[steamy]

Most likely you do - according to tgdaily:
TG Daily - 89% of Americans want text-and-drive ban, 57% say they do it anyway

Apparently more then 50% Americans text and drive and at the same time 89% want to ban it. After a second of hesitation I realized I am exactly like that - I do text, I think it is bad and it should be banned but I still want to text while driving...

Speech-to-text should be FIRST introduced into mobiles with car kits.

[xi_hyperon]

That's scary. Trying to drive while hitting tiny buttons, looking at a screen, etc. is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. Pull over if you can't wait to text someone.

[Mastrap]

Never. I even hesitate to make phone calls while driving.

[Chuckit]

No. I've shot off a quick text while waiting at a long stoplight before, but texting while driving seems suicidal.

[ghporter]

Steamy I think you misread that article. It says 89% of Americans want to BAN texting and driving. Considering how badly so many people drive while NOT doing anything except "driving", I agree with that majority. I want to stop people from dinking with their pagers, putting on makeup, reading ANYTHING, and so on too. I'd really like to see a huge push to not just ticket, but confiscate cars from anyone doing anything but driving in traffic. It's a pretty extreme position, but it would prevent thousands of accidents, save numerous lives, and cut MY insurance costs down too.

[Chuckit]

That's what Steamy said: 89% want to ban it, but upwards of 50% do it anyway (which means many people must both do it and want it to be illegal).

Incidentally, I'm against cell phone bans in general. If I'm allowed to talk to somebody sitting beside me, there's no reason to single out cell phones. Texting in traffic is moronic, though.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

If I'm allowed to talk to somebody sitting beside me, there's no reason to single out cell phones.

There's a huge difference: Talking to somebody who is sitting beside you is far less distracting than being on the phone. Research in the UK has shown that passengers tailor their conversation to traffic and road conditions. This means that a passenger (in most cases) will not talk whilst he/she feels that the driver needs to concentrate. As a result the conversation works with the driver's needs. A phone conversation is very different.

[ghporter]

I was going just by the headline-but I am surprised at how open people are about their (let's call it) hypocrisy.

If people would JUST talk on their phones, it wouldn't be a problem for them to do it while driving. But they don't. They get into their conversations and lose track of where they are. It's my experience that a huge number of people are not good at doing ONE thing at a time, let alone two, and since driving requires some substantial "higher function" processing, most people shouldn't do anything BUT drive. Not that they'd be better drivers, but at least they wouldn't be nearly as distracted. I've been in traffic with far too many people who were obviously impaired by their phone conversation-driving ten miles an hour UNDER the limit, or going really fast and weaving in and out of traffic... It's just scary how bad some people are.

[MacosNerd]

I don't text message while driving. Its bad enough talking on the phone while driving, its just down right reckless trying to type something into a phone, you'll be taking your eyes off the road and hands off the wheel a dangerous combination

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

There's a huge difference: Talking to somebody who is sitting beside you is far less distracting than being on the phone. Research in the UK has shown that passengers tailor their conversation to traffic and road conditions. This means that a passenger (in most cases) will not talk whilst he/she feels that the driver needs to concentrate. As a result the conversation works with the driver's needs. A phone conversation is very different.

I agree with that. Phones tend to suck you out of your environment into the conversation - real life chats don't.

I don't text or phone whilst driving. Nothing is so important that it won't wait a couple of hours until I check my answerphone.

[wallinbl]

They should just have different classes of licenses. Some would include using phones and some would not. Some of us aren't retarded (don't believe me - give me a road test and I'll use a phone all day long while doing better than anyone else that's not on a phone).

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

I agree with that. Phones tend to suck you out of your environment into the conversation - real life chats don't.

Don't get your priorities out of whack - you're driving first, talking second. If the people on the other end of the phone suffer a bit because you're not giving them full attention, then so be it.

[Rumor]

I would look for it I wasn't so lazy, but I posted (I think) a story a while back about a lady who was talking on her cell, lost control of her SUV and had her arm severed in the accident.

They found the arm still clutching the cell phone.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

They should just have different classes of licenses. Some would include using phones and some would not. Some of us aren't retarded (don't believe me - give me a road test and I'll use a phone all day long while doing better than anyone else that's not on a phone).

You'd better have an awful lot of money to back that challenge up with.

Originally Posted by wallinbl

Don't get your priorities out of whack - you're driving first, talking second. If the people on the other end of the phone suffer a bit because you're not giving them full attention, then so be it.

So you give unstimulating conversation on the phone then?

[awaspaas]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

They should just have different classes of licenses. Some would include using phones and some would not. Some of us aren't retarded (don't believe me - give me a road test and I'll use a phone all day long while doing better than anyone else that's not on a phone).

I'm fairly certain that every single a$$hole that's using a cellphone and cutting me off in traffic thinks the exact same thing. But I'm a GOOD driver! No way a cellphone can detract from my driving! That pisses me off just a little bit.

[Dakarʒ]

Anytime I'm caught behind someone having trouble doing the speed limit, they're inevitably old or on the cellphone (discounting old, shitty cars).

[Rumor]

We get tourist here that act like they have never seen the ocean before, even though they are from the Bay Area. Add that to them yapping on a cell phone and you have an instant cluster**** of a driving situation.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

So you give unstimulating conversation on the phone then?

While driving, perhaps. Road comes first and if that means temporarily ignoring the phone, then that's easy enough to do. Nothing that comes up while driving lasts more than a second or two, so the other person isn't likely to be affected.

Originally Posted by awaspaas 

No way a cellphone can detract from my driving! That pisses me off just a little bit.

I didn't say that. I said I'm still a better driver than others while I'm on the phone. It's foolish to think that you can just blanketly state that everyone is incapable of using a phone while driving. Studies show what happens on average - there are people at both ends of the curve, meaning some can handle it just fine and others will hit a tree if they even think about their phone.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by awaspaas 

I'm fairly certain that every single a$$hole that's using a cellphone and cutting me off in traffic thinks the exact same thing. But I'm a GOOD driver! No way a cellphone can detract from my driving! That pisses me off just a little bit.

Probably. And the people who get distracted by their coffee or the radio or the person sitting next to them probably don't realize it either. Yet nobody's up in arms about that stuff.

[awaspaas]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

I didn't say that. I said I'm still a better driver than others while I'm on the phone. It's foolish to think that you can just blanketly state that everyone is incapable of using a phone while driving. Studies show what happens on average - there are people at both ends of the curve, meaning some can handle it just fine and others will hit a tree if they even think about their phone.

I get what you're saying and I'm sorry if I was a little abrasive above. Of course there is a bell curve and yes, you may very well be at the top of it, but forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical. I'm reminded of the surveys that show 85% of people think they're smarter than average or more attractive than average or a better driver than average. People generally tend to be overconfident in that kind of thing, that's all.

[- - e r i k - -]

Yet again, most of the civilised world already has banned mobile use unless used with a handsfree set.

Now if only we could get putting on make-up while driving banned as well…

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

I didn't say that. I said I'm still a better driver than others while I'm on the phone.

We ALL consider ourselves better than average drivers. ALL of us.

[analogika]

I use a handsfree set a *lot* while driving, and I've found that the conversation still naturally follows what's happening around me. I.e., it's pretty obvious to the person on the other end that I'm distracted in a complex traffic situation, and it's still possible to hold a normal conversation when traffic is a little lighter.

It's *much* more relaxed than before I started using the handsfree-set. It's a *huge* difference whether you're trying to keep the phone to your ear, which usually both blocks your hand and limits your head movement. Suddenly, you're primarily driving - since the phone isn't getting in the way, and you automatically forget the other person's there in a crucial situation.

I've tried SMSing once or twice while driving, and no way am I doing that again.

[Mastrap]

Sorry, but research has shown that using a handsfree set makes no difference of any kind:

Interviews with nine people who regularly used a hands-free mobile phone for work-related calls while driving revealed
that they did not believe that using the phone affected their driving performance because they could adapt their speed or
end the call if necessary. However, when they participated in simulated driving tasks of varying complexity on a computer
(not a driving simulator) and had to respond to mobile phone calls, their performance was significantly worse during both
simple and more complex phone conversations. So, although they did notbelieve using the phone affected their driving,
in reality it did.

Link to document.

And:

A new Australian study has confirmed what many anecdotal reports have said for years: driving when talking on a cellphone is dangerous, even if you're using a headset. The study — the first to cross-reference actual crash data with call logs — found that "there is no safety advantage associated with switching to the types of hands-free devices that are commonly in use."

So while your perception of safety might go up, the reality is that it is just as dangerous to make a call using a handsfree set than it is just using the phone.

[analogika]

Interesting. Runs completely contrary to perception, indeed.

[Doofy]

Sorry but I gotta agree with Mas again.

It's not the holding the phone which is the danger - it's the being in a different headspace.

Just wait until you stop or get home, folks - you might think there's a reason to call someone or answer a call from the car but all said and done there isn't. Really. None at all. Unless you're a hot chick and you pass me and have to call your mother to tell her you're in love.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Sorry but I gotta agree with Mas again.

It's not the holding the phone which is the danger - it's the being in a different headspace.

Just wait until you stop or get home, folks - you might think there's a reason to call someone or answer a call from the car but all said and done there isn't. Really. None at all. Unless you're a hot chick and you pass me and have to call your mother to tell her you're in love.

The only thing I have to say counter to the "headspace" issue is the fact that so many people hold the darn phone in such a way to block a lot of their vision-the soccer mom with her French manicure holding the phone so delicately---and blocking about 120º of her vision on that side-is a prime example. She's not only NOT on the road, she CANNOT SEE what else IS on the road. Doubly dangerous.

I think for a lot of people the hands free "phone experience" is enough of a difference from normal phone use that they pay at least a little more attention to their driving because of it. I use one (and I very seldom actually USE the phone while driving-mostly I field calls with a brief "I'll get back with you soon"), and it does feel very odd to me to simply be "talking to myself" while using it.

[analogika]

That does contrast with the studies Mas linked to.

People THINK hands-free lets them "pay at least a little more attention to their driving", but according to actual research, that is NOT the case.

[Randman]

I still find it funny that people back home use "texting" instead of SMS like the rest of the world has for years now.

Anyway, people should lose their license by smsing behind the wheel. Talking on the phone without a hands-free set as well. There are enough bad drivers out there.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Randman 

I still find it funny that people back home use "texting" instead of SMS like the rest of the world has for years now.

Poh-tay-toh vs. poh-tah-toh? Do you also find it funny that British people still wear trousers?

Originally Posted by Randman 

Anyway, people should lose their license by smsing behind the wheel. Talking on the phone without a hands-free set as well. There are enough bad drivers out there.

There are enough bad drivers out there…that we should penalize even those who aren't?

[Mastrap]

^ Research has shown that texting while driving makes any driver a worse driver.

[Chuckit]

I'm talking about phone calls, not looking away from the road. Of course that's dangerous.

[Mastrap]

Sorry, I meant phone calls, not texting.

[OreoCookie]

Re-opening thread by popular request … 

[Uncle Skeleton]

The solution to this problem isn't to take the phone out of the driver seat, it's to take the human out of the driver seat. Driverless cars are going to be the Next Big Thing. The sooner we get them implemented/approved/deployed, the happier we will all be. They will be better drivers than humans, more honest (no more speeding or running lights), more cooperative, more fuel-efficient, and best of all make commuting fun. You won't have to figure out how to text or call, you can just do it freely. You can watch TV or play video games (and the car's movements can actually augment the game or movie). You can sleep. You can get door to door service and never look for a parking spot again. It can park itself after it drops you off. Insurance costs would go down, by dropping all the human-error caused accidents. The elderly, pre-teens and disabled could drive. Drunks could drive. Driverless cars will be to today's like the internet is to the Dewey Decimal system. We'll wonder how we ever survived without it.

[subego]

Public poll fail.

[Spheric Harlot]

I asked for this thread to be re-opened because of this link:

Fewer traffic deaths occurred following California's ban on hand-held cell use | The Verge

There you go.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

If I'm allowed to talk to somebody sitting beside me, there's no reason to single out cell phones. Texting in traffic is moronic, though.

There is a reason to single out cell phones because your concentration and interaction while talking on a cell phone is completely different than that with a person sitting next to you. First, it has been demonstrated with brain scans that your attention is more severely divided when talking on a phone while trying to drive than talking to someone next to you. You're having to concentrate more on context, definition, and clarity of the conversation. The result is that your impaired reactions are equivalent to that of a moderately drunk person. Secondly, a person next to you can presumably see the same traffic conditions you do, so the level of expectations and attention required of the conversation is very different. For example, when talking to someone next to you, both people involved in the conversation are not going to expect a response when negotiating difficult traffic conditions or hazards. Worst case scenario, the person next to you can see hazard that you do not.

Cell phones should be banned while driving, period.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

...brain scans...

Cell phones should be banned while driving, period.

Science and technology should improve our lives, not take our toys away. Cell phones should NOT be banned, manual driving should be banned. Driverless cars are going to save lives, AND give us back our phones.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

Science and technology should improve our lives, not take our toys away. Cell phones should NOT be banned, manual driving should be banned. Driverless cars are going to save lives, AND give us back our phones.

Ban phones for drivers.

Maybe at some point automated driving will be the norm.

Allow them for people who aren't driving—same as now.

Until then, the link I posted shows quite plainly that a ban is a good idea.

[Salty]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

They should just have different classes of licenses. Some would include using phones and some would not. Some of us aren't retarded (don't believe me - give me a road test and I'll use a phone all day long while doing better than anyone else that's not on a phone).

You remind me of my sister, who claims the number one cause of accidents is people driving too slow. Incidentally she's had by far the most number of accidents of anyone in my family

[boy8cookie]

I would get a new iPhone if it could drive while I text.

[ghporter]

When I make or take calls while driving, I a) am using a headset so my hands are still on the wheel, b) keep things brief, c) make driving the priority over everything else. If the person I'm talking to doesn't like that, I'm perfectly fine with it.

Unfortunately, the majority of people I see on the phone while driving are holding the phone (with their left hand, so their peripheral vision is obscured) and apparently in long, involved conversations that often include gesticulating with their right hand - which they should be using to drive! I can't remember a case when I've overtaken a driver going inappropriately slowly and they weren't gabbing away, oblivious to everything around them. It is this sort of behavior that is dangerous and that I think should be banned.

I think it would be a good step to classify driving while using a phone in this way as "reckless driving," and establish some really harsh penalties, such as suspending the person's licence for 30 days. That might get their attention...