Total Cell Phone Ban While Driving?

[MatticusMania]

True. You can't really be distracted by what you choose to ignore.

I dont know if anyone is capable of choosing to ignore everything that could possibly be a distraction. An unanswered ringing cell phone could be a distraction to some.

 

[BurningSkies]

I dont know if anyone is capable of choosing to ignore everything that could possibly be a distraction. An unanswered ringing cell phone could be a distraction to some.

Which is why I usually turn my ringer off. I don't answer it at work anyway, so it's off from when I leave the house to when I get home at night. I turn it off for trips too.

 

[MatticusMania]

not that I think you'll read it with any sense of balance anyway.

And lets not bring climate change into this discussion.

Lets not start being silly. You seem to think I have a dog in this fight. As Ive mentioned, I dont particularly care whether this ban passes or not, as its not often I use my phone while driving. I'll answer calls from my wife, or my bandmates if I have rehearsal, and I never pick up the phone to call someone, I just think the ban will be ineffective and find it unnecessary.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

I dont know if anyone is capable of choosing to ignore everything that could possibly be a distraction. An unanswered ringing cell phone could be a distraction to some.

Anyone can at least try. A little practice can reduce the anxiety.

Just ignore the phone ringing. Drive first to a safe place to park, then use the phone.

 

[electracoyote]

I'm very effective at profiling people.

Of course you are. It's the internet. You can be Sherlock Holmes if you like.

But you missed the boat with me.

How about this. If people want to drive and talk on their phones (even hands free), we should have a special driving test for them, sort of like if you're a truck driver and you need a special license for that. The test will be similar to the current standard test drivers take now, except that you'll also be on your phone, taking a verbal driving test at the same time (instead of a written test). If you can pass, you can drive and talk on the phone.

Sure thing, and to make it fair, let's also test everyone with EVERY possible distraction that can occur while we're driving, and compare the results.

I think I'd still end up in the upper 1% of "good drivers."

And the scenario is just ridiculous. I'm sorry for even entertaining it lke it was rational suggestion.

 

[MatticusMania]

Anyone can at least try. A little practice can reduce the anxiety.

Just ignore the phone ringing. Drive first to a safe place to park, then use the phone.

Id suspect that someone who cannot eat and have a phone conversation probably should.
Id rather just push a button and continue driving, as is currently legal to do.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

I think I'd still end up in the upper 1% of "good drivers."

Most other drivers would probably place themselves there, also.

Let's face it: everyone's a fantastic driver. It's everyone else who's terrible.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Id suspect that someone who cannot eat and have a phone conversation probably should.
Id rather just push a button and continue driving, as is currently legal to do.

Or even better--just continue driving. Talk on the phone later when it won't impair your driving.

 

[GBBSbassist]

I agree with the laws. I've read that there are SCIENCEY reasons that certain people have a hard time doing the talking and driving at the same time thing, while certain people have no problems paying attention to what's going on around them on the road, while having a conversation with someone on the phone.

My point being, it's not really the lack of two usable limbs while holding a cellphone and driving that makes it so impossible for some people.

 

[GBBSbassist]

Or even better--just continue driving. Talk on the phone later when it won't impair your driving.

It doesn't impair everyone's driving ability though. Some people can pull it off and some can't. I still agree with banning it entirely while driving though. Realistically, how can you tell the two types of people apart, and even more realistically would we even expect anyone to lump themselves into the "i just cant pull it off" crowd?

 

[electracoyote]

Most other drivers would probably place themselves there, also.

Let's face it: everyone's a fantastic driver. It's everyone else who's terrible.

I know some people who have had bad things happen to them in traffic, like you.

They express that sentiment a lot about other drivers, even people they have never met.

It's kinda sad, but I understand, and I wish you the best.

But I don't think people with those biases are the best spokespeople, and I don't think they should be making laws.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

It doesn't impair everyone's driving ability though. Some people can pull it off and some can't. I still agree with banning it entirely while driving though. Realistically, how can you tell the two types of people apart, and even more realistically would we even expect anyone to lump themselves into the "i just cant pull it off" crowd?

It would probably be more accurate to say it doesn't impair everyone's driving ability equally.

 

[electracoyote]

Drive first to a safe place to park, then use the phone.

Excellent advice to those who are worried about talking on the cell in the car. I applaud any individual who makes this determination for themselves and practices this approach.

But don't make that decision for me. I'm an adult with good judgment, just like you.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

I know some people who have had bad things happen to them in traffic, like you.

They express that sentiment a lot about other drivers, even people they have never met.

It's kinda sad, but I understand, and I wish you the best.

But I don't think people with those biases are the best spokespeople, and I don't think they should be making laws.

What sentiment do they express?

 

[totallyfrozen]

I don't support banning cell phone use while driving but I'll just throw this into the mix anyway.

Invalid Link Removed

Sorry this one is so long

The 19-year-old charged in a fatal Anchorage hit-and-run had been texting on her iPhone when her car struck and killed a village man on Easter Sunday, police say. "OMG OMG OMG," Ashley Nichole Bashore texted to a friend shortly after the crash that knocked pedestrian Hubert Tunuchuk, 28, out of his shoes and into the intersection, according to paperwork filed Thursday by state prosecutors. Instead of stopping or calling 911, prosecutors say, Bashore drove to a friend's house where she said her SUV had "hit a mangy Rottweiler without a collar." Arrested Wednesday night following a months-long investigation, Bashore pleaded not guilty Thursday to three felonies: Criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident and tampering with evidence. The tampering charge stems from Bashore's attempt to delete text messages sent in the days after the April 24 collision, prosecutors say. Bashore entered the courtroom in tears, attempting to hide her face with shackled hands. A bailiff warned a distraught woman in the gallery to stop trying to communicate with Bashore, who sat sobbing at the end of a line of prisoners. She pulled her prison shirt to her face, her fingernails painted a soft green. Several of Tunuchuk's family members watched from the back of the room. "Everybody's affected by what happened. Her family. My family. Everyone involved," said his aunt, Esther Stauffer. "I just feel so sorry for her. She's so young. If she had made the right choice when that happened, then perhaps we wouldn't be here today." Esther's husband, Geoffrey, said he feels sorry for the 19-year-old too. But he's also angry. "I feel like maybe she's just scared for herself. She tried to hide this and we lived the last six months not knowing if they were ever going to be able to charge the person," Geoffrey Stauffer said. The village of Chefornak, a Yup'ik community of about 400 people in Western Alaska, sent Tunuchuk to the state vocational-technical school in Seward to study power plant operations. He was in Anchorage on April 24 with friends to celebrate Easter and planned to stay at the Stauffers' house, the couple said. Early Sunday morning, Tunuchuk was intoxicated and walking behind two friends westbound on the Tudor Road overpass above the Seward Highway, according to a document filed by prosecutors. Had he been driving, his blood-alcohol level would have been above the legal limit, said traffic investigator Michael Busey. Tunuchuk was in the roadway, near the narrow sidewalk curb of the overpass, according to prosecutors. A Hyundai Sante Fe driven by Bashore approached heading eastbound, prosecutors say. As Bashore came across the overpass, the front of the SUV struck Tunuchuk on the passenger side, prosecutors say. Tunuchuk was thrown into the intersection where the Seward Highway off-ramp meets Tudor. Busey could not say how far he traveled. At some point before or after the collision, the Sante Fe drove up onto the curb, the investigator said. Someone called 911 at about 3:15 a.m. to report the incident, police said at the time. Tunuchuk survived for about three hours, according to police. "We thought at first he was going to make it. ... Unfortunately he just lost too much blood," said Geoffrey Stauffer, who along with his wife placed a cross at the scene of the crash. It's still there. Police say Bashore fled the scene, driving to a friend's house and telling the story of hitting a dog. She smelled of marijuana following the accident, according to the police investigation. But Busey said there's no way to determine whether she was high the night of the collision. Police had few leads at first, prosecutors said, but a piece of trim from the Sante Fe and a Crimestoppers tip soon led police to the vehicle. While Bashore is not the registered owner of the SUV, she drove it on a regular basis, Busey said. Police seized Bashore's iPhone, finding that all texts sent before April 26, two days after the collision, had been deleted, according to prosecutors and police. A review of her phone records revealed Bashore was "likely texting immediately before or at the time of the collision," according to paperwork filed by prosecutors. Bashore eventually told a friend that she had hit a person and did so because she was texting, according to the prosecutor's memo. A profile for Bashore appears on exploretalent.com, a website where hopeful performers post resumes and photos. She wants to be a model and once appeared in a horror movie filmed in the Butte, the profile says. "I enjoy swimming, biking, instant messaging and texting with friends," the profile says. An Anchorage grand jury handed up the three-count indictment of Bashore on Wednesday -- more than seven months after the hit-and-run. Busey and another traffic investigator arrested Bashore on Wednesday night at her home in West Anchorage, a police spokesman said. Efforts to establish details of the crash, along with DNA testing, the phone seizure and review by prosecutors all contributed to the length of the investigation, Busey said. "Putting it all together just takes time, unfortunately," he said. Before her arrest in the hit-and-run, Bashore had no criminal record as an adult. Three months after the collision that killed Tunuchuk, she was ticketed for speeding more than 20 mph over the speed limit, court records show. Tunuchuk was about two weeks from graduating from the power plant operations training, his aunt said. He had planned to spend a couple of months fishing in Bristol Bay before returning to the village, she said. Bashore's bail was set at $2,500 cash with a court-ordered third-party custodian required for release, a police spokesman said. Bashore is also forbidden from driving while on bail, he said.

By KYLE HOPKINS
Anchorage Daily News
Published: December 9th, 2011

 

[MatticusMania]

Or even better--just continue driving. Talk on the phone later when it won't impair your driving.

And as Im saying, I dont feel that my driving is any more impaired in comparison to a myriad of other possible distractions that are not banned.

 

[BurningSkies]

Of course you are. It's the internet. You can be Sherlock Holmes if you like.

But you missed the boat with me.



Sure thing, and to make it fair, let's also test everyone with EVERY possible distraction that can occur while we're driving, and compare the results.

I think I'd still end up in the upper 1% of "good drivers."

And the scenario is just ridiculous. I'm sorry for even entertaining it lke it was rational suggestion.

I liked 'Batman' better.

Ridiculous or not (and sometimes ridiculous helps illustrate a point), if you think you're exceptional, which apparently you do, such a test would prove that you are and can handle it.

Of course, Bob is right, everyone wants to believe themselves exceptional (especially on the internet), which is where things break down.

Just believing you're capable, doesn't mean you are.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Excellent advice to those who are worried about talking on the cell in the car. I applaud any individual who makes this determination for themselves and practices this approach.

But don't make that decision for me. I'm an adult with good judgment, just like you.

I'm not worried about talking on the cell in the car. I often stay in the car to talk on my phone. But when I drive, I choose to drive. I make that choice based on seeing how people who decide otherwise drive; I'm sure they think they're driving normally, but they might not be attentive enough to notice. The best way not to be like them is to make the choice not to do as they do.

 

[MatticusMania]

I'm not worried about talking on the cell in the car. I often stay in the car to talk on my phone. But when I drive, I choose to drive. I make that choice based on seeing how people who decide otherwise drive; I'm sure they think they're driving normally, but they might not be attentive enough to notice. The best way not to be like them is to make the choice not to do as they do.

Right, so be attentive when you are driving while talking!

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

And as Im saying, I dont feel that my driving is any more impaired in comparison to a myriad of other possible distractions that are not banned.

That's understandable. If everyone were aware of their own impairments there'd presumably be a lot less of them.

Ask someone to objectively observe your driving when you're on the phone and when you're not.