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

[David McGlone]

On Tuesday 20 January 2009 10:56:02 am Davo Smith 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 can't agree with you on this one. The reason being is because I am Hearing 
Impaired, and have a Cochlear Implant and I have to concentrate hard on 
listening to a conversation while driving when someone is in the passenger 
seat just as hard as I would if they were on a cell phone. I actually think 
it's even better to talk to the dashboard than it is to talk to someone 
sitting next to you because, when someone is sitting next to you, you tend to 
look their way every so often, as I do. Even more so in my case, because I am 
so used to reading lips when having a conversation while the person is 
present. 

I've actually caught myself reading the passengers lips and when looking to 
the right in their direction, the car would slightly veer to the right. My 
wife has actually had to tell me to watch the road.

But when talking to a mic on the dash, your eyes are straight ahead, watching 
traffic, checking mirrors, odometer, etc.

So with my condition and my observations I don't think that your mind is taken 
away from your immediate surroundings at all.

So take it from me, talking to a passenger is more hazardous than talking to a 
microphone on the dash. 
 
-- 
David McG.