Do you really think it makes a difference whether someone is using a bluetooth or just putting their cell phone up to their ear while driving? that being said, should cell phones be totally banned when the person is driving a car or anything else?
But JoyBoy, what about the ladies who put on make-up while driving and the men who shave and put on their freshly cleaned shirts, also while driving....?
Although I wouldn't go as far as JoyBoy55, I do believe that even using a "hands free" device, talking on the phone while driving is a distraction. I do believe holding a phone up to one's ear while driving should be illegal.
The problem with a law like a cell phone ban is that it's difficult to enforce. I'd rather see a law that says that anyone engaging in any non-driving activity that contributes to an accident has additional charges against them. That includes reading the paper (I saw that the other day), putting on makeup, shaving, brushing your teeth, combing your hair, or finagaling with the cell phone. Frankly I have less problem with folk talking on the phone than when they're dialing or trying to find a number of whatever other fiddling they do. Hands free just seems more comfortable. I drive a stick, and can't figure out how I could shift, steer and hold a cell phone.
Really any difference between blue-tooth and cell phone to the ear? Yes....hands free vs. not....how is talking on phone any different from talking to a passenger? The point is does it impair your driving?
If talking on a phone hands free is dangerous, imagine what driving with children in the car does. People crash when bees fly in the car, when dogs go out of control (remember, Stephen King being mowed down by a guy with a dog in the car?), when kids start screaming, fighting, throwing things around the car, and then there are the activities listed by Sammig. I'm less concerned with someone talking on a cell phone using a headset than a parent trying to moderate a fight between children as Mom or Dad is turning around to look over a shoulder. I am not crazy about anyone talking on a cell phone without a bluetooth device, though. I listen to audio books in the car, listen to radio shows, music, and sometimes talk on the cell phone using hands free option, but only in low stress traffic situations. And at night after a long day I'm happy to have a book yap at me and keep me alert.
There was a book I had to read back in college called "Theories of Attention". It has been too many years for me to remember the authors, but the content has always stayed with me. The book discusses the scientific research into the capabilities of the human brain, showing the umteen experiments and results of those experiments about people's attention, multi-tasking capabilities, distractions affecting attention, etc. Absolutely no-one was capable of performing two tasks at the same time without making mistakes in one or both tasks. No one. Anyone who thinks they can focus on safely driving a car, and carry on a conversation at the same time without making mistakes is only fooling themselves. If they can, there is a page waiting for them in Ripley's Believe it or Not. The person driving behind you can certainly identify the driving errors. Talking on the phone while driving a vehicle should be banned, and it will be when the right politician loses someone they care about because of someone talking on the phone while trying to drive.
Just about anything can distract a driver - eating, drinking, changing the radio station or CD - all actions no one thinks about have all caused serious accidents. Using bluetooth makes talking on a cell phone about equal to talking with a passenger - except there is no need to make eye contact occasionally. Having seen people applying make up, reading the paper, operating their computers while driving I'm amazed there aren't more fatalities on the road. Add to that text messaging, which California finally got around to outlawing along with hand held cell phones.
I use my headset even in my home. In my car, it's like conversing with a passenger. At home, I can do chores, believe it or don't, more efficiently with the phone in my pocket and talking to a friend.
I lost my car headset last week and made the mistake of answering my phone while driving. Couldn't believe the difference; got off the phone quick as I could.
I'd do JB one better. Should be a hangin' offense.
