Distracted Driving

[PEZi]

Again, it's not like I have my nose in my phone the entire drive. I send a few texts and check Google Maps for all of 4 seconds. I think I'm good.

all i'm sayin is that for that particular 4 seconds... i'd rather see you drunk

[ADDirishboy]

Did I say I'm special? Please Dave, show me where I said "I'm special and can do whatever I want."

Can't find it? Didn't think so. I said I trust myself to send a few texts when there isn't a soul on the road around me. Thanks though.

[alms24sebring]

My input... It has been proven that even talking to a passenger distracts driving. I myself have almost been in 1 or more accidents while telling a story or arguing a point to a passeger. This is why it is illegal to even have a bluetooth in DC because it distracts driving. Some may not think so but when you start talking about stuff when driving, it takes your mind off the raod and people around you while you are thinking of the next thing you are going to say.

I try and only text at redlights, which I do. I try not to talk on the phone either unless it is important. I feel nervous everytime because I know it is a risk, so I keep it a minimum. I think they should issue tickets for atleast a handheld in all states. I'm just afraid that they will go extreme with it and charge thousands + steep liscense, fees and jail time like they did for that short time for DUIs. That was rediculous. $35 + court costs is all I mean. Its a great way to make extra money and revenue but they should just leagalize weed for that. We would be out of debt in 5 years lol.

[skydragoness]

My input... It has been proven that even talking to a passenger distracts driving. I myself have almost been in 1 or more accidents while telling a story or arguing a point to a passeger. This is why it is illegal to even have a bluetooth in DC because it distracts driving. Some may not think so but when you start talking about stuff when driving, it takes your mind off the raod and people around you while you are thinking of the next thing you are going to say.

I try and only text at redlights, which I do. I try not to talk on the phone either unless it is important. I feel nervous everytime because I know it is a risk, so I keep it a minimum. I think they should issue tickets for atleast a handheld in all states. I'm just afraid that they will go extreme with it and charge thousands + steep liscense, fees and jai| time like they did for that short time for DUIs. That was rediculous. $35 + court costs is all I mean. Its a great way to make extra money and revenue but they should just leagalize weed for that. We would be out of debt in 5 years lol.

If I'm driving with a passenger I'm pretty much silent if they're talking to me (1/2 listening even). Anyone close to me knows I hardly talk when driving (nor do I use my cellphone).
I was driving a friend back from dinner a while back and she was going on a tangent about 'the local sports team' for the duration of the 20min drive (on 95 N with traffic no less). She was even turned towards me while talking; I've never been so distracted by a passenger in my years of driving.

[Jesda]

[BusyBadger]

Multitasking while driving isn't bad. Not knowing how to drive in the first place is what causes these accidents.

Reading a text is no worse than pulling up google maps on my phone to see just how far away the next exit is.

Go drive for 40 hours straight and tell me how coherent you are.

I send a few texts and check Google Maps for all of 4 seconds. I think I'm good.

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

It's a miracle you are still posting ADD.

[Razi]

What are we talking about again?

[C-Kwik]

Multitasking while driving isn't bad. Not knowing how to drive in the first place is what causes these accidents.

The act of driving IS multi-tasking. Anything else you do causes some level of distraction from the primary task. Some are more acceptable than others. While I'm generally okay with people talking on the phone with handsfree devices, people should still use discretion. There are people who get on the phone as soon as they get in their cars. I try not to be on the phone while driving if I can. Most times I don't answer unless I think its important and appears safe to do so. And I don't call out unless it is important and quick.

Listening to the radio is quite passive for most people. And talking with passengers is usually safer than on the phone because passengers can see what is occurring at the time and help spot hazards and can see when they should stop talking because the distraction may create a problem for the driver. A person on the other end of the phone cannot see that. On the extreme end, you get a driver that tends to talk with his/her hands and feels they have to make eye contact with the passenger often as they speak.

As for not knowing how to drive being the cause of accidents, sorry but no. Most accidents occur because someone wasn't paying attention or looking where they should have been. And in many cases, this is because of distractions.

The other aspect of this is that its not just about avoiding accidents. Most people can do just that while on the phone most of the time. But many also become a burden on the road by holding up traffic because they leave huge gaps of road in front of them and/or drive painfully slower than other drivers.

All that said, do I think there are people that can drive pretty well while on the phone? Sure. But noone can tell for sure until such a person can be subjected to a circumstance in which it might be a factor. And these types of situations just don't happen everyday. The difference between an accident and a near miss can be a fraction of a second of response.

Lastly, if you are struggling to stay awake trying to drive 40 hours straight, try stopping for sleep. If you dad doesn't like it, leave. You ALWAYS have a choice. Being tired AND distracted simply stacks the odds against you.

[wingFeather]

Is DOT going to ban radios from cars? And style, too? A good looking car can be distracting. So can an air freshener, caffeine... where does it end?

[Jesda]

Multitasking while driving isn't bad. Not knowing how to drive in the first place is what causes these accidents.

The act of driving IS multi-tasking. Anything else you do causes some level of distraction from the primary task. Some are more acceptable than others. While I'm generally okay with people talking on the phone with handsfree devices, people should still use discretion. There are people who get on the phone as soon as they get in their cars. I try not to be on the phone while driving if I can. Most times I don't answer unless I think its important and appears safe to do so. And I don't call out unless it is important and quick.

Listening to the radio is quite passive for most people. And talking with passengers is usually safer than on the phone because passengers can see what is occurring at the time and help spot hazards and can see when they should stop talking because the distraction may create a problem for the driver. A person on the other end of the phone cannot see that. On the extreme end, you get a driver that tends to talk with his/her hands and feels they have to make eye contact with the passenger often as they speak.

As for not knowing how to drive being the cause of accidents, sorry but no. Most accidents occur because someone wasn't paying attention or looking where they should have been. And in many cases, this is because of distractions.

The other aspect of this is that its not just about avoiding accidents. Most people can do just that while on the phone most of the time. But many also become a burden on the road by holding up traffic because they leave huge gaps of road in front of them and/or drive painfully slower than other drivers.

All that said, do I think there are people that can drive pretty well while on the phone? Sure. But noone can tell for sure until such a person can be subjected to a circumstance in which it might be a factor. And these types of situations just don't happen everyday. The difference between an accident and a near miss can be a fraction of a second of response.

Lastly, if you are struggling to stay awake trying to drive 40 hours straight, try stopping for sleep. If you dad doesn't like it, leave. You ALWAYS have a choice. Being tired AND distracted simply stacks the odds against you.

[krash]

IMO, its not the actual talking on the phone that is the problem. Its the emotions etc that can occur as a result of talking on the phone.

First, like Tyler said, if you aren't a good driver to begin with, then everyone is screwed. Bad driver + another distraction = somebody's gonna get hurt real bad.

Now, if that phone call is a heated argument, emotions build up and most people (myself included) aren't too capable of driving in a safe manner when their blood is boiling. Doesn't have to be an argument either. If someone calls you while your driving and they offer you a job you've just interviewed for, where is your head going to be? Focused on driving or flipping out because you just got a job? Most likely the latter.

Next time you're a passenger, watch other people on the road that are talking on their phones. Almost every time, their gestures and facial expressions match the way they are driving.

[Alfador]

Is DOT going to ban radios from cars? And style, too? A good looking car can be distracting. So can an air freshener, caffeine... where does it end?

Since when does encouraging people not to do something equate to trying to ban it? Or are you just a big fan of the moral finger wag?

[Ajax]

My best friend lost his mom to distracted driving last year (she had been a 2nd mom to me during HS and much of college). Killed while stopped at a stoplight on a motorcycle- lady collided with her at 50mph (which is the speed limit- she didn't even notice the red light), which was enough force to essentially sever the cervical spine completely. How did she miss it? She was painting her nails.
Since that time, he has devoted a lot of time and energy to call attention to distracted driving (website in sig is the full story). He's met many people who have lost friends, family, limbs due to people not paying attention while driving.
Look at the last text message you received- was it worth risking your life? I know, that sounds over-dramatized, but its not. There are plenty of cases where lives have been lost, and the text message that caused it, was one word.
All that said; yes, we've all taken risk before. I won't even touch my phone while driving in town, but if I'm interstate driving, I may decide to accept a phone call, provided clear weather and straight road with few-no cars around. Texting though, is flat out stupid. You have no choice but to take your eyes off the road to read a text. I won't do it, and I'll voice my disapproval to anyone I see do it.
Also- driving 40 hours straight has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. 2400+ miles (assuming hwy traveling) requires some amount of rest. Even if its just a freaking hour-long nap every 10-12 hours or so, which hardly changes the time frame. Anyone who requires you to drive 40 straight hours has not taken your health or safety into consideration.

[Alfador]

My best friend lost his mom to distracted driving last year (she had been a 2nd mom to me during HS and much of college). Killed while stopped at a stoplight on a motorcycle- lady collided with her at 50mph (which is the speed limit- she didn't even notice the red light), which was enough force to essentially sever the cervical spine completely. How did she miss it? She was painting her nails.
Since that time, he has devoted a lot of time and energy to call attention to distracted driving (website in sig is the full story). He's met many people who have lost friends, family, limbs due to people not paying attention while driving.
Look at the last text message you received- was it worth risking your life? I know, that sounds over-dramatized, but its not. There are plenty of cases where lives have been lost, and the text message that caused it, was one word.
All that said; yes, we've all taken risk before. I won't even touch my phone while driving in town, but if I'm interstate driving, I may decide to accept a phone call, provided clear weather and straight road with few-no cars around. Texting though, is flat out stupid. You have no choice but to take your eyes off the road to read a text. I won't do it, and I'll voice my disapproval to anyone I see do it.
Also- driving 40 hours straight has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. 2400+ miles (assuming hwy traveling) requires some amount of rest. Even if its just a freaking hour-long nap every 10-12 hours or so, which hardly changes the time frame. Anyone who requires you to drive 40 straight hours has not taken your health or safety into consideration.

It may just make me a hypocritical douche, but I make a habit out of cutting off/broke jobbing people who are doing makeup/nails, shaving, or obviously texting all the time. Worst case scenario I get rear-ended and it's their fault, so their rates go up horribly and I get bodywork. Best case scenario they get scared s*** by their close call and start acting less like a moron. Talking on the phone while driving is obviously debatable, but morons who things like these which take your eyes off the road are just incredibly stupid or incredibly inconsiderate of others, and I'd personally rather see them dead wrapped around a tree than out on the road.

[ricebike]

Alfador, is it worth risking your health to cut people off?

i've recently known a neighbor and my sis in law who got into rear-end collisions by in-attentive drivers... both came out ok since they were low-speed accidents and today's crumple-zone technologies...

but your worst-case scenerio is not serious enough: neighbor now has complications from mild whiplash and back problems; he won't be the same energetic person anymore (used to mow his own lawn, now has to hire someone else to do it, for example) & has to stop some of his hobbies because he can't do it anymore...

just steer clear from them & move on; let fate give them a lesson & keep yourself from harm

[Oatmealman]

You don't drive nearly as much daily as we do tho, I drive at least 30 miles a day... much of it in traffic of some sort.

Word I just started school and with work i'm commuting 125 miles from home to school,from school to home,from home to work,from work to home.I have to answer the phone if there's a problem at work or if someone really needs to get ahold of me.

[C-Kwik]

It may just make me a hypocritical douche, but I make a habit out of cutting off/broke jobbing people who are doing makeup/nails, shaving, or obviously texting all the time. Worst case scenario I get rear-ended and it's their fault, so their rates go up horribly and I get bodywork. Best case scenario they get scared s*** by their close call and start acting less like a moron. Talking on the phone while driving is obviously debatable, but morons who things like these which take your eyes off the road are just incredibly stupid or incredibly inconsiderate of others, and I'd personally rather see them dead wrapped around a tree than out on the road.

Actually, the worst case scenario would be something more along the lines of you cut them off, they panic and overreact, they hit the car next to them which end up going off the road, flips, kills the three children inside. A bunch of witnesses stop and point out the douchebag move you just made. You make headlines on every major paper and we see your name. We see this post, which will be hard to deny since I've now quoted it, and let the authorities know about it. The DA decides to pursue you for manslaughter since you have recorded some notion that you had intent to scare the driver on the phone and the jury, sympathetic to the three dead kids, convicts you and you get to go to jail.

That said, a more reasonable and likely scenario might be that a witness does provide a statement that indicates you cut off the other driver and you get placed at fault in the accident. So your rates go up and the person on the cell phone gets an injury settlement. Yep. That'll teach them.

[C-Kwik]

Word I just started school and with work i'm commuting 125 miles from home to school,from school to home,from home to work,from work to home.I have to answer the phone if there's a problem at work or if someone really needs to get ahold of me.

If you absolutely must answer the phone to have any kind of an extended conversation, pull over. I'm not opposed to people using their BT headsets or any other hands-free device for limited periods of time. But if its not urgent and short, it most certainly can wait. Whatever happened to being able to say "Let me call you back." There was a time when we had no cell phones. Life got along just fine back then...

[AppleBonker]

Whatever happened to being able to say "Let me call you back." There was a time when we had no cell phones. Life got along just fine back then...

This. x968161862168

Although I got a cell phone on my 16th Bday so my parents could keep tabs on me. I have bluetooth through the stereo on my car, and I don't even like using that. I'll answer maybe (depending on where I'm driving and traffic/weather conditions), but it is generally just to make sure there isn't a serious issue, and to inform the caller that I will get back to them once I park the car.