Ban on Talking on Cell Phone While Driving

• cbus4life

  I'm not even saying i would be for this, but what do you guys think?
  
  What are your personal experiences/observations in regards to the dangers posed by people talking on their phones while driving?
  
  I actually wouldn't be for this at all, actually, but i am still starting to get highly, highly annoyed by people/cell phones/driving.
  
  9 times out of 10, when i am out driving and notice someone driving oddly, going 15 mph under the speed limit, straying out of their lane, not paying attention, etc., when i get up close to them, they are on their cell phone.
  
  It is getting to be absolutely infuriating.
  
  But, maybe if we keep doing it, we'll get better at it and it won't be a problem.
• I Wear Pants

  I think this is a more appropriate use of government power than the seatbelt law.
• WebFire

  I would be against it for now. Now texting/browsing is another thing.
  
  Are there any solid stats out there in regards to accidents caused by cell phones?
• unique_67

  I think it is a good idea, although I do realise there are plenty of things people do as driving(myself included) that keep one from being totally focused on driving their vehicle.
• unique_67

  I Wear Pants wrote: I think this is a more appropriate use of government power than the seatbelt law.

  I agree 100%, and I wear my seat belt all the time. But, my feeling is if a person does not wish to wear their seat belt, then the only person they are putting at risk of bodily harm is themselves.
  
  In the case of talking on a cell phone or texting while driving, these are actions which could lead to an accident, and put other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at risk of injury.
• cbus4life

  http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-6090342-7.html
  
  Now, i don't want people to think that talking on the cell phone equates to drunk driving, but i think the point is solid, that both keep one from focusing completely and totally on what is going on on the road.
  
  Lots of studies claim that "intellectual activities," which can include talking on the cell phone, greatly increase accident risks. They've even gave them simple concentration-like exercises that impaired their ability greatly, none of which were close to the distraction that goes along with talking on the phone.
• majorspark

  

  In order to be in favor of this ban. We should ban radios, eating, and of course the biggest distraction of all... kids fighting in the backseat of the car.
• derek bomar

  

  not in favor - i actually drive pretty well whem I am texting
• Manhattan Buckeye

  I'm convinced 90% of the soccer moms in our city driving SUV's believe it is the law that they MUST be on their cell phone while driving. The law is practically possible to enforce, but anyone that thinks they are a better driver when yapping/texting suffers from a complete lack of self-awareness. The driver (and usually in my situation the runner/dogwalker) that has to be extra careful and react to your inattention disagrees.
• cbus4life

  Manhattan Buckeye wrote: I'm convinced 90% of the soccer moms in our city driving SUV's believe it is the law that they MUST be on their cell phone while driving. The law is practically possible to enforce, but anyone that thinks they are a better driver when yapping/texting suffers from a complete lack of self-awareness. The driver (and usually in my situation the runner/dogwalker) that has to be extra careful and react to your inattention disagrees.

  Yep, i was hit by a car, though not terribly injured because i slammed my fist on the guys hood to get his attention, when i was out running and going through a pedestrian crosswalk and he made a right turn while on his cell phone, not paying attention. I put a dent in his hood, i think, but oh well, he didn't notice probably until he got home.
  
  Also had many, many close calls on my bike because of people on their cell phones.
  
  I understand that there are lots and lots of other distractions in the car, eating, fiddling with the radio, etc., but this thing is getting rather ridiculous at this point, from my own personal experience.
• Little Danny

  

  I personally don't have a problem with cell phone use (particularly if it is just talking), particularly if you are using a "hands free device". The biggest issue, and what should not be done, is texting and manual dialing while driving. What is the difference between talking on the phone and changin the station on the radio or talking to someone in the back seat of the car?
  
  I have seen people do just about everything (and I mean everything) while driving. The fact of the matter is peopel are stupid. Unfortunately, you can't legislate stupidity.
• Swamp Fox

  We all know that talking on the cell phone while we are driving is a prescription for disaster and that has been documented in many more than a few cases. The problem with Democracy is that we can decide what we want to do at the polls, and that kind of ordinance will never pass. I certainly don't want to give up my freedom to be able to decide things for myself, but the cell phone while driving should not be allowed.
• cbus4life

  Little Danny wrote: I personally don't have a problem with cell phone use (particularly if it is just talking), particularly if you are using a "hands free device". The biggest issue, and what should not be done, is texting and manual dialing while driving. What is the difference between talking on the phone and changin the station on the radio or talking to someone in the back seat of the car?
  
  I have seen people do just about everything (and I mean everything) while driving. The fact of the matter is peopel are stupid. Unfortunately, you can't legislate stupidity.

  Studies show that it makes no difference whether you're on a "hands free device" or not. It isn't the whole "not having both hands on the wheel" thing that makes it dangerous, but the whole trying to hold a conversation and concentrating on that.
• majorspark

  

  Swamp Fox wrote: We all know that talking on the cell phone while we are driving is a prescription for disaster and that has been documented in many more than a few cases. The problem with Democracy is that we can decide what we want to do at the polls, and that kind of ordinance will never pass. I certainly don't want to give up my freedom to be able to decide things for myself, but the cell phone while driving should not be allowed.

  Do we? Where is this documentation? How does talking on the cell phone compare to eating or changing the radio station.
• WebFire

  cbus4life wrote: Studies show that it makes no difference whether you're on a "hands free device" or not. It isn't the whole "not having both hands on the wheel" thing that makes it dangerous, but the whole trying to hold a conversation and concentrating on that.

  So what about talking to someone in the car with you? Should that be banned as well?
• BoatShoes

  majorspark wrote:

  Swamp Fox wrote: We all know that talking on the cell phone while we are driving is a prescription for disaster and that has been documented in many more than a few cases. The problem with Democracy is that we can decide what we want to do at the polls, and that kind of ordinance will never pass. I certainly don't want to give up my freedom to be able to decide things for myself, but the cell phone while driving should not be allowed.

  Do we? Where is this documentation? How does talking on the cell phone compare to eating or changing the radio station.

  As a disclaimer, I'm not necessarily for this ban. But:
  
  Holding a conversation requires significant more cognitive tasks than primitive cognitive functions such as eating (assuming we're talking about a bite here and there from a sandwhich and not a meal spilled all over your lap...although I'm sure many do this) or a simple motor movement such as moving your arm to change the radio. Thus, because it requires more cognitive tasks, a cell phone conversation seems at odds with driving which is a complex cognitive task.
  
  Nonetheless, the same could be said for having a conversation with other people in the car, or, yelling at your children in the back or singing along with "Sharp Dressed Man".
  
  But, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has taken a specific stance against cell phone use. I suppose we can conclude that they have a reason for attacking cell phone use as opposed to something like eating.
  
  Here are some of their figures as reported in the New York Times (our favorite liberal rag).
  
  Drivers using phones are four times more likely to cause a crash than other drivers.
  • The likelihood that they will crash is the same as someone driving with .08% blood alcohol level (the point where drivers are usually considered drunk drivers).
  • A 2003 Harvard study estimated that cell phone distractions caused 2,600 traffic deaths, and 330,000 accidents that result in moderate or severe injuries.
  
  Ultimately, it seems to me an organization such as NHTSA would have reason to not be arbitrary in trying to figure out what are and aren't the more dangerous activities to do while driving.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  "So what about talking to someone in the car with you? Should that be banned as well? "
  
  Aside from the enforcement issue, there's one BIG difference. People in the car know the same surrounding and environment that the driver does. If I'm driving and am getting to merge into a busy interstate exchange, my wife is smart enough not to ask me where we should go for dinner while I'm trying to merge. In fact, conversation within the car can be helpful if you have extra sets of eyes noticing jaywalking pedestrians and inattentive drivers (usually on cell phones).
  
  The person a driver is talking to on a cell phone is oblivious to the driver's POV, unless the driver tells the other person to shut up for a few seconds while they are engaging in a merger scenario as above.
• Swamp Fox

  majorspark wrote:

  Swamp Fox wrote: We all know that talking on the cell phone while we are driving is a prescription for disaster and that has been documented in many more than a few cases. The problem with Democracy is that we can decide what we want to do at the polls, and that kind of ordinance will never pass. I certainly don't want to give up my freedom to be able to decide things for myself, but the cell phone while driving should not be allowed.

  Do we? Where is this documentation? How does talking on the cell phone compare to eating or changing the radio station.

  
  Here's one for you to start with....trust me when I say this doesn't even scratch the top of the iceberg.
  
  www.state-journal.com/news/article/4626026
• tcby99

  should only be allowed on limited access highways
• BCSbunk

  The basis of this proposed law is not consistent with logic.
  
  If you ask why should talking on a cell phone while driving be against the law?
  
  The answer is it is a distraction.
  
  So then distractions should be outlawed while driving.
  
  Mine is a hands free device it is less of a distraction than a radio/cd player or your wiper controls or eating while driving.
  
  This is simply a case of authoritarianism running rampant.
• BoatShoes

  BCSbunk wrote: The basis of this proposed law is not consistent with logic.
  
  If you ask why should talking on a cell phone while driving be against the law?
  
  The answer is it is a distraction.
  
  So then distractions should be outlawed while driving.
  
  Mine is a hands free device it is less of a distraction than a radio/cd player or your wiper controls or eating while driving.
  
  This is simply a case of authoritarianism running rampant.

  No...the argument is that people who talk on their cell phones have been demonstrated to be higher accident risks than people who yell at their children, use windshield wipers...etc. It's not reduced down to that basic of a premise. I'm not saying their conclusion follows, namely, that we ought to ban talking on cell phones while driving, but the argument is grounded in supposed evidence that reveals people who talk on cell phones while driving to be more accident prone.
• ts1227

  

  The only thing I don't want to see is an age requirement tied to such a law. Whether you've been driving for 50 minutes or 50 years, if you aren't watching the road you are a danger to everyone. No amount of "experience" prepares you to drive without paying the least bit of attention to the road.