Car Tech: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars?
- 5/22/07 5:29 PM
where I live this an offence
by seafm - 5/31/07 1:27 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I live in Queensland,Australia where using a mobile(cell)phone while driving a motor veichle is an offence and attracts a fine plus x no. of demerit points off your licence. I do not know whether playing with a GPS comes under the same ruling or not but I would personally class it as the same thing.
Under Queensland law there is nothing wrong with having one of these devices in your car but if your phone rings you must pull over to answer it.I work in a hardware and plumbing store and many sales reps and tradesmen have started using a wireless earpiece to get around this problem.While it may not stop the distraction of conversation at least you are not fiddling to find the talk button if the phone is buried in your pants pocket.
Yes I am am in some way against phones in cars and yes I have broke law from time to time but I am only human.
Multitasking when in control
by TonyGore - 5/31/07 1:47 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
The best I ever saw was a helicopter flight in Hawaii. Our pilot was
1) flying (extremely smoothly)
2) in radio contact with the tower and the other craft around
3) switching the cameras to the onboard video recorder
4) mixing the music soundtrack
5) giving us a commentary when he wasn't on the radio
However, he was not surrounded by traffic a couple of feet away doing 70mph, or traffic coming at him at a combined speed of 140mph passing at only a couple of feet; and there are strict limits on his flying hours; and strict limits on his medical condition and fitness.
I always feel that instead of a blanket ban, a more enlightened approach is to permit people to do things such as using cell phones provided they are hands free, and they undergo a regular assessment to prove that it does not affect their driving adversely.
Here in the UK, I use a hands-free - I always did, long before it became compulsory. I also use it rarely, and when I get to a junction, stop talking and ask the person at the other end to hold on. If the conversation requires concentration e.g. talking them through non-routine IT tasks, then I either pull over or usually ask them to wait a while until I can call them back e.g. if on the freeway.
I learned from that pilot - although he was able to do all those things, he dropped all but the essential ones during manoeuvres such as taking off and landing.
In other words, he prioritised, and talking on the cell phone is a low priority at all times when you are driving.
As an aside, they are extremely useful when driving at times - for example, I was picking my daughter up from the "Race for Life" a few weeks ago in torrential rain and traffic. In driving up to try to find her in the crowd, it was useful to keep an open channel and I described what I could see until she spotted me. This enabled me to concentrate more on the driving than I would have been able to do without the cell phone.
Cell/mobile phones in cars
by LizzyRock - 5/31/07 1:57 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I am most definitely against. Too many accidents resulting in death are caused by drivers talking on cell/mobile phones. Here in the UK it is now illegal to drive whilst using a mobile phone, yet the penalty is a pathetic fine. What good is that? If you're caught using a mobile phone whilst driving yous should receive an automatic 12 month ban from driving.
Hands free sets have been pushed as the safe alternative, but to me they are still a distraction. The more 'toys' a driver has to play with the less time thet are spending concentrating on driving.
for or against GPS and cell phones in cars ?
by lukelead - 5/31/07 2:16 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
Nothing to do with how many gadgets he/she is surrounded by: a good driver will always be a good driver, a bad driver etc etc
Cheers
Luke
GPS
by Phill4510 - 5/31/07 2:25 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
Beats trying to juggle a street directory on your lap while driving
As an avid motorcyclist, I am VERY MUCH against!!
by SirRonny - 5/31/07 2:43 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I have been riding motorcycles for 38 years and am very much against this type of technology in vehicles. Even though I am a computer tech and am technology oriented, I have been involved in what cell phone/GPS use can do to drivers, myself included. In the younger days of cell phone technology, I thought that I was able to use a cell phone and drive, but after being distracted by them and running off the edge of the road, I found I wasn't. So, now even though I carry a cell phone, I pull off to use one or let my voice mail take care of incoming calls until I can get someplace to answer a call.
In the past few years I have been ran off the road more times that I care to remember by cell phone users while on my motorcycle. It is a jungle out there for us anyway without having a distracted 4 wheel driver trying to do us in. The last time was just last week when a distracted woman in a mini van merged into traffic on a 4 lane limited access road. I moved over into the left lane and saw her talking on the cell phone and swatting her kids in the back seat at the same time. It was a good thing I was keeping an eye on her because she just kept on coming and moved into my lane without even paying attention if anyone was in the lane. I went off the shoulder of the road on the left side and kept my motorcycle upright, coming to a stop to regroup. I saw her cruising away, still oblivious to the fact that she had just ran someone off the road.
Please people, think not only of your fellow 4 wheelers out there, but give us that are on two wheels the benefit of the doubt too and pay attention to your driving. Hang up the cell phone and make the call later, eat after you get to work, not while you are driving, pull over and refer to your GPS for directions, strap your kids into the car seats or seatbelts and make them behave BEFORE you start driving or pull over and take care of the problem. We will all be thank you for it.
bykers vs 4-wheelers
by lukelead - 5/31/07 3:23 AM In reply to: As an avid motorcyclist, I am VERY MUCH against!! by SirRonnyGreat manouvre SirRonny, but you need to be/have been a motorcyclist to learn and get experienced on all this ... 4-wheeler drivers will never feel the road the same way a biker does
Citation the pass a test.
by WindozeITguy - 5/31/07 2:47 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
Some people like myself have a knack for juggling many things at once and at the same time able to be fully aware of whats going on around me. I have always been a very good driver and have never caused an accident or even nearly caused an accident and I have driven several hundred thousand miles. I can work on my laptop while driving, work my gps, eat food, whatever, but I am always aware of whats going on around me at all times, I only divert my attention from the road when it is safe and never on residential streets, narrow streets around corners, etc.
Some people have a hard enough time just driving their car let alone an additional distration. It scares me seeing how some of the other people on the road have such difficulty driving their car I would hate to see those people trying to work a cell phone at the same time. I would support the DMV putting out a special driving test to allow people who are capable of multitaskiing and can pass their tough test to operate such devices in their vehicles with out any future legislation which may restrict such usage. And if an individual who is cited for not paying attention who has such a priveledge it should be taken away for a set time until they will have to retest.
Wouldn't want to live without them
by frenzl - 5/31/07 2:51 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I use both my cell phone and GPS in my car, and find them invaluable when driving in unfamiliar places. I usually set up the GPS before leaving my driveway and don't have to fiddle with it enroute. For my cell, I use a Plantronics bluetooth headset that allows me to dial using my phone's speech recognition features, so I never have to take my eyes off the road. My car also has a built-in speakerphone that allows me to answer calls and make calls to people whose names I've recorded, but the sound quality and recording requirement make it a second choice to the headset.
I agree with others about conversations to low-stress driving situations, and I will (abruptly, if necessary)terminate conversations either on the phone or with others in the car when my driving responsibilities require my full attention.
Love My GPS and My Cell Phone
by Irishkate - 5/31/07 2:59 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
Even though I love my gadgets, I set my GPS, and make my phone calls before I take off in the car, so I am not distracted by those things. Distracted drivers are dangerous to all of us.
GPS and phones in cars
by foxhaven - 5/31/07 3:42 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
In a word YES I am against anything that distracts the drivers attention.
Cellphones in cars
by selfmade - 5/31/07 3:49 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
GPS oké, but I'm absolutely against cellphones in cars, even when used as handsfree, because there's always an unacceptable loss of concentration.
Further I'm also against drugs and/or alcohol, but can we ever stop this?
Like we say in the Netherlands. It is "Vechten tegen de bierkaai" or in English: It is lost labour.
Cell distraction
by rdsvideo - 5/31/07 4:01 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I recently was trying to use my cell while driving and found myself going into someones driveway and almost hit a fireplug. This all happened in a ccouple of seconds.I will never use cell phone while driving again. I feel GPS's are also a distraction in that they also should be set before moving.
Bob New Castle, Pa
I Own Both a Cell Phone and GPS
by Brent212 - 5/31/07 4:13 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
We have some rules on the use of cell phones and GPS in the car. All cell phone are cut off when we get into the car. It is like putting on seat belts. Any routes we are going to use the GPS must be put into the system before the car is put in gear. The GPS is mounted so the driver cannot see the screen and only relies on the verbal directions. The front-seat passenger can see the screen and gives advice as to how far before the next turn and in which direction. This gives maximum information with minimum distraction. The driver can constrate on the road and other cars. If we decide to change where we are going we pull into a rest area or gas station and make the change. We believe these rules help make a safer trip and still get use of the GPS. Phone call are returned after we get out of the car. It has not been that long since no one had cell phones and they got along fine.
GPS is a Godsend, cell phones are a devil-send
by OsborneJo - 5/31/07 4:19 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I installed a Garmin GPS in my car, and find it makes all my driving, except trips I'm very familiar with, MUCH more relaxed, and that I'm able to pay more attention to driving, because I know, for a fact, that I'm not lost. So I can devote the part of my brain that was trying to remember directions (usually wrong or incomplete) or map images to focusing on driving.
Cell phones are just the opposite - taking up brain time with something irrelevant, and I find I simply have to stop the car and make a call, if needed.
I suspect that chatty or argumentative passengers in the car are a bigger distraction than cell phones, but it's the same problem, just without the technology. I sometimes have to tell passengers I can't look at whatever they find fascinating beside the road because I'm busy watching the road.
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