"Like Breaking Wind In An Elevator"

[Aught Six]

Cell phone users tie up traffic: study

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Not that I expect anyone to hang up and drive after reading this, but it's good to have some numbers to substantiate common sense and commuters' daily observation.

Now what will state legislatures do with this?

[bergall]

anybody spending ANY time on the highway will tell you that cell phone users should be beaten and forced to walk. I drive 90 minutes to work each day for a total of 3 hours driving time daily. Cell phone users who do not use headsets or bluetooth devices are as bad as and sometimes worse than drunk drivers. They are inattentive, unaware of their surroundings, they are unaware of the flow of traffic, they cannot effectively control their vehicles, and typically drive SLOWER in travel lanes which force other drivers to pass left AND right. THEY SUCK ! They also cause accidents. I welcome State Police issuing tickets for these offenses as PRIMARY offenses. I figure they're idiots because an $80 blutooth headset costs way LESS than $2500 which is approximately the increase in insurance premiums one would pay here in NJ for this type of violation, not counting the cost of the ticket. I wonder if these idiots can even calculate 60 months of insurance premiums weighed against the cost of a headset...

[sachiko]

I'm not sure that a hands-free setup will change much. The problem, I believe, stems from the fact that some people are concentrating on the conversation instead of their driving.

We'll see.

[bergall]

ORIGINAL: daddyslittlegirl

I'm not sure that a hands-free setup will change much. The problem, I believe, stems from the fact that some people are concentrating on the conversation instead of their driving.

We'll see.

The issue is somewhat complex and the fact that folks don't pay attention to driving while they're talking is just one part of the problem. The other parts of the problem are:
a: using one hand to manipulate the phone instead of controlling the car
b: the need to take your eyes off the road in order to 'work' the phone

I know that with a bluetooth headset, I can TELL the phone to dial a certain number, and I don't need
to take my hands off the wheel and my eyes off the road. Defensive driving courses will tell you that 90% of all accidents involve distractions to the driver. The more distracted a driver is, the less attention he/she pays to driving. So:
distraction 1: having an involved conversation
distraction 2: using only 1 hand to drive
distratcion 3: taking eyes off the road to dial the phone

anyone of these SINGLE distractions in and of themselves are not gonna cause problems. But the simple act of making or taking a telephone call without some kind of hands-free device bring all three into play immediately. Couple this with tired drivers, drivers who have the radio on.... THere are people who are distracted by all kinds of other junk; personal problems, home problems, too fat, to skinny, they 'gotta go' and need to get home faster, tight shoes, headache, sun glare...more and more and more...
You get the picture. Pile on the problems and the person becomes less and less able to operate the vehicle and respond effectively to road conditions.