Monday, October 11, 2004
Driving, Cell Phones and You
I've been reading about drivers using cell phones lately, and I've got to tell you it's some pretty scary shit. Per a recent University of Utah study, drivers who use cell phones (even hands free models):
1) Show GREATER impairment that drivers with BACs at the legal limit of intoxication (.08%)
2) Are 4x more likely to be involved in an accident than drivers not on cell phones, even if the call was WITHIN THE PAST 10 MINUTES!
3) Often "miss" visual cues - like stop signs and traffic signals - leading to accidents
4) Have longer braking reaction times than intoxicated drivers
Apparently humans have a threshold for distraction; speaking on a cell phone while driving crosses that threshold.
Now, let's stop and think about this for a second. Few among us regularly drive drunk. It's easy these days to find a designated driver, call a cab, take a bus or walk. No one wants the hassle of losing your license, having an accident, getting ass-raped with higher insurance rates, etc. Now matter how you slice it, the risks of driving drunk FAR outweigh any potential benefits.
But ALL of us drive while talking on the cell phone.
I'm pretty fanatical about using a headset (law by me, anyway), but even a hands free phone has no advantage in terms of distraction. I KNOW my driving ability goes down when I'm on the phone, so I try to limit my calls. If it's going to be a lengthy conversation, I'll pull off the road. If I can't, I just tell them "I'll call you back".
Now, let's step up and admit something else - NO ONE is as good behind the wheel as we think we are. "Fuck you", you say "There's nothing wrong with my driving". As a former racer and driving instructor, I'm here to tell you... you're not as good as you give yourself credit for.
So, what am I getting at here? The next time you go to make a cell phone call from the car, think about it. Do you NEED to make the call, or are you just filling the gaps in our lives between home and work? If you're calling to shoot the shit with a friend, why not just wait a few minutes and call them from home? Likewise, do you need to take the phone call from you mother (bitching that you never call HER anymore) while you're doing the rush hour slice and dice? Can't it wait until you get home?
Every time I'm behind the wheel or on the bike, I see things that leave me speechless. It is utterly fucking amazing that we are not dying by the millions each year on the roads. If everybody took a minute to inventory there own skills and rationalize their distractions (do you REALLY need to rub one out to a porn DVD on the way to work), we could really have an impact on things like accident rates, insurance rates, lawsuits and other general stupidity.
Tell me I'm wrong.
1) Show GREATER impairment that drivers with BACs at the legal limit of intoxication (.08%)
2) Are 4x more likely to be involved in an accident than drivers not on cell phones, even if the call was WITHIN THE PAST 10 MINUTES!
3) Often "miss" visual cues - like stop signs and traffic signals - leading to accidents
4) Have longer braking reaction times than intoxicated drivers
Apparently humans have a threshold for distraction; speaking on a cell phone while driving crosses that threshold.
Now, let's stop and think about this for a second. Few among us regularly drive drunk. It's easy these days to find a designated driver, call a cab, take a bus or walk. No one wants the hassle of losing your license, having an accident, getting ass-raped with higher insurance rates, etc. Now matter how you slice it, the risks of driving drunk FAR outweigh any potential benefits.
But ALL of us drive while talking on the cell phone.
I'm pretty fanatical about using a headset (law by me, anyway), but even a hands free phone has no advantage in terms of distraction. I KNOW my driving ability goes down when I'm on the phone, so I try to limit my calls. If it's going to be a lengthy conversation, I'll pull off the road. If I can't, I just tell them "I'll call you back".
Now, let's step up and admit something else - NO ONE is as good behind the wheel as we think we are. "Fuck you", you say "There's nothing wrong with my driving". As a former racer and driving instructor, I'm here to tell you... you're not as good as you give yourself credit for.
So, what am I getting at here? The next time you go to make a cell phone call from the car, think about it. Do you NEED to make the call, or are you just filling the gaps in our lives between home and work? If you're calling to shoot the shit with a friend, why not just wait a few minutes and call them from home? Likewise, do you need to take the phone call from you mother (bitching that you never call HER anymore) while you're doing the rush hour slice and dice? Can't it wait until you get home?
Every time I'm behind the wheel or on the bike, I see things that leave me speechless. It is utterly fucking amazing that we are not dying by the millions each year on the roads. If everybody took a minute to inventory there own skills and rationalize their distractions (do you REALLY need to rub one out to a porn DVD on the way to work), we could really have an impact on things like accident rates, insurance rates, lawsuits and other general stupidity.
Tell me I'm wrong.
// posted by John Patmos @ 1:10 PM 
Comments:
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I get distracted even from chatting with someone else in the car. I get lost, can't pay attention to where I am going, etc. etc.
I almost got killed that way the other night...people who think that they can talk on a cellphone and drive onehanded are deluding themselves.
A couple months ago some soccer mom ran over some kids at a crosswalk because she was busy chewing out her husband on the cellphone as she drove to work. Sad.
I almost got killed that way the other night...people who think that they can talk on a cellphone and drive onehanded are deluding themselves.
A couple months ago some soccer mom ran over some kids at a crosswalk because she was busy chewing out her husband on the cellphone as she drove to work. Sad.
# posted by 
: 1:03 PM
: 1:03 PM
You are absolutely right! It's forbidden by law here and even on a bike (normal bike not motorcycle) you pay a fine. I'm not sure whether you get points though. Another thing that strikes me in the US is the amount of big fat jeeps on the streets. Scaryyyyyy..lol* I think the system in Germany works alright with the driving schools and tests.
i have no illusions about being a great driver any more...i'm just adequate at this point, i've lost that daring edge, and am just happy getting from point a to point b without killing anyone/getting killed.
and driving while talking on my phone doesn't really appeal to me. thats what the answering service is for.
and driving while talking on my phone doesn't really appeal to me. thats what the answering service is for.
Mister Underhill: I'm concerned when I'm behind the wheel, but I'm paranoid when I'm on the motorcycle. I'd rather explain to a state trooper why I was riding 110 in a 55 (getting away from a pack of soccer moms armed with cell phones) than have a state trooper explain to my wife that she's now a widow.
Something has gotta change here.
Something has gotta change here.
That Girl:
Germany has some of the best trained drivers on the planet, without a doubt. In the US, it seems like anyone can get a license (I believe we give them out free, in cereal boxes) regardless of knowledge or skill.
I've driven in Germany, and it takes me a while to adjust when I come home. People here just don't understand that a directional signal means "I'm coming over, deal with it" or that flashing high beams mean "Get the fuck out of my way. NOW!"
Hell, half the drivers don't even yield to emergency vehicles anymore.
Germany has some of the best trained drivers on the planet, without a doubt. In the US, it seems like anyone can get a license (I believe we give them out free, in cereal boxes) regardless of knowledge or skill.
I've driven in Germany, and it takes me a while to adjust when I come home. People here just don't understand that a directional signal means "I'm coming over, deal with it" or that flashing high beams mean "Get the fuck out of my way. NOW!"
Hell, half the drivers don't even yield to emergency vehicles anymore.
that right there is the reason why i do NOT have a cell phone (ok, that and the no money thing) :)
so are ya gonna link to me silly!?
so are ya gonna link to me silly!?
Wow, apparently I'm not the only one who feel this way. I was waiting for the barrage of "I'll give up my cell phone driving priveleges when you pry my cold, dead fingers from the phone and the steering wheel" comments...
InkedDaisy - I'm on it darlin! Good to see you!
InkedDaisy - I'm on it darlin! Good to see you!
darth - A friend of mine once said, "Face it - you're a driver". It took me a long time to fully understand what he meant, but it comes down to this; there is no one I trust behind the wheel, in any conditions, more than myself.
It's the other drivers on the road (putting on makeup, eating a ChickenMcLardass, circumcizing a baby, etc.) that freak my ass out.
It's the other drivers on the road (putting on makeup, eating a ChickenMcLardass, circumcizing a baby, etc.) that freak my ass out.
I just hate all the SUVs here in vegas. The big trucks are even worse, though; they will pull in front of smaller vehicles when they don't haev the right and just don't give a fuck if you run into them.
I finally decided to get a bright SUV thing myself with a steel cage in front just to deter these lunatics from doing this...and it works. Now they just flip me off instead of cutting me off.
I can't wait til gas hits 10 bucks a gallon. I'll be more than happy to sell my car for scrap and get a hybrid if I can do so without getting killed.
I finally decided to get a bright SUV thing myself with a steel cage in front just to deter these lunatics from doing this...and it works. Now they just flip me off instead of cutting me off.
I can't wait til gas hits 10 bucks a gallon. I'll be more than happy to sell my car for scrap and get a hybrid if I can do so without getting killed.
# posted by : 3:07 PM
: 3:07 PM
Ditto here with SUVs - people buy them because they equate safety with sheetmetal. The safest cars help you AVOID an accident, not kill other drivers in one.
I'd take a Mini Cooper S over a Ford Excursion any day of the week. The Mini, in my hands, is a much, much safer vehicle.
I'd take a Mini Cooper S over a Ford Excursion any day of the week. The Mini, in my hands, is a much, much safer vehicle.
Unfortunately you have no chance to get out of the way much of the time, especially here...some of them literally are attempting to hit you/run you off the road.
The problem with the mass thing is that if everyone just gets more mass then there is no benefit overall anyhow, but due to kinematics if a truck ten times as big as my cooper mini then I will feel 100 times the force the truck does; basically I will be squashed and the truck will have just a scratch.
The problem with the mass thing is that if everyone just gets more mass then there is no benefit overall anyhow, but due to kinematics if a truck ten times as big as my cooper mini then I will feel 100 times the force the truck does; basically I will be squashed and the truck will have just a scratch.
# posted by : 5:04 PM
: 5:04 PM
True, but you need to have a different mindset in a sports car or on a motorcycle. I am actually a MUCH more aggressive driver when I'm on a bike; since you don't have the benefit of mass, you need to rely on power and handling.
Yeah, a bike is much better in many ways, but as you say you have to be PARANOID and very agressive or you are going to be a road patty in city driving.
# posted by : 6:14 PM
: 6:14 PM
That's the way it should be - in NJ, talking without a hands free device while driving is a "secondary offense". They can't stop you for it, but they can ticket you if stopped for something else.
Not to discriminate by age, but new drivers are some of the worst offenders. They haven't developed the necessary skill set to deal with high volume traffic and high speed driving, but immediately introduce other variables into the mix - cell phones, DVD players, obnoxiously loud stereos, etc.
It's kind of like putting out a fire with gasoline.
Not to discriminate by age, but new drivers are some of the worst offenders. They haven't developed the necessary skill set to deal with high volume traffic and high speed driving, but immediately introduce other variables into the mix - cell phones, DVD players, obnoxiously loud stereos, etc.
It's kind of like putting out a fire with gasoline.
Nice rant. I drive a Miata MX5 most days to work (wife's car....yeah sure..). I'm intimately familiar with most truck wheels since I can can read the manufacturer's stamp on them when they pass me at 90 mph.
On the cell phone issue, I don't think a day passes where I don't come upon a driver behaving oddly only to find out he/she's either 90 years old or on the f**ing phone. At least move over into the slow lane...pleeeaaase.
On the cell phone issue, I don't think a day passes where I don't come upon a driver behaving oddly only to find out he/she's either 90 years old or on the f**ing phone. At least move over into the slow lane...pleeeaaase.
Hey Politico - thanks for visiting!
I had an MX5 as a play car for years ('93, B package). It wasn't much in a straight line, but you didn't have to slow down for corners. I loved getting comments about it being a "chick car"; one drive with me, and the passenger no longer had that opinion. Course it WAS a bitch getting their nail impressions out of the dashboard...
My comment about people not yielding to emergency vehicles is absolutely accurate. My brother is a big-city detective and SWAT team guy; not a week goes by that he doesn't have a story about some jackass on a cell phone cutting them off, not getting out of the way, etc. Amazing...
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I had an MX5 as a play car for years ('93, B package). It wasn't much in a straight line, but you didn't have to slow down for corners. I loved getting comments about it being a "chick car"; one drive with me, and the passenger no longer had that opinion. Course it WAS a bitch getting their nail impressions out of the dashboard...
My comment about people not yielding to emergency vehicles is absolutely accurate. My brother is a big-city detective and SWAT team guy; not a week goes by that he doesn't have a story about some jackass on a cell phone cutting them off, not getting out of the way, etc. Amazing...
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