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

[Legatus]

On Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 09:56, Davo Smith
<christiansource at davosmith.co.uk> wrote:
> 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,

I don't agree with any restriction. Its micromanaging our tasks. The
best solution is pull people over and ticket them for observably
reckless and dangerous driving. In other words enforce the laws on the
books already. Some people can drive with no hands better than others
with no distractions and both hands.  Speeding, going to slow, unable
to stay between the lines, following too close, etc are all things
that can be observed from a distance, and generally fall under laws
that already exist.

-- 
JD Runyan


E. B. White  - "Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than in a
whole one."