Cell phones

[Blueberry]

As much as I talk on my cell phone, I completely agree regarding the appalling lack of cellular phone etiquette. On the few occasions I've had to take a call and been in a store or restaurant, I generally excuse myself and step outside to talk. Yep - I've been rained on and gotten quite cold, but to do otherwise is just *rude* Most of my conversations are in my car *with my headset.*

We still have someone's cell phone go off in court once in a while - talk about embarrassing!

[onimity]

Statistically you are not safer using a cell phone in a car just because you use a headset. It is the distraction more than the phone that is problematic when driving, and I would kindly ask those of you that do this to concentrate on driving and have your conversations when you arrive at your destination. Distracted drivers make the road a lot more dangerous for all of us.

I am cell-only, have been for 8 years now. I like that I can take my 'home phone' with me when I travel, but I don't feel compelled to answer the phone when it is not convenient for me, or to continue a conversation if I am otherwise occupied. Sorry I'm eating. Checking out at the grocery store, not a good time. Cell use gets a little silly to me, sometimes. Technology can offer us so much flexibility and freedom but we can let it control us and limit us too.

Anne

[Blueberry]

Statistically you are not safer using a cell phone in a car just because you use a headset. It is the distraction more than the phone that is problematic when driving, and I would kindly ask those of you that do this to concentrate on driving and have your conversations when you arrive at your destination.

While this may be true, I would respectfully submit that talking on a headset is no more dangerous than other distractions we're not likely to ban or even ask others to refrain from such as: talking to a passenger, listening to the conversation of other passengers in your vehicle, eating, drinking, smoking, changing the radio station, changing a CD, etc. I supposed ideally (from a distraction perspective) we'd all be driving single occupancy cars with no radios.

FWIW I think the legislatures in lots of states would disagree with you given the plethora of hands free laws that have emerged. I'll continue to use my hands free device since I believe I'm less distracted with it (as opposed to holding my cell phone). But, it's simply not practical for me to completely give up talking in the car. I have a 45 minute each way commute and a 60 hour a week job. Yeah, I'm trying to change that. But it's a lengthy process.

[onimity]

While this may be true, I would respectfully submit that talking on a headset is no more dangerous than other distractions we're not likely to ban or even ask others to refrain from such as: talking to a passenger, listening to the conversation of other passengers in your vehicle, eating, drinking, smoking, changing the radio station, changing a CD, etc. I supposed ideally (from a distraction perspective) we'd all be driving single occupancy cars with no radios.

I agree that there are numerous distractions for drivers. And of course the vast majority of the nation agrees with you as there is tremendous demand for every sort of distracting device, DVD players, etc. Cars are turning into entertainment devices, and there is no incentive for lawmakers to fight that. And unlike a lot of the distractions you mention, phone conversations are often longer, can get emotional and the other party has no indication as to the conditions the driver is facing.

FWIW I think the legislatures in lots of states would disagree with you given the plethora of hands free laws that have emerged.

No doubt about that. But that doesn't mean those legislatures went on any more than what they too believed. And it's not about what *I* believe, I too thought that it would be safer until I read study after study demonstrating otherwise. It turns out that things like voice dialing, the increased errors in dialing on hands-free devices and maintaining the conversation all significantly reduce the response times of drivers. Driving with a cell phone is a lot like having a drink before you get behind the wheel. Yep, it's legal (under the BAC limit, or hands free, or...whatever) but it's not something that encourages the safe operation of a huge, fast moving machine.

I understand the pressures of a time-consuming job and trying to fit a lot of things in; and I think it feels safe to drive with a cell phone because most of the time, especially on freeways and the like, the road is quite predictable.

Anne

[Blueberry]

You definitely have a point about freeways - about 95% of my commute is on freeways. I have found that I'm much more reluctant to use my phone when I'm on something other than a freeway. I don't know if it *is* safer, but it certainly feels that way. I'm also known to be what some would consider "rude" to the folks I'm on the phone with - either hang on or I'll have to call you back - there's heavy traffic....

CA

[Zen]

Changing the station on the radio is very different than having a telephone conversation.

Changing the station is automatic, I know where to reach for the buttons.
Having a conversation involves different brain pathways, including those that need to be used for driving.

[OakLeaf]

I agree. Studies have shown that talking on the phone gives you tunnel vision, it has nothing to do with using your hands. Probably only motorcyclists, who are used to "seeing with our whole eyes" and keenly aware when our alertness suffers, ever even notice that we get tunnel vision if we try to talk on the phone.

I'll answer my phone via bluetooth and a steering wheel button, but only to tell the person I'm driving and I'll call them back. If I didn't answer it, worrying about who it was would distract me as much as just answering the call.

[teigyr]

I don't make important calls when I drive. I do call my husband on my drive home because it's one of the few times we have uninterrupted time! I will say also that if things get complicated I have no problem saying "hold on". To me, it's the same as talking if he was in the car in fact it might be easier because I don't look for expression or reaction. I refuse to use the handset, hands free is MUCH better.

I'm like others here, I won't use the phone in front of people. I figure nobody wants to hear my conversations! I step out in the hall, outside, or I go for a walk so at least I'm not standing by the same people hearing the same conversation. I also try to speak somewhat quietly.

The one thing I am not coordinated enough to do is talk and ride I see people do it though.

As far as the original question goes, I have a RZR 3xx. I like it but the battery life is bad....like only a few hours for talking. I think the original RZR is better for that.

[OakLeaf]

Try it sometime then.

I'm sad to say that most car drivers probably don't even know what it is to have their full attention on their DEADLY task, but I HOPE that everyone who's regularly out on the road on two wheels at least knows how to do that.

So next time you're driving your car, practice full alertness. See with your whole eyes. Understand how that feels, if you're not used to it (and please, please, please if you're not used to it, try to get used to it... but back to the topic).

Or let's say it another way. How are you with descending on your bicycle? Are you perfectly comfortable at 50 mph? If not, it's because you're not looking around you. You're not going any faster on a bicycle at 50 mph than you are in a car at the same speed. The only difference is, if you crash your bicycle at that speed, it's you, not someone else, who is likely to be hurt. Now, I'm human and everything, but I would LIKE to think that I'm as concerned about killing someone else as I am about killing myself.

Once you learn to be aware of everything around you, then try the next step in this experiment.

Now, next time you're on the phone, observe yourself. Can you identify everything in your 160 degree peripheral vision? Are you looking 14 seconds ahead and to both sides, as you were before you answered that call? What's in your right side view mirror? What color and general shape is the car coming up behind you, that's now in your blind spot, so that you're waiting for it and recognize it when you see it again? Heck, can you see that bicyclist in commuter clothes that's trying to get into lane position to make a left turn (not the one in Lycra that attracted your attention because you want to know what kind of spiffy bike they're riding)?

Way too many people are dying every single day because they or others are not paying attention while piloting 3,000 lbs of metal. The attitude today that is actually expressed by safety officials is "crash all you want, just don't get hurt." That's fine when you're inside that cage, but it is not fine for bicyclists, motorcyclists or pedestrians. As bicyclists, we should all be extra concerned about the problem of inattentive driving.

[onimity]

Oakleaf, I could not agree more.

So many of the drivers that put me in danger on a daily basis do not even seem to know that they are doing so because they are so focused on their conversations. I regularly have people pull out in front of me that are chatting away and never even look in my direction. And if you asked these people if they were distracted they'd probably say 'of course not' because they didn't even see the bicycle they almost hit.

I mean no personal criticism of anyone here, but I think it is sad that our culture is such that our only time to connect with the people we love or the people we need to communicate with is when we're hurdling ourselves down the road at absurd speeds, when we're engaged in our most dangerous activity of the day. Our lives are so complicated that we must do everything at once and in doing so we give everything a fraction of the attention it deserves. I just don't understand it.

Anne

[Blueberry]

I mean no personal criticism of anyone here, but I think it is sad that our culture is such that our only time to connect with the people we love or the people we need to communicate with is when we're hurdling ourselves down the road at absurd speeds, when we're engaged in our most dangerous activity of the day. Our lives are so complicated that we must do everything at once and in doing so we give everything a fraction of the attention it deserves. I just don't understand it.

Not to thread drift too much (as if we haven't already ), but I couldn't agree more with this. I've been trying for more than a year to find a different job with less stress, fewer hours and more time to spend with those I love and do the things I want to do. But, I still have to pay the bills, so I have to keep this one until I can find something else. There seems to have been a major cultural shift away from quality of life. Our upper firm management just suggested that the partners would really appreciate it if the associates worked through Thanksgiving and Christmas so that they would have larger bonuses. And implied that those who don't will not be thought well of. Nope, I'm not going to - but who knows if I will have a job in January.

[Mr. Bloom]

There seems to have been a major cultural shift away from quality of life.

I agree here - it's a "more, better, faster, with less" world. Economics calls this "improved productivity". "Improved Productivity" results in lower prices. This is a reality, so it means we have to be more productive in the time we have to maintain a quality of life outside work.

However, I'm sorry to say that we're not willing to pay the price to make it otherwise...are you willing to have higher prices for everything you buy to justify lower productivity...some are, but most would say probably not.

I, for one, need the time that I spend in the car to get things done by phone. Neither my life nor my work stops because I'm in the car...and I do not feel that the world is less safe as a result...

Our upper firm management just suggested that the partners would really appreciate it if the associates worked through Thanksgiving and Christmas so that they would have larger bonuses. And implied that those who don't will not be thought well of.

I really hope they said that as a joke I believe in productivity...but this is productivity motivated out of greed...and I'm sorry you're challenged by that environment...

[Blueberry]

I really hope they said that as a joke I believe in productivity...but this is productivity motivated out of greed...and I'm sorry you're challenged by that environment...

Sadly, I'm *sure* it wasn't. One of the many reasons my eyes are wide open, and I've been in touch with the south seas....

CA

[Zen]

...and I do not feel that the world is less safe as a result...

That's frightening that someone as intelligent as you truly believes that..
numerous studies cited here
Reminds me of the anecdote of last words being " I wish I had spent more time at the office"

[Mr. Bloom]

That's frightening that someone as intelligent as you truly believes that..

From the first study:

"The study found that when 18- to 25-year-olds were placed in a driving simulator and talked on a cellular phone, they reacted to brake lights from a car in front of them as slowly as 65- to 74-year-olds who were not using a cell phone."

Well, there you go...I'm 45

But, sincerely, I understand your perspective...but this very example is in a controlled, simulated study where the driver is forced to be on the cell phone in simulated conditions. In other words, it places them in a risk situation regardless of whether they would typically operate in those conditions outside the study.

Thanks for acknowledging that I'm intelligent...but because I'm intelligent, I wouldn't be on the phone in difficult or high traffic conditions where I feel pressed. Silver will attest that in really high traffic conditions I either ask the kids or her for silence if I really need to concentrate...it doesn't happen often, but I know when I need to concentrate...

In addition, it's counter-intuitive, but I recall there being bona-fide studies out there that also "prove" that men driving with radar detectors have fewer accidents...Soooo... I just don't buy the "studies" because someone has done them...I only know how I feel about my abilities and limitations...

BTW - I LOVE Click and Clack!