Car Tech: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars?
- 5/22/07 5:29 PM
NO, NO, NO!!!!
by terrym21 - 5/30/07 11:43 PM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
What's next? Tracking devices in our heads? I have disabled GSP on my phone. I DO NOT want it in may car! I don't need big brother tracking my every movement. Of course big bro is most likely monitoring this email as well.
I'm for GPS, but nix on the cell phone.
by bobmac15 - 5/30/07 11:44 PM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I do not have, nor use, GPS, but if I traveled today like I have over many years past, GPS, with it's voice commands, should be reasonably safe. As for cell phones, they are an accident looking to happen. It warbles, or rings, at you, you have to locate it, pick it up, push a button to speak, and you will not normally be able to do this chore without diverting your eyes from the traffic. I used a CB radio for years for communications. If someone called you, you could pick the microphone off the storage hook without diverting your eyes. To speak, there was only one button to push, and it was permanently attached to the mike. There was no "body language" involved, and you always had one hand on the wheel while talking, and your eyes stayed glued to the traffic.
Nobody needs to use a cell phone while driving
by LCoolUT - 5/31/07 12:01 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
Personally, I would like to see a device in cars that prohibits cell phones from working while the vehicle is in motion. I don't agree with the response that just because some people can do something they shouldn't be punished because there are others that can't. It has to be all or nothing. I have been in several close calls because someone was talking on their cell phone and not paying attention to their driving. Nobody NEEDS to be in instant communication 24/7, but talking on the cell phone isn't the worst thing people do. People are text messaging while driving and that is totally distractive. If you need to talk to someone, park your car and talk. When you are driving, drive.
phones in cars are fine!!!
by bbarton1 - 5/31/07 12:04 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I am very much infavor of phones in cars. I do think drivers should be required to use ear pieces - wired or bluetooth.... It is a super time saver for me to call people while driving to appointments and meetings.
Never leave home without either
by tlush - 5/31/07 12:07 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
Here in the UK the new laws re mobile phones mean a person would be foolish to use a phone without a handsfree kit in their car, so is the acceptable (just) alternative. I rarely make calls on the move but quite happy to receive them. if the call requires a high degree of concentration the sensible thing is to pull over or call back at a more appropriate time. Yes, I know that maybe naive but people are in charge of their own destiny, so it's up to them.
With GPS, My view is it does make driving safer. Given the route is planned prior to the trip, how often do you have to look at the receiver be it on the mobile or a separate unit? I listen for the verbal instructions usually and very rarely look at it. The alternative are maps and written route instructions which one would have to keep stopping to look at (hopefully) and/or keep a look out for route signs. Yes I know that's what has been around for years but the technology does make driving easier, doesn't it?
If the route has to be amended, yet again the sensible thing would be to stop. Gps definitely safer if used properly, but there again it's up to the common sense of the individual.
Driver distractions
by Dobby - 5/31/07 12:18 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
No problem with either, if used properly! First, it was radios in cars, followed by tape players and CDs...drivers adapted to these quite easily. Car phones came next, with minimal problems...probably, because they were not the must have thing, that cell phones are. Although these do have their uses (especially in emergencies), they are the #1 cause of drivers distractions...especially, since texting has now become the in thing. This should not be allowed, while vehicle is in motion!
Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars?
by sleekzoo - 5/31/07 12:27 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
As cars become cleverer, e.g. the Lexus that keeps in lane on cruise control, the 'passengers' have got to have something to do!
devices in cars ,vans etc....
by punkypaul - 5/31/07 12:28 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I think if you wish to use your phone ,Gps etc you should have the "option" of proving it does not hamper your driving ,staying in control .I can allready sense the sneers and boos ,but hey why not? if you say your a great driver and you can multi task behind the wheel then you should have no problen proving it .
50:50
by darrenforster99 - 5/31/07 12:38 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I'm against cell phones in cars, really if your driving a car you should have your cell phone switched off. Even with a hands free kit or speakerphone you still have to use your hands to answer the call or make a call.
As for GPS systems, they can be quite handy and make it a bit more safer to drive as it saves you going round a city thinking is this the road I turn down and causing a queue of traffic behind you whilst you look for that hidden road that was on your map but not actually there, and then going past it and having to do a U-turn to get back. The only time that GPS is unsafe is when you do exactly what it's telling you without checking that it's safe to do this first. I've been in a friends car a number of times and he drives very aggressively and has nearly hit a few cars due to his GPS, when the GPS tells him to keep right or keep left he just moves straight over into that lane without first checking his mirrors assumming the GPS knows what car is in that lane, maybe to make them safer they need to put infra-red detectors on the side of the car so the GPS knows when to tell the driver to keep left or when the driver ignores the keep left/right command to not keep repeating it as often.
..
by darkmortal - 5/31/07 1:29 AM In reply to: 50:50 by darrenforster99Well, recently there has been a new addition to phones, which allows you to say the numbers you want to dial, or the person in your contacts list. So you would have to read out what you want to say, although I can see this still being a rather large distraction, I think it is more in the general direction of getting phones in cars.
Hands-free tutorial
by teflon5 - 5/31/07 1:31 AM In reply to: 50:50 by darrenforster99In response to the post that you need to use your hands to use the cell phone whether or not you have a hands-free device, you can set up your phone to automatically answer calls that come in when you have have your hands-free set attached.
If you install a blue-tooth capable GPS device, you can also use it in tandem with your cell phone for voice activated dialing and as a speakerphone as well.
If you use all the technology available to you, there is no longer a need to pick up your phone while you are driving.
It is too bad more people don't take advantage of this technology instead of driving one-handed with their cell phone glued to their ear.
COMMON SENSE, NOT MORE LAWS
by rellefn - 5/31/07 1:05 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I agree that one must use extreme caution when using something like a cell phone or GPS when driving. But then they should be using extreme caution while driving period. But we DO NOT need more laws for things like this. I use my cell when driving, but mostly just receive incoming calls, if I call out, it's usually with a one-touch dial. And I am always ready to let the phone drop from my hand, if necessary for the driving situation, (where it would not even allow me to take the time to set it down somewhere in the car). No call is that important.
Radio, Stereo, GPS and TV are not the same thing...
by rgirwin - 5/31/07 1:06 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
While Stero listening is basically pasive and requires only our hearing sense, Radio programs normally requires a little more active attention, but it is still at the limit of the acceptable After all, we all have our internal "conversation flow" and we have learnt to live (and drive) with it, albeit it is also a source for "distraction" for the driver.
But when it comes to GPS as a visual aid, although it has the merit of helping us to find the right way and also to be prepared in advance for a highway exit, for example, it requires looking at a small screen and this forces our eyes out from the road, sometimes for several seconds.
In my opinion, it is a dangerous device when made directly available to the driver. In the same way that TV screens are strictly prohibited for drivers, but can be installed in rear seats, the GPS screens should not be visible from the driver seat.
Well,
by darkmortal - 5/31/07 1:33 AM In reply to: Radio, Stereo, GPS and TV are not the same thing... by rgirwinMy mum uses GPS, and well, it seems nothing like a good thing, she makes me or my dad key in where we want to go, and then we just keep it in one of our's laps. She has no need to read it. But if you drive alone I can see this poseing a bit of problem. The GPS though, doesn't require you to look at it, as all the GPS systems I have looked at, all have audio which tells you like "Turn Left at the next exit" which is very handy.
Opposed to Cell Phones
by geriley - 5/31/07 1:12 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I used to use a cell phone in the car on a regular basis but finally two accidents caused me to cease using it at least for conversations more than a few words. Also my voice mail now says if I am driving I will not answer the call. The Discovery channel had a show on called Mythbusters. Basically they drove a course with stops, turns etc w/o using a cell phone, then they drove it using a cell phone, and then under supervision of police they drank until their Blood alcohol levels read .08. The findings were that they made more mistakes using the cell phone than when intoxicated. They ran more stop signs and were unable to stop quickly enough to avoid unexpected hazards. Using the cell phone is not the same as listening to the radio. The radio is not interactive whereas the cell phone is. It does not matter whether it is cordless or night. It is the interactivity that is the problem. GPS devices, I will wait to comment on.
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
|
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
