Car Tech: Are you for or against GPS and cell phones in cars?
- 5/22/07 5:29 PM
I think the examples are very similar.
by batman823 - 6/4/07 8:35 AM In reply to: sealife by Manuel S.I agree that the water belongs to the sealife. The point was intended to be rediculous. The subject I was commenting on was equally rediculous.Therefore; I think the analogy was proper.
Here's why. We all have the privelage of driving, as well as swimming. If we do something improper, we should stop doing it. A person will usually not stop doing something stupid until they suffer a consequence. All of us with a driver's liscence belong on the road. It is our privelage. Those of us who break the law or establish bad habits are endangering themselves and others. Responsible use of a cell-phone is perfectly fine. I personally get off the phone when traffic gets heavy. I never hold the phone with my hand while driving. I believe that to be a proper mannerism.
The analogy between a swimmer and the sea is the same as a bad driver on the road. It's simply the consequence that changes. Instead of endangering your own life by swimming in the wrong waters, a bad driver endangers others as well as themselves.
cell phones in cars
by Oldchris - 5/31/07 7:55 AM In reply to: cell phone by superchfIt seems to me that if a message is important, the driver can pull over to the side of the road. If it isn't important, it can wait until the car trip is over. I have been nearly run over several times by women talking on ttheir cell phones while speeding along in the car.
Cell phones a good extension to car
by UNCMAN - 6/2/07 3:55 PM In reply to: cell phone by superchfAlright. Phones and miscellaneous electronic devices CAN be dangerous if people don't use them responsibly. But the cell phone in particular is a very useful feature for the car, as long as you use a headset or a speakerphone while driving. That is why some states make it illegal to drive and talk with the phone to your ear. But the phone is a safety net for when you're in the middle of nowhere and your car breaks down, when you need directions, or when you want a spoken traffic report for a specific area. For instance, all new Boost Mobile and Nextel phones have available Telenav navigation systems for download. This is a cheap and helpful tool when you don't want to pay $250 or more for a standalone GPS system. Also, cell phones are great for getting help when you have a problem and are not nearby a town or city ( except for Sprint phones; the damn things lose a signal in a remotely out of the way area and won't work unless in analog roaming, which eats up the battery ). I don't get the Sprint Nextel merger because the Nextel network has such a stronger signal and larger coverage area. Anyway, phones are good in cars as long as you use them only with a headset, navigation, or great time of need- not for those typical conversations about people's boring lives.
outlaw radios, kids and passengers
by peter4012 - 7/4/07 3:28 PM In reply to: cell phone by superchfThough I am sorry about your experience I must first all note a national study on accident causes which listed phones in fifth after radio (1) kids in backseat (2) food / smoking (3),
you see having been brought up "properly" I am supposed to look at my conversation partner making me take my eys of the road, my cellphone doesn't require that when I talk.
Yes I do believe we shouldn't chitchat on the phones while driving, don't fumble through phone directories or messages and 'damn' the GPS maps - phone or dashboard (heck TV's are illigal - whats the difference
But don't condem someone or make a law prhibiting answering a quick call or using 1-9 single button speed dials, or even better the voice dials / blue tooth or you might as well outlaw everything else especially those reasons for accidents listed above
Peter
The driver is responsible for what happens in his/her car.
by bobbiev - 5/30/07 5:18 PM In reply to: Driver-in-command by treet007I agree that the driver is the only one responsible for what happens in their car. Whether it is reading a map, looking at a gps or talking, whether on a cell phone or to a passenger. I drove for many years with my five children in the back of my station wagon. Was I a good driver? As good as I could be with five distractions in the back seat. For me, I think my cell phone attached to a speaker or a headphone is a lot less of a distraction than my children were. BUT, I avoid using my cell phone as I want to be a safe driver.
If the driver does not care enough to remove or avoid distractions, then he/she is liable to have an accident or cause an accident.
We all need to be more aware of what we are doing on the road as well as what every other driver is doing.
Treet007 is absolutely correct. The problem is not the distractions, but knowing our limits and abiding by them. As human beings, we are offered a lot of choices about how to do things. Not everyone is capable of concentrating on their driving no matter what the circumstances.
Agree with Driver in Command and Bobbiev
by Cambi - 5/30/07 9:48 PM In reply to: The driver is responsible for what happens in his/her car. by bobbievYes, there have always been distractions; the driver should be in command and should know his limits. Flashing advertising signs, unreadable traffic warning signs, and car radios are among them. Like Bobbie, I had a carload of children to deliver to school, games, etc. They could be far more distracting than a cellphone or GPS. My solution was always to find a safe place, pull over, and wait for them to realize they would be late, ask me why we had stopped. My explanation always resulted in good behavior the rest of the trip.
If the government really wants to make driving safe, how about some of those technological marvels like proximity signals that warn the driver who's approaching another vehicle or barrier?
Cell phones, GPS and other distractions.
by plwertz - 6/1/07 2:58 PM In reply to: Agree with Driver in Command and Bobbiev by CambiA driver simply cannot do a competent, safe job of driving doing anything else but drive. Its not so much a matter of not having enough hands or eyes, it is a matter of concentration of the mind.
I suddenly realized back in the CB radio days that when I was talking to a person in another car that my attention concentration was thus diverted and I was not fully aware of what my car or any other car was doing. Also, on a long trip we took, my wife and I elected to listen to some audio book tapes on the car's tape player. Now I enjoy seeing the scenery and seeing details as I go by, but with the story playing on our player I realized that while I enjoyed the tape I didn't take in much of the scenery. Diverted attention is easy to experience but the results can be drastic.
Handsfree devices are NOT the answer
by mmode - 5/31/07 1:16 AM In reply to: The driver is responsible for what happens in his/her car. by bobbievI have to disagree with the majority on cell phone handsfree usage in vehicles. Point of fact: accidents that are caused by people talking on their cell phones while driving are not remedied by the requiring drivers to use a handsfree device. The accidents are caused because the driver is too engaged in his/her conversation that they lose complete focus on their vehicle, the road, and other vehicles. Its naive to think that by someone holding a phone to their ear as opposed to placing an earpice in your ear (or holding a conversation through your stereo speakers via bluetooth) will cutdown on accidents.
There are many dangerous driving habits.
by richkras - 5/31/07 4:31 AM In reply to: Handsfree devices are NOT the answer by mmodeHow is it possible to list all the dangerous driving habits; eating, smoking, CDs and radios, something you need in the back seat, READING (on the highway or otherwise) and.....talking to a passenger you feel compelled to look at when you are speaking (whether next to you or in the BACK SEAT? I agree that long, exciting or distressful (or meaningless) conversations probably increase your driving risk. I also believe that holding a cell phone while driving is much more dangerous, which has nothing to do with the conversation, but with the physical acts of maneuvering the car while trying to hold a phone to your ear, switch hands, dropping it and picking it up. Think about it, though. How many people keep driving even though they are falling asleep? What if a phone conversation helps keep them awake (of course they should pull over)? How many people tail-gate no matter how fast they are going and whether the other driver can even get out of the way? How many people turn around to yell at their kids? I've seen people driving with their left foot hanging out the window, reading newspapers while driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, smooching with their honey and almost anything else conceivable. Please take some responsibility for your actions. Driving is dangerous and should be treated with respect. Cell phones can be a problem, but I don't think police statistics will reveal they are the greatest contributor to accidents.
Thanks,
RK
Welll....
by somei08 - 5/31/07 11:34 AM In reply to: Handsfree devices are NOT the answer by mmodeI dunno. I've driven plenty of times while talking on a cell phone. Especially when driving home from college. Maybe it's just me, but I can easily talk on the phone and drive, even during an engrossing conversation.
As for the topic in general. Some gadgets just belong in a car...GPS and cell phones make a great combo. MP3 players are an evolution of radios and CD players. However some are just ridiculous. I'm sorry, but do we really need a camera in the back of the car? Before long people will come to depend on it too much and that would be a real headache.
Part of the Problem.
by mrsthompson - 5/31/07 3:21 PM In reply to: Welll.... by somei08You might think you can 'easily' talk on the phone while driving, but what about when an 'emergency' situation occurs?
I'm a psychologist, and I know for a fact you are part of the problem. When a violent critical situation occurs such as a sudden car crash, it only takes a split second to happen. You may only have a 10th of a second between life and death. Think about it, and stay off the damn phone while driving. My son was killed by a woman who still had her phone in her hand when they found her, also dead. He was riding his bicycle. I HOPE THEY OUTLAW CELLPHONES WHILE DRIVING IN 'ALL' STATES!!!
Reaction time
by bren01921 - 6/1/07 12:10 PM In reply to: Part of the Problem. by mrsthompsonI do agree that cell phones, GPS and other gadgets slow down your reactions time. But there has to be alot to what causes accidents. in many cases there is something that the driver was doing that they blame the accident on ( If he was not on the phone he would have been able to miss the car in front of him). But in alot of cases this is not true. you dont know how he would have reacted if he was not on the phone.
I race for a living and in my field you have to have amazing reaction time. But out on the road it does not matter you can be slow, and as long as you can drive down a street and do some simple maneuvers you are good to go. so if you want to make things that will slow your reaction time down then there has to be some limit to how fast you reaction time must be to even be behind the weel in the first place.
Well...
by vasmith1 - 6/1/07 3:35 PM In reply to: Welll.... by somei08What was so crashing urgent for you to talk about when driving home from college that you risked my life and yours?????
What would you say to St. Peter?? Whoops!!!! I guess I was wrong.
Do us all a favor and stay off the cel phone - I don't know about you but I would like to stay alive.
I agree
by Manuel S. - 6/1/07 12:43 PM In reply to: Handsfree devices are NOT the answer by mmodeThe fact that a person is distracted while on the phone when driving, is not because of holding the phone itself, it's because that person gets engaged in the conversation and forgets about what's going on around him/her.
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