Find Whirlpool Deals at Lowe’s
Car Tech: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars?
- 5/22/07 5:29 PM
cdll phones in cars
by joelfle - 5/31/07 6:18 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
should only be used if the system is hands free, and the headset only has one ear piece
Do the facts support the alleged risk?
by c65hsk - 5/31/07 6:18 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
Some people are concerned about the risks increased by drivers using electronic devices while driving.
Cell phones have been used more and more by drivers in recent years, but were almost unknown fifteen years ago. Today, almost all drivers use cell phones at least occasionally.
Therefore, if this practice is risky, there should have been a major increase in road accidents over the last fifteen years.
In the U.S.A., road fatalities (probably the most reliable statistic) have actually decreased both in relation to population and number of registered vehicles, and relative to miles driven. The fatalities per 100,000 has gone from 15.4 in 1992 to 14.5 in 2004. This is in spite of other risk-increasing factors such as increased congestion, increasing average age of motor vehicles, and increased speed limits.
If using electronic devices is a significant danger, that danger is certainly not apparent in the statistics.
Still Too Many Laws
by limbofrog - 5/31/07 6:19 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
There are already laws to govern reckless driving. So now for a little extreme sarcasm… Why not make it illegal to pick your nose and drive? What about talking to your passenger... that should definitely be illegal for some people. I have seen people that can't even drive well when they are focused only on driving. They should just not be able to drive at all. In fact, you know, driving is dangerous in general... we should just make driving illegal.
Come on people - This is the land of the free and home of the brave. We are founded on the principal that with great freedom comes great responsibility. I honest expect that we should be able to use common sense and evaluate and regulate ourselves each to his/her own ability.
If a person is blatantly being reckless, they should be pulled over for a law we already have involving reckless endangerment.
My Previous Post:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11285_7-6649005-2.html?messageID=2281001
""Too many laws"
by limbofrog (see profile) - October 19, 2006
We have far too many laws already. The government federal, state, and local already excessively regulates so many things in our life. I don't need the government telling me one more thing I can or can't do.
The basis for law in America is generally meant (or has been when the majority of the people still remembered what it was to fight for freedom) to protect each American's Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of happiness so long as it does not infringe on someone else’s life, liberty, or pursuit of happiness. I just want to be free and not cause my neighbor problems or have my neighbor or government messing up my life.
We already have a law that does this in regard to cell phone use or other distractions in the car or on the road. "Reckless Endangerment", "Neglect" or whatever other terms used to define the neglectful use of a moving motor vehicle. While I don't want to give extreme power to law enforcement to make blanket broad judgment, in a sense they already have that. If you wanted to do something more, we might consider increasing the penalty for people that actually cause an accident while being neglectful. Punish the guilty, not everyone else. There are plenty of places where honest, hard-working people can't carry a handgun because of the law-breaking people. How does that make sense? Why punish the honest and innocent, knowing the guilty with no regard for the law will abuse the law regardless? That just gives away more freedom and solves nothing."
No longer lost in Virginia
by lsspeic - 5/31/07 6:25 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
GPS is the greatest device to navigation since celestial navigation. Having no sense of direction, I never leave home without my GPS enabled cell phone. The portability is great when traveling and driving rental cars. I drive to more paces than I would using a map. The local search feature allows me to find any thing from a car wash to a luxury spa. I can keep my focus on the read rather than squinting at road signs. A great auto safety device and I will never be without it!
Finally, a topic I can embrace!
by JEfromCanada - 5/31/07 6:30 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
A technology that requires that visual focus be diverted from the road should not be in a moving vehicle. There is just too little time for a driver to react to changes in traffic when (s)he is distracted.
Having said that, cell phones and GPS units have valid uses in vehicles, provided some simple rules are followed. Only hands-free cellphones should be allowed during driving, and that includes the requirement for hands-free number lookup and dialing. If you don't have a hands-free phone, you shouldn't be using it unless you have a passenger who can dial for you, or unless you're willing to pull off the road to make your call.
GPS units are something totally different. The better GPS units have voice output, including street names. I personally find that navigating WITH a GPS unit in my car makes me a better driver. I don't have to be distracted by the need to find a particular street, or a particular address on that street. My GPS takes all that responsibility off my shoulders and allows me to concentrate on traffic. During times when I'm in a conversation with passengers, the GPS unit also will interrupt at appropriate times to get me to refocus on navigation.
Despite being in favor of GPS units in cars, I don't think that making mid-course corrections to a GPS while driving is a good idea. The manuals that come with the unit state that you shouldn't be entering destination information while the vehicle is moving. That makes sense to me, as it not only distracts you from driving (in the worst way possible, because it is a VISUAL distraction), but it also makes it difficult for the satellites to lock in on your unit when you're handling it.
I'd be willing to purchase a future-generation GPS unit that takes verbal commands and converts them to text. That would be the ultimate unit as far as I'm concerned.
All the tech is for all the good.
by enertex - 5/31/07 6:35 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
The more gadgets to make getting there easier - the better!
The most distracting thing in a car - is another passenger. Unless all future cars are for single passengers, tell all those that must complain about anything to just shut up!
Against
by yaredo - 5/31/07 6:36 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I am against using cell phones in cars. Most accidents here are occured by using using cell phone on one hand & driving by other hand. So it is better to use head phone.
Definetely for
by lukelead - 5/31/07 6:36 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
As I posted already, is not gadgets that make a driver good or bad. Apart of that, of corse technology can help. I own a TomTom GPS, it has voice messages that should avoid me looking at its screen. BUT sometimes messages are confusing: why does it says "keep the left" instead of "go straight" or just say nothing when i'm driving on highway and do not need to exit ?
Cell phones are another thing, in my country (Italy) you can use it while on the wheel only through a hand-free set, overwise your drive license points fly away ... if police catches you ! Personally I always use a wireless bluetooth headset, although many times I switch my cell off when I drive for short in-town trips.
A Little of Both
by jefft51 - 5/31/07 6:43 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I travel extensively in unfamiliar cities. I find a GPS navigational device much less distracting than a paper map for driving to various places in these cities. Mine has voice prompts so that I rarely have to look at the screen. I also use a cellphone while driving, but I use a BlueTooth earpiece with voice dialing so I don't have to look up numbers or dial them, and my phone also announces the caller so I don't have to look at the phone to see who is calling. When I am home, I drive a car that also is BlueTooth compatible so that I don't have to even use my earpiece. I do these things so that I am not distracted while driving, especially in unfamilliar areas where concentration on driving is critical.
But I see people all the time who text, do various paperwork, shave, etc... while driving and this is very dangerous. I also see many people driving who obviously do not have the proper skills to operate a vehicle. Left turns from the far right lane and all.
The bottom line is this: you are responsible for your own actions; don't jeopradize others by doing something rash.
GPS & Cell Phones in cars
by msv55 - 5/31/07 6:45 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I'm for both.
GPS works great and is very helpful, but the driver still has to drive.
My car is my office and I am tied to my cell phone. I use a Bluetooth ear piece and talk with both hands on the wheel, pulling over if I have to write something down. I only wish the Bluetooth interface in the cars worked as well as the ear pieces, with the ability to select a number and speed dial without having to pre-program it into the car. The voice recognition is no where as good as they lead you to believe.
Distractions
by s_godkhindi - 5/31/07 6:46 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I recently moved from India to the US and I was amazed to see people talking on cellphones while driving. In India talking on cellphones while driving is prohobited and attracts a heavy fine. Even using hands free is prohibited as while talking you are distracted. Well so is drinking coffee!
As far as GPS is concerned it is a neccessary evil and if has voice features then the distraction is reduced. Well it is better than taking Mapquest Printouts!
While I could agree with the use of a GPS - otherwise people would be lost in a new city - using cellphones while driving is a certain No No.
Watch out! That car's without a driver! Can't see any heads!
by JohnnyBravo-UK - 5/31/07 6:47 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
Day after day we hear of those tragic accidents and the number of victims that fall for those reckless drivers keeps raising. I have lived in England for years, and I think some of the rules and regulations that run their traffic systems should be adopted all over the world. Cell phone use while driving for instance, hundreds of accidents take place every year because of someone not paying enough attention to what is on the road because he or she were chatting on the cell phone with one hand, or texting, and with the other they might be steering the wheel, if not eating, or wearing make up, or changing CD's, or taking something out of the glove compartment, and the list goes on. They banned the use of cell phones while driving, unless you are using hands-free devices, or bluetooth devices, and I applaud them for that. If you need urgently to talk to someone, pull over, and stop being a danger to yourself and others on the road. It only takes a few minutes from your time to spare lives. And for the comment on cup holders in cars, yes, the car is not a mobile restaurant. If someone wants to eat, stop by a proper eating place and eat, unless you want to turn your car into a tip and a garbage container. I have seen some cars that stink due to food leftovers and wrapping papers in between the seats, not to mention the stains on their floors and seats from fizzy drinks and coffee! And how many hands do you think you have? what if someone pulls in front of you while you are holding your burger and your coke? Who is holding the wheel for you then?
In today's world things have changed to be more self-centered. "I can do what I want, and no one has the right to tell me what to do or not to do!". So what about those people on the other end who get hit by you while you are everything but driving? Don't they also have rights? Lets talk about duty for once? The moral duty to respect others and try to earn their respect?
GPS devices can also distract you, but when I use my TomTom, I set it up before I move the car, and if I need to change something I find a safe spot to pull over or a gas station to do it while stationary. It is not rocket science! Or if you have a passenger in the car, ask for their help!
I know what I said might upset a lot of people out there, but hey, you wouldn't know until you loose someone dear to you because of an irresponsible person with their hand everywhere but on the wheel. Technology is made to serve humanity, but it is like everything else out there, when misused or abused, it can have regrettable consequences, and it is our responsibility to know how to use them the right way.
Totally against
by ahg - 5/31/07 6:49 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
It may be old news by now, but I am very concerned about the increasing number of cars or tucks meandering all over the road from driving on the hard shoulder to being half-way over the double yellow line. Are they drunk or on medication? No, they are on the phone as I can verify when I get a chance to overtake them.
I am against any phone in a car because it is impairing not just the physical handling of the vehicle; it is re-routing half of the mental concentration of the driver toward the conversation instead of focusing on the road. The only people who justify this commodity are professionals involved in security or life sustaining activities. These people get special training for it.
The only way to stop this homicidal proliferation is through serious ENFORCEMENT of a legislation ordering anyone who wants to use a cell phone of any denomination in a moving vehicle, to pull over and stop driving. That should bring back priorities to their logical order.
As for the other gadgets like cup holders, give me a break! Why not a kitchen sink? We are not in the Sahara and anyone can (and will) survive an hour without drinking. In fact, drinking is not the object here as I have observed through many years of DC metro commuting. Sucking the end of a bottle is more the purpose, this being shown by the small spoonful that is swallowed at every suck. It is sad to see adults being dependant on their “baby bottle” like toddlers!
Illegal around here.
by icurhuman2 - 5/31/07 6:59 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
In Australia, here, you cannot use a cell-phone in a car, whether hands-free or not! If you are caught it will cost you points on your license and a very hefty fine, any accidents from such behavior adds liability for death, injury and associated damage. Studies have proven that cell-phone distraction does not lessen when using hands-free and is equivalent to high-range drink-driving for fatal accident cause. GPS comes standard with many new cars here and there's no restrictions, yet. Should there become available a report on GPS-related accidents then they will likely ban their use while driving. Any distraction when driving is dangerous, and, foolhardy in the extreme if voluntarily created; the giant dangly-dice, various crucifixes, dolls, beads and general garbage hanging from rear-view mirrors, obscuring traffic, are another distraction to pay attention to, or at least notice when finding such a dopey driver in your own vicinity. Seat belts are mandatory, and someone caught with no seat belt and with two passengers without seat belts, automatically loses their license to drive as the driver must make sure passengers are wearing their seat-belts; you'd have to be a stupid celebrity who believed in their own immortality not to (Princess Dianna, James Dean etc).
Don't get me started on the silly American sobriety tests I've seen on reality ethnic TV; in Australia there are set blood-alcohol limits that come with your driver's license test, and time/volume questions as well. Tests are done with a calibrated breathaliser and anyone over the limit has an hour before a proper blood-test is taken. But, the silly sobriety tests do make for some funny TV, I have to say.
Driving lessons number 1, 5 and 37 are now complete.
GPSs can be a good thing or bad
by mrmac - 5/31/07 7:00 AM In reply to: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars? by wcunning
I have recently put a gps in my cars and find them to be very helpful and now I won't go without. But, if they are abused, used while driving they are dangerously distracting from driving. So are radios, cds, kids, pets, friends, spouses, cell phones, cups of coffee, and hamburgers. Driving responsibly is what counts.
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
|
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
