"Driven to Distraction"

[UConn James]

Link

 

And the researchers’ agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, decided not to make public hundreds of pages of research and warnings about the use of phones by drivers — in part, officials say, because of concerns about angering Congress.

...

The former head of the highway safety agency said he was urged to withhold the research to avoid antagonizing members of Congress who had warned the agency to stick to its mission of gathering safety data but not to lobby states.

 

Critics say that rationale and the failure of the Transportation Department, which oversees the highway agency, to more vigorously pursue distracted driving has cost lives and allowed to blossom a culture of behind-the-wheel multitasking.

...

That letter said that hands-free headsets did not eliminate the serious accident risk. The reason: a cellphone conversation itself, not just holding the phone, takes drivers’ focus off the road, studies showed.

 

The research mirrors other studies about the dangers of multitasking behind the wheel. Research shows that motorists talking on a phone are four times as likely to crash as other drivers, and are as likely to cause an accident as someone with a .08 blood alcohol content.

 

The three-person research team based the fatality and accident estimates on studies that quantified the risks of distracted driving, and an assumption that 6 percent of drivers were talking on the phone at a given time. That figure is roughly half what the Transportation Department assumes to be the case now.

 

Ask any police officer you know who does traffic duty and they will tell you that cell phone driving/texting is the root cause of a plurality of the accidents they investigate.

 

CT adopted laws a couple of years ago banning cell phone use while driving. Still see it all the time. Nothing makes people want to give up telling all and sundry what they're doing, where they're going, what color they're going to paint their nails, etc.

 

At this point, it may be too ingrained in the culture for any kind of evidence or law to have any kind of impact.

[KD in CA]

At this point, it may be too ingrained in the culture for any kind of evidence or law to have any kind of impact.

 

Probably so. Unless the government spends millions demonizing this behavior like they have for anyone who has had two beers. Or smokes cigarettes.

[DC Tom]

The former head of the highway safety agency said he was urged to withhold the research to avoid antagonizing members of Congress who had warned the agency to stick to its mission of gathering safety data but not to lobby states.

 

Critics say that rationale and the failure of the Transportation Department, which oversees the highway agency, to more vigorously pursue distracted driving has cost lives and allowed to blossom a culture of behind-the-wheel multitasking.

 

Sounds more like it's Congress' fault. So I'm sure they'll hold hearings demonizing the DoT.

 

 

And...we needed a study to tell us that not paying attention behind the wheel is a bad thing?

[AlaskaDarin_Has_AIDS]

CHECK IT

 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=motherment

[blzrul]

Talking on cellphones.

Changing radio stations.

Putting in a new CD or tape.

Yelling at the kids.

Trying to see what the GPS screen says.

Programming the GPS.

Reading mapquest printed directions.

Driving with the dog on your lap.

Eating a big Mac.

Drinking .... anything.

Smoking a cigarette.

Looking for the cigarette butt you threw out the window which you think flew BACK into the car thru the back window.

Putting on makeup.

Texting.

Rubbernecking at the brokedown slowdown.

Drooling at the blonde in the convertible.

Swatting the bug that just flew in the window.

Looking in the glovebox for something...anything.

 

All this stuff distracts drivers and causes accidents. Cellphones may currently be the worst. But it'll be something else eventually. The fact is that smart people realize that talking on the phone is distracting and dangerous, and don't do it. My first cellphone was a hands-free system built into my car. Later, when I worked for a wireless company, I RARELY talked on the phone when driving, and ALWAYS using hands free. I'd dial into my conference call or whatever, set the phone on "speaker", and then I'd get on the road (usually on mute as well to avoid the road noise).

 

I agree with laws against cellphone use in the car, unless they're used hands-free. I think it is a behavior that can be changed - like wearing seatbelts. Is it too late? Nope, but it'll be an uphill battle. Until the "next" thing comes along. I predict it'll be web surfing on those lovely big nav screens that are in the dash in newer cars....you just wait.

[Chef Jim]

Talking on cellphones.

Changing radio stations.

Putting in a new CD or tape.

Yelling at the kids.

Trying to see what the GPS screen says.

Programming the GPS.

Reading mapquest printed directions.

Driving with the dog on your lap.

Eating a big Mac.

Drinking .... anything.

Smoking a cigarette.

Looking for the cigarette butt you threw out the window which you think flew BACK into the car thru the back window.

Putting on makeup.

Texting.

Rubbernecking at the brokedown slowdown.

Drooling at the blonde in the convertible.

Swatting the bug that just flew in the window.

Looking in the glovebox for something...anything.

 

All this stuff distracts drivers and causes accidents. Cellphones may currently be the worst. But it'll be something else eventually. The fact is that smart people realize that talking on the phone is distracting and dangerous, and don't do it. My first cellphone was a hands-free system built into my car. Later, when I worked for a wireless company, I RARELY talked on the phone when driving, and ALWAYS using hands free. I'd dial into my conference call or whatever, set the phone on "speaker", and then I'd get on the road (usually on mute as well to avoid the road noise).

 

I agree with laws against cellphone use in the car, unless they're used hands-free. I think it is a behavior that can be changed - like wearing seatbelts. Is it too late? Nope, but it'll be an uphill battle. Until the "next" thing comes along. I predict it'll be web surfing on those lovely big nav screens that are in the dash in newer cars....you just wait.

 

I disagree with the hands free statement. I feel all cell phone use is distracting. I've nearly missed an exit while talking hands free.

[Gene Frenkle]

I disagree with the hands free statement. I feel all cell phone use is distracting. I've nearly missed an exit while talking hands free.

The (withheld) data seems to support your conclusion.

[IDBillzFan]

I disagree with the hands free statement. I feel all cell phone use is distracting. I've nearly missed an exit while talking hands free.

Is there is a difference between talking to someone on the phone hands free and talking to someone in the back seat?

[Gene Frenkle]

Is there is a difference between talking to someone on the phone hands free and talking to someone in the back seat?

The person on the other end of the phone is probably not in the car with you.

[UConn James]

CHECK IT

 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=motherment

 

For things that affect only the stupid user/doer, I tend to agree.

 

This is not one of those areas. They look down from the road for 5 seconds to type, "GO'G 2 C HP. U N?" and the next thing they know their bumper is merged with your trunk.

 

blzrul, studies show that hands-free devices aren't much/any safer. It's not necessarily the physical part of holding a phone to the ear that causes the distraction, it's in the brain's processing the conversation and response. This processing slows reaction time to the equivalent of having a .08 BAC. LA, I'm just not sure about that. Conversation in the car is distracting to some degree. But conversation through the medium of a phone likely increases the distraction level by an order of magnitude.

 

A former CT Public Safety Commissioner (the chief of the state police) lives in my uncle's neighborhood and said he saw less of a problem with speeding (to a certain limit ~ 75-80) than with tailgating/close weaving through traffic like it's NASCAR and cellphone/texting. And this was when cellphones weren't quite as ubiquitous as they are now.

 

People just seem immune to realizing what can happen in even 1/2 second on the road. If the call is important enough, pull to the side of the road. If it's not important enough to do that, it can wait until you get where you're going. Or if someone is with you, let them talk.

[bills_fan]

For things that affect only the stupid user/doer, I tend to agree.

 

This is not one of those areas. They look down from the road for 5 seconds to type, "GO'G 2 C HP. U N?" and the next thing they know their bumper is merged with your trunk.

 

blzrul, studies show that hands-free devices aren't much/any safer. It's not necessarily the physical part of holding a phone to the ear that causes the distraction, it's in the brain's processing the conversation and response. This processing slows reaction time to the equivalent of having a .08 BAC. LA, I'm just not sure about that. Conversation in the car is distracting to some degree. But conversation through the medium of a phone likely increases the distraction level by an order of magnitude.

 

A former CT Public Safety Commissioner (the chief of the state police) lives in my uncle's neighborhood and said he saw less of a problem with speeding (to a certain limit ~ 75-80) than with tailgating/close weaving through traffic like it's NASCAR and cellphone/texting. And this was when cellphones weren't quite as ubiquitous as they are now.

 

People just seem immune to realizing what can happen in even 1/2 second on the road. If the call is important enough, pull to the side of the road. If it's not important enough to do that, it can wait until you get where you're going. Or if someone is with you, let them talk.

 

 

I don't disagree with anything you wrote, and believe it ought to be in driver training materials. But I just don't think the Federal government ought to be involved here at all (and that includes most motor vehicle laws).

[/dev/null]

Probably so. Unless the government spends millions demonizing this behavior like they have for anyone who has had two beers. Or smokes cigarettes.

 

The government should impose a cell phone while talking tax

 

I don't use my cell when I drive, so it wouldn't affect me. By the logic of somebody here, I shouldn't care if they implemented such a tax

[Gene Frenkle]

The government should impose a cell phone while talking tax

 

I don't use my cell when I drive, so it wouldn't affect me. By the logic of somebody here, I shouldn't care if they implemented such a tax

It's called a ticket, Einstein.

 

Additionally, allowing drivers to talk on their cell phones while driving does affect you and every other motorist who shares the road with those cell phone users. It increases your chances of you and everyone else dying or getting injured because of the actions of said distracted drivers. At least it does if you choose to be a rational person and accept the results of this study.

[ExiledInIllinois]

I know it is a problem... How in the hell do you go after distracted drivers? Change culture?

 

Like those crazy bumper stickers that motorcycleists put on their cars:

 

"Start seeing motorcycles."

 

Not that I d not agree... But, good luck bringing back King Tut to the living!

 

Never going to happen... Never will.

[Gene Frenkle]

I don't disagree with anything you wrote, and believe it ought to be in driver training materials. But I just don't think the Federal government ought to be involved here at all (and that includes most motor vehicle laws).

You seem to be forgetting that driving is a privilege, not a right.

[ExiledInIllinois]

It's called a ticket, Einstein.

 

One big game of "he said, she said."

 

You know... In the last 20 years of driving I have gotten about 4 tickets... In never once had my safety belt on (I know stupid... I normally wear them... Just that I wasn't when I got the ticket)... Guess how many times I got a violation for that... ZERO... I always had my belt on before the patrolman came to the vehicle.

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

I disagree with the hands free statement. I feel all cell phone use is distracting. I've nearly missed an exit while talking hands free.

 

Ban daydreaming then too... I like to talk to myself officer!

[Gene Frenkle]

One big game of "he said, she said."

 

You know... In the last 20 years of driving I have gotten about 4 tickets... In never once had my safety belt on (I know stupid... I normally wear them... Just that I wasn't when I got the ticket)... Guess how many times I got a violation for that... ZERO... I always had my belt on before the patrolman came to the vehicle.

 

I choose to follow the law and wear my seatbelt all the time because I prefer not to die unless absolutely necessary.

 

Congrats on avoiding seatbelt tickets, though.

[DrFishfinder]

I nealy missed one while yawning.

 

Should we ban BREATHING while driving?

 

I agree with Deb. ANYTHING can be considered "distracting" while driving.

 

I almost crashed while messing with a stuck clutch pedal once.

 

New law....."No trying to operate a vehicle while driving"

 

Cell phones are the worst, though.

Couple of good points there....and a chuckle too.

I used to see a guy on the way to work with a newspaper draped over his steering wheel, drinking coffee, smoking a cig AND shaving with an electric razor.

 

I wonder why it is that actually talking to a person in the car seems to be less distracting than talking to someone on a cell.....even hands free?

[Chef Jim]

Is there is a difference between talking to someone on the phone hands free and talking to someone in the back seat?

 

For me it's while hands free. I know this for a fact for me. Very rarely do I make a mistake talking to someone in the car as opposed to the few times I've come close to missing an exit while hands free. My theory is that you tend to concentrate more while talking to someone you can't see. I spend a lot of time training phone skills and your brain working harder trying to be "with" that person on the phone than the person next to you.