[CS-FSLUG] National Safety Council Urges Total Ban on Cell Use While Driving

[Davo Smith]

On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 12:45 PM, David McGlone <d.mcglone at att.net> wrote:
> On Monday 19 January 2009 5:26:26 pm Davo Smith wrote:
>> >>> The National Safety Council has called on drivers to stop using cell
>> >>> phones and other communication devices while driving.
>> >>
>> >> Thankfully, in the UK, we've had that in place for a few years now
>> >> (although hands-free kits are still allowed).
>> >
>> > There have been studies out for a number of years now that show that
>> > driving while using a cell phone is statistically about as bad as
>> > driving while drunk.  The problem is that with current society, it is
>> > far easier to ban drunks from driving than to ban a new piece of
>> > advancing technology from being used.
>> >
>> > IMO, the UK only addresses half the problem--that of having a hand tied
>> > up not being used for driving.  The problem of having one's mind
>> > concentrating on the conversation rather than on the road isn't really
>> > addressed if hands-free devices are still allowed.
>>
>> Fair point and I agree about the distraction element - I'd never use a
>> hands-free kit myself, I just let my wife answer the phone instead
>> (unless she was the one driving!).
>
> The way I look at it, a hands free solution would be equivalent to talking to
> a passenger sitting next to you.

Except that a passenger can see the road conditions and observe your
body language, so you don't have to tell them 'hang on a minute, the
traffic's getting worse', they can see that. Also when talking on the
phone your mind focus is taken away from your immediate surroundings
to an abstract voice many miles away, which *is* different from having
a person next to you in the same car.

Still 'only hands-free' is better than unrestricted mobile phone use,

Davo