Ban on ANY cellphone use while driving
 

INCLUDING Bluetooth and UNLESS the cellphone devices are built into the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSNBC Article The government's transportation safety experts recommended Tuesday to ban all American drivers from using portable electronic devices — including cell phones, even if you use a hands-free device.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/13/9418504-us-calls-for-ban-on-in-car-phone-use-even-with-bluetooth


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I think that would be equally dangerous if you are calling or texting through a device that is built into the car. But, I guess that can make it only as dangerous as adjusting the car radio or changing cds. (I hope GCers are safe drivers who aren't looking in the mirror, taking a nap, using hands to eat, looking everywhere but on the road, closing their eyes for ANY reason, and touring Jamaica while they are driving.)

Many of the cities in DFW have similar bans (along with all school districts). It's not hard to hide a Bluetooth, though, so I don't know how they'd enforce that.

Are you talking about your big ass ears which hide the Bluetooth OR are you talking about a police officer not being able to see the Bluetooth and the person talking?

"Distracted driving is the NEW DUI."

LOL. I'm talking about police officers not being able to see the device.

I have also heard of many people arguing against overall bans because singing along to the radio or laughing about something can be mistaken for talking on the phone.

In that case, how does the officer know whether you were on the phone if the phone call is not "traced?"

Do officers say "let me see your phone" ???

I have no idea. None of the cities I frequent have bans, so I haven't had this issue *shrugs*

So, my question is, what about stuff like iPhone's Siri? I mean, you can just tell it to send a text and it can read them, so in that case i don't see what the big deal is

I have always wanted to ask, does this mean "I don't know" or does it mean "I don't care, stop talking to me"?

LOL.

That still seems like a bit much for a driver to be doing.

If we would not want truck drivers, bus drivers, passenger plane pilots doing it, should the rest of us be doing it? There are more car crashes than plane crashes and cars encounter more traffic, etc. than planes.

Can't it be both? ;)

Not when typing to me. ;)

I don't text while driving but I do use my car's phone. I can hit a button on the steering wheel with my thumb, say "Call <kid name>" and it dials them and I can talk. It is like they are in the car with me. It's an Onstar thing. I am no more distracted when doing that than I am when they are in the car and we are talking. What scares me often is when I see someone who is talking to the other person in the car and feels a need to make very frequent eye contact with them. Scary. I want to yell at them "Look ahead!"

At some point, the government is going to have to realize that you can't regulate stupid and you can't regulate every single thing that has harmed somebody at some time. Day dreaming is distracted driving. Driving when emotionally distraught is distracted driving. All kinds of things are distracted driving.

As for how they would enforce it, I would guess that if you were in an accident and were on the phone at the time, and the accident was your fault, then you would be ticketed for it.

I don't really see the difference between my Bluetooth with iPhone voice dialing and having a newer car equipped with a Bluetooth speakerphone except my system probably has better sound quality.

Meh. You have to dig out your phone to make your voice dialing work. On your car, you just push a button on the steering wheel. On my iPhone, I still have to input my security code before I can use my voice recognition. BTW, your insurance company doesn't care how you were using your phone if you were in a wreck on your phone.

Likewise. I don't have Onstar, but I do have Bluetooth built into my car. If I want to call someone, I hit a button on my steering wheel and speak the phone number. If someone calls me, my radio/CD/cassette cuts off (if it's on), I hear a phone ringing, and I see the number on my info display - then I can hit one of two buttons, accept or ignore. My voice is picked up by a built-in microphone, and my interlocutor's voice comes over the same speakers used by the sound system. To hang up, I hit a button on the wheel. It's no more distracting than talking to a passenger physically in the car.

Ban on hand-held devices - yes. You need both hands on the wheel. Having both hands on the wheel while holding your cell to your ear with your shoulder is no good either, as it's difficult or impossible to check your mirrors and blind spots without dropping your phone.

Ban on ALL cell conversation - no, as long as you either voice-dial or dial only when stopped (e.g. pulled over or at a red light).

If a cop pulled me over for talking on my built-in Bluetooth system, it would have to be because s/he saw my lips moving. In that case, I'd just hang up really quick and claim I was singing along with the radio... :p

I just push the button in my ear, say the name I'm wanting to call and I'm there. The phone can be in my pocket the whole time.

Our state bans cell phone use - has for about 2 years. I think Washington currrently does as well. I haven't heard of anyone being fined/ticketed for it yet.

I would imagine - don't know for sure, that the primary reason for it was the hope that knowing that they could be fined/ticketed would be enough to keep at least most drivers from driving and calling/texting.

My understanding is (could be wrong) that as was the case when the seat belt laws first came out - they don't stop you for it per se, but if they stop you and catch you red-handed so to speak (not sure how that would happen), they would ticket you or if, as was mentioned, you were in an accident, and they found out you were on a call/texting when it happened, you could have added consequences.

Don't know whether its been effective. Personally, I don't use the phone when I'm driving as much as I used to, but I still use it some.

Just curious--how do you feel about drivers who simply prefer to drive with one hand on the wheel?

A woman told me she was ticketed because she used her cell phone at a red light. Like picked it up, had a 20 second conversation, and hung up all before the light turned green. She was told by the cop that handhelds aren't allowed on the road at all and she should have pulled over completely to use the phone. I think that was a little extreme (she wasn't even moving!) just like a blanket ban on all phone usage is a little extreme.

I'm not sure a blanket ban on phones will actually increase the safety of others, especially ones designed with road safety in mind. Someone mentioned drivers who feel the need to look at the passenger with whom they are speaking. Likewise, I have been nearly AND actually run off the road by drivers who were totally distracted and NOT on the phone. There are any number of situations that cause drivers to be too unfocused to drive safely and I don't think systems like Kevin's (I have a similar function on my phone) and Dee's fall into that category. If the root of the problem (increased amounts of car accidents) is the distraction of the driver, I can't say that banning devices with minimal distractibility is a better idea than educating people on why they shouldn't drive while having a screaming match with a passenger or so lost in their favorite song that they don't notice when traffic stops.

Pretty much everything in the car is a distraction and can cause an accident. I can see texting, but talking on the phone isn't any more of a distraction than adjusting the radio.

Someone mentioned drivers who feel the need to make eye contact with passengers.

I am watching "The Hitcher" again and this movie is basically all about distracted "eye contact" driving.

Sorry Big Brother, but I got the bluetooth feature on my new car last year so that I don't have to do something so dumb as to try to dial a call while driving. If someone calls me all I have to do is hit the button on my steering wheel and talk. How is that so different than talking to someone who is physically with me inside the car?

I NEVER text while driving, I think it's the single dumbest thing you can do next to drunk driving. I wish there was a feature on a cell phone that prevented you from texting while you are in the driver's seat of a car. I think that's a few years down the road, but in the meantime, there is no good reason to prevent someone from talking as long as it's hands free.

I don't think there should be a ban at all really - too much gray area IMO (as we've been talking about above). I'm all for keeping our roads safe but as someone mentioned earlier, you can't regulate stupidity as hard as states may try. For example, in my state, wearing a seat belt is the law - not only can you the driver get a ticket, but so can your passengers if they are not buckled in as well.

This is just too extreme of a proposal in my opinion. Yes, while playing Angry Birds or reading your emails while driving is dangerous and should be banned making bluetooth/sync systems or onstar type things illegal while driving is just too much.

Oh, you mean like my husband? Who's halfway down our street before he fastens his seat belt? Letting go of the steering wheel completely while he does so - on a windy twisty road? :eek:

If you can control the car well with one hand on the steering wheel, good for you. But I would feel nervous as a passenger in a car where the driver had only one hand on the wheel if conditions were dicey (heavy traffic, rain, snow, etc).

I myself keep my hands at 10 and 2. My right hand leaves the wheel only to shift gears and occasionally to futz with the radio or air conditioning/heating. When I make a turn, I do hand-over-hand to make the turn and then I do hand-over-hand back to the straight-ahead position rather than just letting the wheel return to straight-ahead by itself. I also never use cruise control. I like to be in control of the car at all times...

Yet I drive an automatic and couldn't drive stick to save my life. (Go ahead and laugh.) Learning to drive stick is on my bucket list, though.

I learned on a stick (before I got too spoiled on an automatic) and had the HARDEST time with it. If you can get it to move without stalling out 50 times, you're better than I am. :)

BTW It takes a lot to scare me while driving and your husband sounds like he would have me terrified. I'm a one-handed driver but NOT while it's raining, the road is windy, or any of that other stuff.

ETA: The thing that gets me are people who get really into the radio and CLOSE THEIR EYES while singing. It's physically impossible for me to close my eyes for more than a second while driving (like if there's an eyelash in my eye or something). So when I see people do that or hear of someone who does it, it scares me witless.