and will stop talking if they see danger to help you concentrate, or explicitly warn you. The person in the beauty salon babbling to you about what hair style to choose does not know that you are drifting out of your lane and may cause an accident!
When you talk on a cell phone, whether hands-free or hand-held, your mind is engaged in the conversation. You are a danger to others and yourself. I strongly agree with a national ban on ALL cell phone use while driving. Period.
I was almost killed by a woman talking on her cell phone. I was walking in the crosswalk and by law in Maryland drivers are required to stop. She didn’t even see me but said she was sorry. I’m so glad she was able to tell me to my face rather than telling the police over my dead body.
i once saw a man on the interstate in new york driving with a cell phone in each ear and steering with his elbows…what a dummy