All the human factors studies i've seen, indicate that the act of holding a conversation with someone (who is not in the vehicle) is the real problem, not the physical act of holding an object.
Meaning... hands-free is really a red herring. All the data shows that hands-free talking is nearly as dangerous as holding the handset to your head.
I've never had a problem multitasking, but you are right, I have seen many that can't think and drive at the same time. We should definitely pass more laws to defend us from those who can't. That will fix us all nice and solid. Let's just stop everything.
There are many who believe people should not be on the phone at all while driving.
Count me in that camp. Any distractions while driving, including talking to your passengers and listening to the radio contribute to an already dangerous situation. It only takes a fraction of a second to harm or kill another person.
All the human factors studies i've seen, indicate that the act of holding a conversation with someone (who is not in the vehicle) is the real problem, not the physical act of holding an object.
Meaning... hands-free is really a red herring. All the data shows that hands-free talking is nearly as dangerous as holding the handset to your head.
I'm not trying to advocate one way or the other, but I fully anticipate phone calls to eventually be prohibited completely while driving. The hands-free laws going into effect in the states and around the world are only the beginning. There is conclusive empirical data that shows talking on the phone to be roughly as impairing as driving while drunk. Calling while driving is just so damn convenient that people aren't wanting to pay attention to the data. Legislating a ban would be political suicide at the moment... but societal norms change. Within a couple decades, there will probably be just as big a negative stigma for phone calls while driving as there is for drunk driving.
With that said, i'm not looking forward to the ban. I'm not as obsessed with safety as perhaps most people are, and am comfortable with the current accident rate.
Count me in that camp. Any distractions while driving, including talking to your passengers and listening to the radio contribute to an already dangerous situation. It only takes a fraction of a second to harm or kill another person.
This is the one of the most sensible articles I've read on the subject:
Lots of good scientific stuff there. One interesting point is that the act of using one's phone hands-free while driving doesn't make one safer, but it's the enactment of "hands free" laws which decreases the usage of cellular phones on the road (not the many people have headsets; and voice dialing is a usability nightmare), thereby reducing the number of accidents/fatalities involving cell phone use.
"Studies" have shown that red causes people to go blind.
"Studies" have shown that hiccups distract drivers, any driver found hiccuping while driving will be fined.
"Studies" have shown that driving causes cancer.
Studies have shown that people will believe anything they are told.
Too funny. It really is funny the amount of bullshit that people buy into. Do you know how much the human mind can process in one second? Having a conversation while driving is enough to make you go blind to your surroundings? Huuuhhh, r-i-g-h-t.
Hey, I have an idea. Let's have a study that shows having children in the car while driving increases the divorce rate. I can prove it, all I have to do is hire a couple of "experts" on the subject, dump some money into the right pockets and there we go. We have successfully violated the human rights of children.
oh no there is that "consensus" word again....uh oh,
government should require no kids in the car, single passenger vehicles, and if others are in the car.. lets have congress adopt the "cone of silence"......AROUND THEM.
hey i want a phone made to look like a creasy double hamburger, that hasn't been outlawed yet? no better yet that taco bell crunch wrap, hey you can eat it with one hand... how about a tax credit for placing a noise suppression screen between the driver and the passengers. who needs social interaction.
politicians should be made to wear headsets so they can hear the dribble they tell us.
Too funny. It really is funny the amount of bullshit that people buy into. Do you know how much the human mind can process in one second? Having a conversation while driving is enough to make you go blind to your surroundings? Huuuhhh, r-i-g-h-t.
You also have to look at the fact that in the US around 48,000 people a year are killed or severely injured in automobile accidents. This is multiple times more than the number of fatal accidents for every other mode of transportation combined (planes, trains, bus, boats).
You also assume that most everyone in the general public are good drivers which is not necessarily the case. Mediocre to bad drivers don't need more distraction.
There is a consensus about the relative danger, not about if that danger merits legislation of phone usage restrictions.
It appears that some people are so opposed to possible legislation that they are in denial about the data at hand. A more reasoned approach is possible. It is possible to be anti-ban yet still acknowledge the danger evidenced by study after study. The key is to not try and deny the overwhelming majority of scientific data, but rather to claim that the danger is acceptable given the tradeoffs involved.
Rather than tracking down all those studies via a google crusade, a quick visit to wikipedia will point one in the right direction...
So then airplane Pilots, Police, Fireman, Taxi drivers, Truckers and so on that have a need to use radio communication devices are also at risk of doing harm to others because they are talking to other parties outside of the vehicle they are currently operating.... So maybe we should also create laws to band that also....
I agree I see many people on the road that can't seem to drive well while they are on the cell phone but at the same time I have not seen them drive off while not talking on the cell phone maybe they still suck at driving when not on the phone also.
So then airplane Pilots, Police, Fireman, Taxi drivers, Truckers and so on that have a need to use radio communication devices are also at risk of doing harm to others because they are talking to other parties outside of the vehicle they are currently operating.... So maybe we should also create laws to band that also....
Yes, those other people driving while distracted also pose an increased risk over driving while not distracted. We know this for a fact.
What is disputable is the exact magnitude of the increased risk, along with whether it is worth the trade-off, and finally whether bans are justified.
Comments
All the human factors studies i've seen, indicate that the act of holding a conversation with someone (who is not in the vehicle) is the real problem, not the physical act of holding an object.
Meaning... hands-free is really a red herring. All the data shows that hands-free talking is nearly as dangerous as holding the handset to your head.
I've never had a problem multitasking, but you are right, I have seen many that can't think and drive at the same time. We should definitely pass more laws to defend us from those who can't. That will fix us all nice and solid. Let's just stop everything.
There are many who believe people should not be on the phone at all while driving.
Count me in that camp. Any distractions while driving, including talking to your passengers and listening to the radio contribute to an already dangerous situation. It only takes a fraction of a second to harm or kill another person.
All the human factors studies i've seen, indicate that the act of holding a conversation with someone (who is not in the vehicle) is the real problem, not the physical act of holding an object.
Meaning... hands-free is really a red herring. All the data shows that hands-free talking is nearly as dangerous as holding the handset to your head.
I'm not trying to advocate one way or the other, but I fully anticipate phone calls to eventually be prohibited completely while driving. The hands-free laws going into effect in the states and around the world are only the beginning. There is conclusive empirical data that shows talking on the phone to be roughly as impairing as driving while drunk. Calling while driving is just so damn convenient that people aren't wanting to pay attention to the data. Legislating a ban would be political suicide at the moment... but societal norms change. Within a couple decades, there will probably be just as big a negative stigma for phone calls while driving as there is for drunk driving.
With that said, i'm not looking forward to the ban. I'm not as obsessed with safety as perhaps most people are, and am comfortable with the current accident rate.
All of this will be moot in about 10-12 years as "auto-pilot" for cars will become commonplace. I've always wanted to have a robo-chauffeur.
The iPhone is fully ready for the Ca. law. Just buy a BT headset.
Count me in that camp. Any distractions while driving, including talking to your passengers and listening to the radio contribute to an already dangerous situation. It only takes a fraction of a second to harm or kill another person.
This is the one of the most sensible articles I've read on the subject:
The truth about driving and talking on the cell
Lots of good scientific stuff there. One interesting point is that the act of using one's phone hands-free while driving doesn't make one safer, but it's the enactment of "hands free" laws which decreases the usage of cellular phones on the road (not the many people have headsets; and voice dialing is a usability nightmare), thereby reducing the number of accidents/fatalities involving cell phone use.
"Studies" have shown that man evil.
"Studies" have shown that red causes people to go blind.
"Studies" have shown that hiccups distract drivers, any driver found hiccuping while driving will be fined.
"Studies" have shown that driving causes cancer.
Studies have shown that people will believe anything they are told.
Too funny. It really is funny the amount of bullshit that people buy into. Do you know how much the human mind can process in one second? Having a conversation while driving is enough to make you go blind to your surroundings? Huuuhhh, r-i-g-h-t.
Hey, I have an idea. Let's have a study that shows having children in the car while driving increases the divorce rate. I can prove it, all I have to do is hire a couple of "experts" on the subject, dump some money into the right pockets and there we go. We have successfully violated the human rights of children.
Pathetic.
This isn't just one crack-pot study. There is a near consensus among scientists about the danger of driving while talking on a phone.
government should require no kids in the car, single passenger vehicles, and if others are in the car.. lets have congress adopt the "cone of silence"......AROUND THEM.
hey i want a phone made to look like a creasy double hamburger, that hasn't been outlawed yet? no better yet that taco bell crunch wrap, hey you can eat it with one hand... how about a tax credit for placing a noise suppression screen between the driver and the passengers. who needs social interaction.
politicians should be made to wear headsets so they can hear the dribble they tell us.
Too funny. It really is funny the amount of bullshit that people buy into. Do you know how much the human mind can process in one second? Having a conversation while driving is enough to make you go blind to your surroundings? Huuuhhh, r-i-g-h-t.
You also have to look at the fact that in the US around 48,000 people a year are killed or severely injured in automobile accidents. This is multiple times more than the number of fatal accidents for every other mode of transportation combined (planes, trains, bus, boats).
You also assume that most everyone in the general public are good drivers which is not necessarily the case. Mediocre to bad drivers don't need more distraction.
It appears that some people are so opposed to possible legislation that they are in denial about the data at hand. A more reasoned approach is possible. It is possible to be anti-ban yet still acknowledge the danger evidenced by study after study. The key is to not try and deny the overwhelming majority of scientific data, but rather to claim that the danger is acceptable given the tradeoffs involved.
Rather than tracking down all those studies via a google crusade, a quick visit to wikipedia will point one in the right direction...
Mobile phones and driving safety
I agree I see many people on the road that can't seem to drive well while they are on the cell phone but at the same time I have not seen them drive off while not talking on the cell phone maybe they still suck at driving when not on the phone also.
So then airplane Pilots, Police, Fireman, Taxi drivers, Truckers and so on that have a need to use radio communication devices are also at risk of doing harm to others because they are talking to other parties outside of the vehicle they are currently operating.... So maybe we should also create laws to band that also....
Yes, those other people driving while distracted also pose an increased risk over driving while not distracted. We know this for a fact.
What is disputable is the exact magnitude of the increased risk, along with whether it is worth the trade-off, and finally whether bans are justified.