05-23-2007, 04:20 AM
[quote M A V I C][quote JoeH][quote Harbourmaster][quote M A V I C]I like WA's law best. It's only illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving AND doing something else illegal. Or if you get in a crash.
Driving While on a Cell Phone Worse is Than Driving While Drunk
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/...33489.html
IMHO the study would have had more validity if they had had each of the participants run the simulator three times. Once each while sober, drunk and talking on a cell phone, but it still makes it clear that talking on the phone is bad for your driving!
Actually that would probably lessen the validity if they used the same drivers in all three modes due to the drivers becoming more used to the simulator environment each time through. They could switch up the order, but that would be impractical for the alcohol test, and woulld still take more subjects than 40 as used for each.
They did a similar study in WA, found headsets don't make a difference. I've always wondered why using both hands to untangle a cable that's either wrapped around the gear shifter or other junk in the center console, thus having to steer with your knee while not looking at the road is safer than flipping a phone open/pushing a button and talking but keeping one hand on the wheel.
The study cited here doesn't seem very accurate. Paying attention to the road and not getting distracted is something I'm very good at. I'll put the phone down or otherwise disengage from the conversation if I need to. I even do that when talking to someone in the car.
If talking while driving is the real problem, why is this only now an issue? I find the drivers who look at the passenger while talking MUCH more dangerous than those who talk on a cell phone.
That may be true for you about not getting distracted from the road while in a conversation on a cell or otherwise, but research has shown that you are the exception. Most persons do get distracted.
And yes, the talking while driving is the real problem whether on a cell or to another passenger. Why do you think a car full of teens can be an accident waiting to happen? As for the looking at the passnger, that is part of the problem with a cell call. Research has shown, and you can observe it yourself at times, the eyes of persons on cell phone calls try to focus on the other party to the conversation. But since they are not there, they aren't actually focused on the environment around the car at all. So depending on where in the car the passenger is, the situations can be equally dangerous. At least in the case of a passenger, most times their own self-preservation can kick in as they can realize a particular section of road might take more of their driver's attention by seeing what is going on around them. The caller on the other end of a cell phone call usually has no idea how conditions are for the driver.
As for why most of the talk of laws and regulations is against cell phone talkers and not those conversing with a passenger, well it is easy to identify someone with a cell in hand. Not so easy to detect and regulate the second situation.
Driving While on a Cell Phone Worse is Than Driving While Drunk
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/...33489.html
Removed quoted material
IMHO the study would have had more validity if they had had each of the participants run the simulator three times. Once each while sober, drunk and talking on a cell phone, but it still makes it clear that talking on the phone is bad for your driving!
Actually that would probably lessen the validity if they used the same drivers in all three modes due to the drivers becoming more used to the simulator environment each time through. They could switch up the order, but that would be impractical for the alcohol test, and woulld still take more subjects than 40 as used for each.
They did a similar study in WA, found headsets don't make a difference. I've always wondered why using both hands to untangle a cable that's either wrapped around the gear shifter or other junk in the center console, thus having to steer with your knee while not looking at the road is safer than flipping a phone open/pushing a button and talking but keeping one hand on the wheel.
The study cited here doesn't seem very accurate. Paying attention to the road and not getting distracted is something I'm very good at. I'll put the phone down or otherwise disengage from the conversation if I need to. I even do that when talking to someone in the car.
If talking while driving is the real problem, why is this only now an issue? I find the drivers who look at the passenger while talking MUCH more dangerous than those who talk on a cell phone.
That may be true for you about not getting distracted from the road while in a conversation on a cell or otherwise, but research has shown that you are the exception. Most persons do get distracted.
And yes, the talking while driving is the real problem whether on a cell or to another passenger. Why do you think a car full of teens can be an accident waiting to happen? As for the looking at the passnger, that is part of the problem with a cell call. Research has shown, and you can observe it yourself at times, the eyes of persons on cell phone calls try to focus on the other party to the conversation. But since they are not there, they aren't actually focused on the environment around the car at all. So depending on where in the car the passenger is, the situations can be equally dangerous. At least in the case of a passenger, most times their own self-preservation can kick in as they can realize a particular section of road might take more of their driver's attention by seeing what is going on around them. The caller on the other end of a cell phone call usually has no idea how conditions are for the driver.
As for why most of the talk of laws and regulations is against cell phone talkers and not those conversing with a passenger, well it is easy to identify someone with a cell in hand. Not so easy to detect and regulate the second situation.
