That's how I feel. I hate people who talk and drive, and I only do it on occasion.

I just don't think it's fair to penalize these drivers but let people who read/eat/put on makeup/turn around and talk to kids instead of looking at the road continue on without consequence.

I think that not focusing on driving is a huge problem here, and I'd completely support bigger fines associated with "undue attention" or whatever it is that police can write on the ticket.

True, but it's a secondary offense. That means the cops can't pull you over just because you're talking on your cell phone. But if you're pulled over for something else (speeding, for instance) and you're on your cell phone, you can get cited for it. It's a law with very little teeth.

I can has bluetooth device for cellphone?

:D

I hate balancing my phone between my shoulder and my ear... I just can't do it for some reason, and I need both hands to turn the wheel while changing gear so using my phone while driving just doesn't work for me... oh, and it's illegal over here...

... But yeah, I can't concentrate when I'm talking on the phone, I can barely concentrate when passengers are chatting to me. I think I'm doing fine until there's a close-call.

I think I'll get a phone kit installed

There is one thing you should be doing while driving and that is paying attention to the road and just the road.

There is no reason to be driving and talking on a phone, none. Pull over. You do not drive as well as you think you do. No you don't.

As for texting, you should just be banned from driving altogether if you text while operating a vehicle. You are entirely too stupid to be behind the wheel.

Is banned in NY but in the city everyone still pretty much does it...business business business.

This is not to say that talking on a phone or texting isn't bad, but I think this is a lot worse:

A girl I used to work with came in late one day. She had popped 2 tires when she slammed into a curb.
How did she do that? She was reading the paper.

She's damn lucky that's all that happened.

Also on Youtube: Woman driving 75 mph while filming man reading novel

Pretty sure the woman is in the passenger seat, and is filming over the drivers lap. I'm basing this on the arm that's visible in the video--it looks more like a man's arm than a woman's.


I thought that originally as well. :)

Haha I'm sure the woman is actually on the passenger's side, but I still feel like even noticing what the driver in the car right next to you is doing plus staying lined up with him to allow your passenger to film him sounds like something I would not like to try. I may be a new driver and have yet even be on a highway, but that seems aggressive to me.

Besides, imagine the reaction that the man reading the novel will have when he notices that there is a car driving right alongside him at 75 mph- filming him.

Oh, I agree, it's an idiot move. I wonder why she didn't just get the plate and call the cops...Oh wait, that might have been seen as responsible. Very few laughs in THAT.

:)

Actually, you SHOULD be looking around and seeing what is happening on your sides and behind you. When it comes to being situationally aware on the road, what you don't know can kill you. If you fixate only on what is in front of you, you get tunnel vision and miss that guy who is paying too much attention to the book he is reading and merges into your lane without seeing you.

As to lining up next to him, this is not only easy (think peripheral vision), but pretty normal on the highway. You get a couple of lanes of traffic going about the same speed, and you spend several minutes or more next to the same car. (And spend miles with that one guy on your tail that thinks tailgating you will make the 50 cars in front of you speed up.)


Remember the tunnel vision phenomenon? I imagine he won't notice until after the crash.

Unfortunately, after several generations of people that were effectively raised in cars, we have grown complacent with them.

We spend our childhood seeing the car as a normal environment, a safe place that Mom puts us.

When we grow up and become drivers, we never really accept the fact that we are in control of several thousand pounds of metal doing speeds where fractions of a second decisions can save (or take) a life not our own. A control over life and death that was unthinkable less than 100 years ago.

Such mind boggling power taken for granted.

----

I learned that others didn't see things my way when I was in high school.

I saw a woman with her foot on the dashboard, painting her toe nails while doing 90 MPH on the freeway.
I wasn't sure I actually saw what I thought I saw when she blasted past me. I almost couldn't catch up with her. She had a bottle of polish in one hand and was using the other to paint her nails. I still am not quite sure how she was steering.

This was pre-cell-phone (Yes, we had cars back then), or I am sure she would have been on that, too.

The awakening part was when I did try to report her plate number (from a pay phone), the question on the other end was: "Was she driving erratically?" As long as I hadn't observed her car being an obstacle, all they had was speeding. Unless I was willing to come down and swear out a complaint, then show up in court, etc. they wouldn't bother pursuing that. (Also, they told me if I did want to swear out a complaint, it would also be considered a confession and I would be fined for doing 90 in a 55mph zone.)

Hi,

Here in the UK it's been illegal to use a mobile phone whilst driving for a few years now (except if you have a hands-free kit).

I don't know whether it's had much of an impact on road safety (I haven't seen any figures either way) but it does, intuitively, feel like it should be making things safer).

Having said that, I guess that the roads here are considerably busier than in most other countries and regions, purely as a result of us having a lot of people crammed into a relatively small area.

Seems like no-one has or will.

In essence what that says is that prior to the introduction of the law there were no figures available for accidents involving mobile phones in the UK so there's no real way of telling what impact it has had.

You're right though that it does feel like it should make sense and that it is ruling for common sense and against being an a-hole.

Isn't it sad that a law is required for this?

Shouldn't people be able to realize 'hey, I'm risking lives that aren't mine' and just BEHAVE?

Sigh. I'm such a utopianist.

yeah this is not a very good idea...

ok..

Yes it should and most countries have banned it