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Do you think talking on the phone & Driving should be illegal?

  • Yes

    Votes: 159 71.9%
  • No

    Votes: 50 22.6%
  • No Opinion/Don't Care

    Votes: 12 5.4%

  • Total voters
    221

mperkins37

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 17, 2007
579
0
Phoenix, AZ
So my wife's Cavalier got totaled yesterday :(( I became the meat in a Ford Excursion (back) & Ford F250 (Front) Sandwich, when I was slammed into by the Excursion @ 50+ MPH, because the woman driving was talking on her phone.:eek::mad:Made a total wreck of my car, but I'm ok,:) (Just a stiff neck & a little ankle pain). Anyway, if you have photos of your wrecked cars POST 'EM.
BTW The Woman who hit me didn't get cited for anything at all!, Not even violation of basic speed law, or failure to control her vehicle.
 

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mad jew

Moderator emeritus
Apr 3, 2004
32,191
9
Adelaide, Australia
I'm sorry to hear about the crash mate. We haven't been able to talk on mobiles (cell phones) whilst driving for a while now, and I think it's a good thing. It's not a terribly well adhered to law at the moment, but it's still quite young. What conversation could possibly be worth having a crash like that?
 

RugoseCone

macrumors 6502
Aug 22, 2002
303
0
Wow that's terrible. Good thing you are okay, but it's just unbelievable that the woman wasn't issued a citation. How does that happen? Maybe she was a pron star…

I suppose it's a bit ironic that a little Chevrolet car got sandwich smashed between two giant Ford trucks. Damn, those Ford owners take the rivalry seriously!
 

Lord Blackadder

macrumors P6
May 7, 2004
15,669
5,499
Sod off
I was in a similar accident last week - I was in a Ford F-350 (our archaeology field truck) making a left turn across traffic when a woman in a brand new Camry rear-ended me going 50mph. She had been so engrossed in her phone call she drove right into the back of the truck without ever seeing me - didn't even hit the brakes.

Her car was totally destroyed, and she would certainly have been killed had she not been wearing her seatbelt or not had an airbag. Our truck drove away relatively unscathed, all things considered, but we were all very lucky. She got cited for failure to control, I believe.

I have made calls on the road in the past, but I have made a very conscious effort not to do it for years now...when I'm driving somewhere I'm driving, not eating/talking on the phone/reading something etc.
 

xUKHCx

Administrator emeritus
Jan 15, 2006
12,583
9
The Kop
It's illegal to drive while on the phone in the UK for good reason. Good to hear you are OK.
 

kwood

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2006
833
0
In the Great White North.
It's currently not illegal in Canada as far as I know. I feel it should be illegal because a lot of people can't do two things at once. If people could focus on both then it wouldn't be a problem. However in my experience most people cannot drive and talk sadly.:(
 

rockthecasbah

macrumors 68020
Apr 12, 2005
2,395
2
Moorestown, NJ
Sorry to hear man.


In New Jersey it is already illegal but no one seems to uphold the law because I pass car after car everyday with people on their phone! :mad: When my dad does it i get really pissed off and sometimes will do thinks like crank up the radio so he can't hear and has to get off... There are probably safer ways to do it but it seems to get him off pretty quickly :D
 

savar

macrumors 68000
Jun 6, 2003
1,950
0
District of Columbia
So my wife's Cavalier got totaled yesterday :(( I became the meat in a Ford Excursion (back) & Ford F250 (Front) Sandwich, when I was slammed into by the Excursion @ 50+ MPH, because the woman driving was talking on her phone.:eek::mad:Made a total wreck of my car, but I'm ok,:) (Just a stiff neck & a little ankle pain). Anyway, if you have photos of your wrecked cars POST 'EM.
BTW The Woman who hit me didn't get cited for anything at all!, Not even violation of basic speed law, or failure to control her vehicle.


Those are two really big cars. I'm surprised your car held up as well as it did.

If she really hit you at 50+ MPH, then that is just ridiculous. I'm not a litigious person, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to sue her in civil court, and possibly the officer on the scene as well.

Anyway, not as bad as that girl who was texting while driving and drove her car off the road.
 

Cheffy Dave

macrumors 68030
Sorry to hear man.


In New Jersey it is already illegal but no one seems to uphold the law because I pass car after car everyday with people on their phone! :mad: When my dad does it i get really pissed off and sometimes will do thinks like crank up the radio so he can't hear and has to get off... There are probably safer ways to do it but it seems to get him off pretty quickly :D

oh yeah! You'd do that to me once, maybe 1/2 a once:D
 

gkarris

macrumors G3
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
I'd rather post pics other people's stupidity.

There was a really bad accident up the corner this past weekend involving 3 cars and the woman in one of them was pregnant.

Hope you are okay, you should go to a Chiropractor to have your neck/back checked for internal injuries.
 

stompy

macrumors regular
Jul 22, 2002
204
6
I was slammed into by the Excursion @ 50+ MPH, because the woman driving was talking on her phone.

a woman in a brand new Camry rear-ended me going 50mph. She had been so engrossed in her phone call she drove right into the back of the truck without ever seeing me - didn't even hit the brakes.

in chicago you're only allowed to talk on the phone with a hands free device

Glad you're both ok...

I'll admit that hands free dialing is better than fiddling with a phone to dial, but would a hands free device have prevented either of these accidents? (Posters didn't mention it, so I'll assume no hands free devices used.) If your hold a burrito next to your ear, are you more likely to rear end another driver?

It's a matter of compromised attention, not one of holding an inanimate object in your hand.
 

d_and_n5000

macrumors 6502a
Oct 6, 2005
631
0
Wow—I'm glad that your relatively OK, a sandwich like that, I'd expect that little Cavalier to be much more banged up, and you as well. Those two vehicles are hugantic.

Here in Indiana, yapping away on cell phones is not illegal, but they almost certainly should be. Last month my mom was driving down the highway, and some car pulls out into heavy traffic, doesn't look or anything. Of course, the idiot was on his cell phone. Its a good thing that my mom was paying attention, because we were about [] that close to rear-ending this guy. Sure, some people may be able to carry on a cell phone conversation while driving in heavy traffic, but they're rather in the minority.
 

Fezwick

macrumors 6502
Oct 5, 2002
319
185
Rhode Island
I got into an accident in the winter of 2003. The sun was unusually bright and it was warm that day. I was driving back from class and I as I got to the top of a big hill the sun blinded me. I even had shades on and I still couldn't see anything. It also didn't help that there was water all over the road from melted snow and there was a lot of glare from that. I didn't see the fed ex truck parked on the side of the road and I rear ended him. His truck was fine but my jeep is another story...
 

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mperkins37

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 17, 2007
579
0
Phoenix, AZ
Thanks all!

All I got out of it so far is a stiff sore neck & my left ankle is sore when extended.:( I lucked out, though the car's totaled. I have a doctors appt @ 3:00 today just to make sure everything is cool. I will make an appt. @ a chiropractor also to be sure. Glad to be here. lets see some more. (I wish I had pics of the car I put into spider lake off of a tree in 84, guy hit his brights in a curve & I over corrected & Spun it 3x on the wet leaf strewn pavement into a tree & dropping into a lake off it. The hatchback glass popped out & was leaning against a tree unscratched, while the right 2/3rds of the car were obliterated.
The womans adjuster came & looked @ the car a while ago & said they will have an estimate in a few hours for the car damage assesment/value. I will keep you posted.
 

iJon

macrumors 604
Feb 7, 2002
6,586
229
Veteran posters will remember this from a years ago. Will haunt me for the rest of my life.

jon
 

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letsgorangers

macrumors 6502
Jul 10, 2006
458
0
TN
Not wrecked, but...

A car in front of me ran over some retread and it popped up and busted out my headlight. It also popped the blinker out (I put it back in but it is still sticking out a bit and won't work).

1040592105_bdd55b1b11.jpg
 

iJon

macrumors 604
Feb 7, 2002
6,586
229
That is frightening. How bad were your injuries?

I faired quite well. I had a broken eye socket which required some facial reconstruction. Unfortunately my friend in the back seat died. It was an awful situation to the fullest.

jon
 

Sdashiki

macrumors 68040
Aug 11, 2005
3,529
11
Behind the lens
To anyone who has been in a wreck at the obvious fault of another, I feel for you.

Going straight at 70mph to instantly turning 540 degrees and being hit head on by a car that was behind, all because "someone" failed to replace balding tires. Not a fun day.


But, talking on the phone, in your car, I've got two words for you (or one maybe)

Speaker Phone.


I dont feel I have any less control over my vehicle when talking with my cell. Driving a manual I usually have my right hand free anyway so holding a phone up as I speak, placing it in my lap or shirt pocket as I shift, is not a difficult thing to add to the multi-tasking that is driving. This is using the speaker phone, not holding it to my ear, not using my shoulder as a brace. Like an idiot with the "chirp" Nextel crap, thats how I hold it. Just so we're clear.

Thats not to say YOU or someone you know has the amount of control I feel I need to be safe.

So, while I agree talking on a cellphone is 99% of the time to blame for bad driving, its not my excuse.
 

Killyp

macrumors 68040
Jun 14, 2006
3,859
7
I faired quite well. I had a broken eye socket which required some facial reconstruction. Unfortunately my friend in the back seat died. It was an awful situation to the fullest.

jon

Sorry to hear that.
 
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