Drivers using cell phones...

[mikeyj92]

OK. This morning on my way to work, I could swear I was behind a drunk driver when I entered the freeway. She was all over her lane and didn't even get up to 55mph (freeway speed is 65mph) by the time she merged. By the way, she didn't merge, per se, as much as she just drove into the left lane, I never saw her look into her left side mirror or turn her head.

So, when I got up around her, I could see she was on her ******* phone. Right hand pressed firmly to the side of her head, jabbering away like no tomorrow, at 6:30am.

I have seen many studies showing how cell phone use while driving is as bad or worse than someone with .08 blood-alcohol level. Here is one study: http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=062206-1.


Is there nothing we can do to help get these accidents-waiting-to-happen off the road or fined or SOMETHING?

I am more than tempted to react irrationally on the road to some of these jerks.

 

[ironlung]

Sure, it's the cellphones...

Here in Chicago they have banned driving while on the phone. It only applys to regular people because it's a suprise to see a cop NOT talking on the phone.

What is still allowed:

1) Reading a newspaper on the steering wheel.

2) Digging around on the floor of the passenger side with their head below the dash looking for their Dark Side of the Moon 8 track.

3) Using a laptop.

4) Looking at all the scenery. Except what's in front of you.

5) Fist fighting with a passenger.

6) or even just chatting with a passenger. You don't want to be rude and not make eye contact. So what if your doing 90.

7) Enjoying a ham and turkey on wheat with heavy mayo and a nice garlic pickle while holding a mega gulp Mountain Dew between your legs. Maybe even a big grab of Cool Ranch Doritos.


Distracted drivers are the problem. I have seen many drivers talking on a cell doing a good job merging, changing lanes, and keeping up with traffic just fine. I had an SBC employee almost change lanes into me. She had her hands at 10 and 2 with no cell phone to be seen. She was just doing more daydreaming than driving.

It's a shame a few knuckleheads ruin it for everyone.

 

[BostonMark]

cell phone use in car

is really dangerous, I can't believe people do things like that while driving and I have quite a few things oh heck, thats my exit, .. Ill finish this post later

 

[Audioholics]

Is there nothing we can do to help get these accidents-waiting-to-happen off the road or fined or SOMETHING?

Drive a crappy, but very large car... then position yourself in her blind spot so she sideswipes you when merging...

Since she was on the phone (and they can check the time via logs) she'll be found guilty and you don't need to contact your insurance company anyway since your 1973 Jeep Wagoneer is more akin to a tank than an SUV...

I have an active imagination.

is really dangerous, I can't believe people do things like that while driving and I have quite a few things oh heck, thats my exit, .. Ill finish this post later

Omg, I almost fell off my chair reading that!

 

[rr2465]

Doesn't help the rest of us...

Drive a crappy, but very large car...

Yeah, I'm one of those bike commuters that people love to run over and throw things at... I had an idiot on a cell phone cut me off while he was trying to get into a parking spot. Absolutly no reason why he couldn't wait 2 seconds to let me pass other than he was distracted. I ended up hitting this guys bumper and collapsing into cars parked on the side of the road. Aside from some road rash I was OK. But this idiot decided to continue with his phone call for another 2-3 minutes while I straightened out my tire and seat. When he finally decided to come over to see if I was OK he gave me the whole song and dance about how he's been driving for 20 years without an accident, etc, etc. I thanked him for his genuine concern... ...and told him to get off the **** phone.

I know that its not just cell phone drivers, but they always stand out in the situations I've seen. Please pay attention while you're driving!!!

 

[mytzen]

The first step is to get states to ban the use of cell phones while driving or at least require use of a headset like DC has.

 

[majorloser]

is really dangerous, I can't believe people do things like that while driving and I have quite a few things oh heck, thats my exit, .. Ill finish this post later

Don't you wish they could come up with a Blackberry built into the steering wheel?

 

[Tomorrow]

Don't you wish they could come up with a Blackberry built into the steering wheel?

I don't know about blackberries. Wireless phone? Hands free? Built-in? Think of the possibilities.....toilet seat (or paper roll), toothbrush, fork/spoon, a/v remote, hand ("talk to the hand"), lipstick, in a digestible form pressed into bologna, shirt buttons, breast implants o ), ...... Gosh, given enough miniaturization, the wireless phone possibilities are mind-boggling.

But I digress. The OP has a really good point. Driving is a lethal sport here on the west coast and in many places cell phone (drivers) users must pull over to talk. Any distraction is dangerous (thinking back to teenage date nights ... some are more so than others).

 

[rlammi]

dislike cell phones

In my daily work life I am on the phone 75 to 100 times a day I do have a cell phone for work ,but that is the last thing I want to be on after my day is over.Totally agree with most of what is said ,there are enough distractions out there driving with out adding our own to the mix .Cell phones are right up there with the biker(motor cycle) *****ing because there isn't eoungh room inbetween cars to scoot up .I say they should make it hands free at minimum .

 

[masak_aer]

If u decide to use your cellphone when driving..make sure u CAN drive! Some folks can't even drive..They are not drunk, they are just ignorant. I admit that i use cellphone while i drive but that doesn't make me drive worse than many others (I never talk on the cellphone more than 5 min on the road, it's prepaid phone damn it!.. ). What drives me crazy is those people who drive at 40 on the left lane in the freeway and ignoring those who try to pass and the traffic is slowed down because of these ignorant and stupid drivers.

I was on my way back in the highway (limit 65), and this driver on the left lane for at least a couple of miles driving 40. Finally, i managed to slip through and sure enough...I gave him a good lesson. I slowed down to about 38 and 39..surely i knew i got him annoyed..The other drivers that managed to get pass me from the right lane as well laughed and knew i was trying to give this guy a lesson. And you know what, how dare he gave me the high beam signal! We were stucked for many miles because of this SOB and he gave me the light signal?!! I almost stopped my car and gave him my piece of mind. But hell, i'd been driving for 5 hours and i needed sleep.

Cellphone?! No, the problem is the driving skill! PAY ATTENTION when you are on the road! From my personal experience, many drivers react 3-4 seconds later than they should have. Improving reaction time will also decrease accidents. That's my 2 cents.

 

[Mr.BBQ]

Yeah, it is really dangerous to drive while on the phone. I've seen accidents happen before my eyes that only happend because someone was too busy talking to someone on the phone.

Drive a crappy, but very large car... then position yourself in her blind spot so she sideswipes you when merging...

Done.

 

[ironlung]

Cellphone?! No, the problem is the driving skill!

Wouldn't it be great if the drivers exam actually tested driving skills?


I know it's off topic but how bout the person that tries to merge at 30 on an expressway with an average speed of 80. When no one gives them a written invitation to merge they keep slowing down until they are doing zero on the shoulder.

Once I had two of theese people meet in front of me. One was exiting, one was entering the expressway. Neither one wanted to go ahead of the other. They slowed and slowed and slowed until they stopped. It took about 20 seconds of waves and head nodding until they worked out who would go ahead and traffic started moving again.

 

[agarwalro]

Cellphone?! No, the problem is the driving skill! PAY ATTENTION when you are on the road!

I was working at a 7-11 and taking a smoke break one day looking at the 4 way stop sign. This lady completely blew the stop sign, T-boned a car, did a 180 and laned on the sidewalk a few feet away from where I was sitting. Front row seats to movie style accident. Fortunately everyone walked away without a scratch.

Nope, she was not talking on a phone or drunk or old or anything.

Needless to say, I needed another smoke after that. I was shaking from almost becoming roadkill.

 

[mulester7]

Cellphone?! No, the problem is the driving skill! PAY ATTENTION when you are on the road!

.....Maser, some women in central Arkansas are amazing....they can be in bumper-to bumper traffic moving at 75 mph talking on a cell phone, with their head right in front of the rearview mirror putting on eye makeup....shoot, AT LEAST, I pull over to put on my eye makeup....is this mic on?....huh?........

 

[JAD2]

Ah, The Cell Phone

The thing that potentially can cause brain cancer that all ready in my mind causes MENTAL RETARDATION!!

Examples of retardation!!

My kids play hockey OK, we travel all over for this sport. Whole families travel together in packs to cheer the kids on etc.
Were at a tourney, at a game, kids are playing, where are the parents.
In the Lobby, outside, sometimes rink side, doing what??
Talking to whomever about the next bar there going to, what store, what a deal they got at a store, what they talked about yesterday when they got together, hell even seen one guy call over to the bench to find out why his kid got a penalty.

Thats not enough??
Your at the store, in line to check out and the person in front of you with a zillion dollars of stuff to cash out is on the phone. Bonnie/Pete you should see the deal I just got, are you gonna be home later?? we'll get together etc etc etc. At the same time they cant figure out how to hold the cell phone and put their stuff on the checkout conveyor, or they allready did and the call comes in and its money exchange time, rudely they tell the cashier HOLD ON A SEC. This is about the time I say, if you dont hang up quick I'm gonna shove that phone up your arse!!!

Kids in school all the way down to kindergarten have them and guess what?? Mimicking mommy and daddy, not paying attention to sh*t, talking, texting,gaming with the kid across the room etc.

Hands free they say, BULLSH*T! What does that do??? NOTHING. Most people cant walk and chew gum at the same time. With all your senses working people concentrate the hardest on the thing making noises into their ear, not whats in front of them, whats around them.
Pull over, h*ll ever watch them do that, half in the lane, half out, talk about accidents in the making or slamming the brakes on to pull over, oh thats fun!!!

You want cops to ticket it, HOW?? Their on them to, they are just as stupid as the next cell phone user, badge makes no difference. Oh, thats right, people are listening to scanners so cell phones make it better, YEAH OK, business my a** and if thats the true reason then why arent theirs hands free??? I think the department would supply hands free,headset free ones!!!

I need to know where my kids are etc. Then stay home and when they leave, ASK THEM WHERE THEY ARE GOING!!! Give them a one way useage cell phone to call home at best.

OOOOO, on the road you say, stay in your freaking office and do some work for a change. Set up appointments like the old days and stick with them!! And DONT tell me how much you underpaid while you yap on that phone, surf the net all day, I KNOW BETTER!!

Carry one for road emergencies, OK.
One way home only calls for kids, OK.
Doctors on call, OK.
Emergency works on call , OK.

For everday useage, taken them and stick them in your arse or hope your not near me when your using it because I will!!!!

 

[MR.MAGOO]

Just saw the video that Gene put up about the car accident with nitwit cell-phone distracted driver. Hope those injured heal quickly. I see employees at work, walking around the halls and parking lots like zombies, cell-phone glued to their ear. Give me a break, no conversation can be so flippin' critical that you need to be on the phone during every waking moment.

 

[Pogre]

@panteragstk will know about that one. 13 people killed by a kid on his cell phone. They're not very tolerant in Texas with folks on cell phones while driving. You'll get pulled over in a heartbeat. My mother and sister made sure to warn me about that when we drove out a couple months ago.

*Edit: Necro-post! This thread is 11 years old @mrMagoo!
**Edit: I don't care, I still rated post 15 dumb...

 

[panteragstk]

@panteragstk will know about that one. 13 people killed by a kid on his cell phone. They're not very tolerant in Texas with folks on cell phones while driving. You'll get pulled over in a heartbeat. My mother and sister made sure to warn me about that when we drove out a couple months ago.

*Edit: Necro-post! This thread is 11 years old @mrMagoo!
**Edit: I don't care, I still rated post 15 dumb...

Yep. Stupid kid was texting and swerving into oncoming traffic. Police were on their way to him right before the crash. The kid killed my nephew's youth pastor. He was pretty upset for a while.

I've said this many times, but I'd rather have a drunk on the road than someone texting or playing with their phone. At least the drunk is looking at the road and trying to drive well.

 

[MrBoat]

The only people that don't realize that there is a serious, deadly epidemic with cell phones, or that don't notice it on any given day, is because they too are doing it.

I used to build/ride motorcycles, which was already a precarious affair without cell phones. Now that they are part of driving, you couldn't pay me to ride a motorcycle on the street.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

It's banned here (Saskatchewan, Canada), if it's a connected device. So something like an iPod ... no wireless capability ... can still be used. Also you can still use a hands-free device.

In Alberta (next Province west) they have a "Distracted Driver" law. That means everything from cellphones to eating a burger while driving.

All Canadian Provinces ban handheld cellphone use.

Statistics in every Province show known cellphone use (that is, they have evidence via the phone company that there was cellphone activity at the time of the accident, which they get from the airbag deployment time stamp) exceeds deaths and injuries from all impaired driving deaths and injuries.

Since that is only a subset of evidence ... say, a pre-ODB-II car was suspected, but not provable, the actual injury / death rate for cellphone use is even higher.

I'm not afraid to run a bike on the street; as my Motorcycle Safety Instructor said ... a motorcycle is the safest vehicle on the road ... until impact. But he has a point, you are riding the most manoeuvrable and fastest braking vehicle possible. Avoidance is how the alert driver, whether on two wheels or four, saves lives, including his own.

Automakers aren't helping either, there are plenty of bad drivers who aren't on cellphones. Electronic "Blind Spot Alert" features only help, and are only needed, by those who don't shoulder-check in the first place.