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Automotive News & Views Should cell phone drivers be singled out?
3688 messages, Last post on Oct 27, 2009 at 11:39 AM
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Replying to: nippononly (Oct 12, 2006 8:24 pm) I personally think that using a cell phone while driving is not a good idea but I also feel we have way too many laws, most of them inneffective. This is just one more. The thought of being in an accident should be enough of a deterrent to force people to pay attention. If not then they run the risk of suffering the consequences. If they injure someone else then the civil courts can handle that. IMO, education is almost always better than laws. An educational campaign along the lines of the anti-smoking campaign would be at least as effective as a law. |
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Good point about the accidents - I never even thought about that. Cell phones went from a spotty take rate to like 90% in the last five to seven years. How come the accident rates haven't doubled and tripled in the same time frame? That's what I was talking about, that we have no reliable data to show that cells are the threat to motoring they are being made out to be. And I agree this law will be ineffectual. If they manage to extend it to texting, people will just keep their texting below the line of the windows and cops will never even be able to see the phone. How will they ever enforce it? I so wish we did better driver's education in this country, and had much more rigorous (and frequent) driver testing for a license. I know this particular point has been much-discussed already at Edmunds. OTOH, erratic or dangerous driving goes on all the time, for lots of reasons, including late-night street racing. Let's legislate truly punishing minimum financial and other penalties for that, and include cell phone use if it has contributed on a case by case basis. |
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Replying to: nippononly (Oct 13, 2006 8:32 am) I thought there have been plenty of studies saying that cell phones lead to an increased chance of having an accident: http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones/ "How come the accident rates haven't doubled and tripled in the same time frame?" But fatalities and accident rates aren't going down, either. Shouldn't those rates dip appreciably as newer and safer cars, including many with bullet-proof ESC, hit the roads? I agree with much of what you're saying -- distracted (no matter the source), reckless, and selfish (tailgaters, red-light runners, super-speeders, people whose actions belie a genuine belief that their time and life are more important than anyone elses) driving are really at the heart of the problem. But cell phones are just such low-hanging fruit -- everyone has them and everyone claims to be outraged at what they see cell-phone-using drivers do. It's a slam-dunk for the politicians, and there's no downside that I can see. Maybe the economy will suffer because John Doe doesn't get the call to pick up a bottle of white zinfandel before heading home, but I doubt it. Personally, even if a twenty-year exhaustive survey by the most well-respected organizations were to show that cell phones don't have any impact on accident rates, I'd choose not to believe it. Hell, any time I go out for lunch at work I see dozens of examples of people not being able to WALK while using the things. |
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Replying to: smittynyc (Oct 13, 2006 9:12 am) I was referring to the type of accident that is categorized as property damage only. I agree that safer cars and greater use of seatbelts should lower fatality rates. But you would think that cell phone use should definitely drive up the number of fender benders. There is no empirical data to support this. However I do agree with you that common sense would indicate that cell phone use must divert some attention from driving, which should increase risk. I'm speculating here but is it possible that many people realize this when using their cell phones and try to compensate by paying greater attention than normal? Afterall, how many of us can honestly say that we always focus 100% on the task of driving? |
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Replying to: smittynyc (Oct 13, 2006 9:12 am)
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| A little while back I read a news story that quoted a study that said cell phone users cause as many accidents as drunk drivers. If that's true, then the people getting a ticket and small fine for it should consider themselves lucky, as we throw drunk drivers in jail, and fines are in the thousands. Yes, I do believe they cause accidents. As for the other distractions (eating, makeup, etc.), there is a law police can enforce, it's called "Failure To Pay Time And Attention". They probably don't enforce it as much as they should, though. | |
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Replying to: tpe (Oct 13, 2006 3:55 pm) Ditto with the I-Drive, Command Center, etc. |
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Replying to: smittynyc (Oct 13, 2006 9:12 am) According to a recent news article, occupant fatalities in vehicle accidents were down again for 2005. There were, however more deaths among pedestrians and motorcyclists. Pedestrian and motorcyclists deaths are counted as traffic fatalities, and are included in the final, total figure for the year.
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Replying to: grbeck (Oct 15, 2006 4:58 am) Can we assume that some of those deaths were due to in-attention by the driver of a car, engrossed in a cell phone call? Or did the pedestrian walk in front of a car they did not see or hear because they were talking on a cell phone or listening to an iPod? It seems we have to many gadgets to take our mind off our driving. Maybe we need to get tougher on those that cause accidents for any reason. Losing your license for causing an accident would be a good start. |
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Why do you need studies and data to tell you that people who drive while talking is dangerous??? You people DO go outside sometimes, don't you? EVERY DAY I see people driving badly because they won't get off the phone. IT DOES NOT MATTER if it's hands free or not. The only difference is hands-free lets you turn the wheel more easily. I almost got run over by a woman on the phone recently while crossing an intersection. And that's just ONE example of what I see and deal with everyday. We have laws but they are not enforced and BIG DEAL... it's a $100 fine with no points. Those of you who think you are not distracted while talking... you are fooling yourself... you ARE distracted. And stop comparing eating to talking... you don't need to think while you eat. |
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