READ the links provided in the thread before you jump to your own conclusions, one of them clearly states they are different processes.
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Nationwide Hands free Cell Phone Ban for Drivers Urged
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READ the links provided in the thread before you jump to your own conclusions, one of them clearly states they are different processes.
"Talking on a cell phone has a special social demand, such that not attending to the cell conversation can be interpreted as rude, insulting behavior," he noted. A passenger, by contrast, is likely to recognize increased demands on the driver's attention and stop talking.
from http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/March/march5_drivingwhilelistening.shtml
Governments are too lazy to enforce the laws they have so they try to ban the object that they blame for the unacceptable behavior that they've already made illegal and failed to enforce.
Every state in the U.S. and probably every country in the world has laws against reckless driving, not to mention a zillion laws against specific traffic violations. I say enforce all of those laws and there won't be a problem.
Every state in the U.S. and probably every country in the world has laws against reckless driving, not to mention a zillion laws against specific traffic violations. I say enforce all of those laws and there won't be a problem.
To be fair, the scientific literature is mixed. However, the majority of the studies found significant differences. As to the reason, most scientists have attributed the conversational flow as the major difference. In other words, passengers are able to regulate their conversation according to the current driving conditions, whereas the phone cannot.
There's undoubtedly truth to this notion, but the conditions to which this hypothesis apply may not be relevant to the conversations that lead to accidents (i.e. conditions leading to collisions may not be noticeable by passengers).
If you read the article, it says that it is not known how talking to a passenger compares. Regardless of the one person's opinion quoted in the article, they may have the same effect. We don't know.
"In two different experiments, associate professor of psychology Dr. Amit Almor found that planning to speak and speaking put far more demands on the brains resources than listening." Link
I would think it would be more to listen and process what you are hearing.
So listening to a cell phone is not the problem it is the talking part?
How is that not different from talking to a passenger if it is the same brain power?
That study looks to me to say that any conversation is a distraction, not just cell phones.
Now that study says listening is bad, and it is using a simulator so I don't consider that a real baseline test.
yet it been proven hands free headset does jack in making some one a better driver. Studies have shown there is little if any difference between the 2.
I think the ban should go in place in cities. not such a huge fan of it for countries roads.
I can think of times when cell phones are very helpful while driving and that is for given directions.
The part with the passenger is aware of their what is going on around them. the studies shows the passenger will tend to adjust the conversation based on current traffic. In the cell phone the person on the other end of the line is not aware of what is currently going on it the car so they do not adjust to it.
Which is why the the passenger part does not come into play in the cell phone ban.
My point is that there are people talking and operating motor vehicles all the time. And the density near an airport can be high, yet that's when pilots end up doing even more communicating than the rest of the flight. There are no laws requiring communications with/from airplanes by the FAA. You can hop in a plane and make an entire flight without uttering a single word. There are requirements to communicate before entering certain types of airspace or land at larger airports or fly in certain types of weather, but not a blanket rule that you must communicate while flying. Ironically, communication requirements only kick in when there is MORE traffic around meaning more distractions. Notice the lack of a one size fits all, total requirement rule here?
Who says all phone conversations are about the kids problems at school? Some of us don't even have kids, are we exempt from the law? Since this law just makes a blanket rule without leaving any leeway for law enforcement to see if the vehicle is still being handled safely, it will either never get passed or never get enforced unless there is an accident and then it will be added to the reckless/distracted driving charges that will already be given.
I'm sorry you don't feel safe driving on your motorcycle due to people having the right to use phones. I don't feel safe driving when there are motorcycles around, because I have seen enough of them going well above the speed limit and weaving in and out of traffic. Or driving between the rows of traffic when there is a stoppage on the highway, or making their own lane next to the right lane at a light with a long line of traffic in the city and almost causing an accident when a car then makes a right turn or tries to parallel park. Since there is a potential for that kind of behavior, maybe we should ban motorcycles on the road as well?
People are good at looking at a proposed law and saying "that won't affect me" and then not doing anything about it. I hate talking on the phone while driving and won't do it, but I still think outright banning it is the wrong way to go. Punish the resulting behavior not the device that might lead to that behavior, but can be used safely if done properly.
Just yesterday I had some idiot on the motorway slow down to 50 mph in front of me for no apparent reason. When I passed him, my wife noticed that the driver was texting while driving.
No, it doesn't. When your dad kills someone while talking on the phone, will you tell that to the relatives of the victim?
Well the cigarette lighter is doing all the work.
You know what I meant.
Well now I do.
Then why not propose your own law to ban smoking while driving? This thread, however, is about cellphones.
No this thread is about the hypocrisy that just cell phones are a distraction. My whole point has been why are we just focusing on cell phones.
Isn't killing someone because they are eating a burger taking vigilantism just a little too far?
Not if it is a distraction to other people on the road. A distraction is a distraction it doesn't matter what it is.Isn't killing someone because they are eating a burger taking vigilantism just a little too far?
Cell phones, eating, smoking, the result is the same. You are not focusing on the road.