Driver on Phone At Time of Fatal Crash

[Mischka]

The driver of the Ford Explorer that caused Friday's five-fatality crash on the Capital Beltway was on a cell phone with her boyfriend, from whom she had become separated in traffic, when she lost control of the vehicle and hurdled over a guardrail into oncoming traffic, National Transportation Safety Board investigators said yesterday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18231-2002Feb3.html

How many of you still talk on your cell phone while driving? I've read of several studies that compare driving while talking to driving while drunk - both severely impair a person's ability to concentrate and react quickly to changing traffic conditions.

I have been guilty of still using the phone while driving, normally when I am stuck in rush hour. Considering the increasing reports of fatal crashes and serious injuries caused by cell phone users, I'm giving up the habit cold turkey. The convenience is not worth the risk to others, and I know better than to think I am better than anyone else I see absentmindedly talking on their phone behind the wheel.

Has anyone else given up the habit? What made you do it?

 

[Starblayde]

In the uk you can get pulled over for driving while you're on your mobile... dangerous driving.... but it doesnt often happen

 

[April]

It's flat out illegal to do it here in Germany. The rest of Europe, too, I think.

I did it once while in the states. Never again. I almost drove across two lanes of traffic and crashed the car! It's not worth my life nor anyone else's.

 

[Gilly Bean]

I have never used one while I have been driving. if I have a passenger, they do the talking, or I just ignore it. It is one of my pet peeves to see someone on the road talking on the phone. What really bugs me about it, is that I have almost been involved in 3 or 4 accidents in the last 2 weeks, and in each case, it was because the driver of the other car was talking on the phone, and not paying attention.

 

[SINthysist]

We had a propane truck

struck by a train. The guy was talking to his sister. The last thing she heard was, "Oh my god."

 

[lovetoread]

I'm ashamed to admit that I do answer,talk,and even dial while driving.

But only when I am alone. I wont do it if my kids are in the car.

 

[seXieleXie]

mischka,
i'm currently in a class that examining exactly that problem. i've read a lot of the literature available on the subject as part of the assignment and right now we're working on a variety of experiments to test the effects of "cognitive interfearance" on driving.

something interesting to think about is that cell phones are one distraction of many, and actaully are not much different than other distractions. one study found that driving with children under the age of 8 posed a higher risk. another found that lighting a cigarette posted about the same amount of risk as dialing a cell phone, which was only slightly above the risk posed by tuning the radio.

we've discussed the validity of these studied at great length in class. some are better than others. i am not convinced that cell phones are any more dangerous than other typical driving distractions. i don't talk on my cell phone while i drive unless it's an emergency, but i also don't put on make up, eat my lunch, drink my coffee, or try to discipline unruly seven year olds.

 

[login]

... one study found that driving with children under the age of 8 posed a higher risk. another found that lighting a cigarette posted about the same amount of risk as dialing a cell phone, which was only slightly above the risk posed by tuning the radio.

Do those studies take into account the duration of the distraction? Underage children would last longer than a cell call, but lighting a cigarette or tuning a radio typically take only a few seconds. Carrying on a phone conversation would take longer, and I would think it would be much more dangerous.

 

[Wizard]

I pull over a whole lot now and run a hands free speaker phone that has auto answer and works well.........................

 

[TN_Vixen]

ugh

I have this habit. Unfortunately I'm one of those distracted drivers that habitually tries to find things in the next seat, on the next radio station, a napkin out of the glove compartment to wipe up my coffee spill.

I try not to talk on the phone in traffic. Usually I'll wait until I'm on a back road somewhere before I make calls to clients, or check for my messages. But, I do sometimes find myself fumbling through my purse for the phone when it begins to ring as I'm driving around town.

If it's my Mom that's calling, she'll say to me, "Are you driving? Hang up! Hang up!" heh

 

[Bindii]

I'm ashamed to admit that I do answer,talk,and even dial while driving.

But only when I am alone. I wont do it if my kids are in the car.

I think you may be missing the point here, my friends 3 year old son was killed in a car accident - the driver of the car that hit them was talking on the phone at the time; she has to live with that for the rest of her life.

Your children may be safe but what about their mother? Would it be ok if you were killed in an accident because you were talking on the phone? Or if you killed someone else?

Its illegal to use mobile phones (without a handsfree kit) in Australia. I admit that I was one of those people that used to think nothing of talking on my mobile while driving. After my friends son died I wouldnt even consider it.

 

[lovetoread]

I didnt miss the point,I was clarifying what I did. She asked a question I answered it.

After reading the first post,I am no longer going to do it period. Going cold turkey as she put it.

 

[Bob Peale]

There is an added factor to consider -

In addition to talking on the telephone, she was driving a '98 Ford Explorer that she'd just purchased that day.

The Explorer is a big car and not the easiest thing to maneuver in the best of circumstances. If in fact she was not experienced handling an SUV in steady traffic, that may have added to the tragedy...

 

[Bindii]

I didnt miss the point,I was clarifying what I did. She asked a question I answered it.

After reading the first post,I am no longer going to do it period. Going cold turkey as she put it.

Please don't take offence to my post, I was merely trying to make my point. You didn't say that you weren't going to do it again, you just said I won't do it if your kids are in the car.

I didn't mean to insult you in anyway.

 

[lovetoread]

Please don't take offence to my post, I was merely trying to make my point. You didn't say that you weren't going to do it again, you just said I won't do it if your kids are in the car.

I didn't mean to insult you in anyway.

Oh doll,I knew that.

I realized after you answered that I had not made myself clear at all. I would never intentionally risk anyones lives.

Be well.

 

[sigh]

i use an ear bud with a dangling mic...and i only answer the phone when driving (pressing one button which my thumb goes to automatically) and never dial (if i need to dial i have my son do it for me or i pull over at the next stop)

with the ear bud i'm just having a conversation with someone...is there any difference doing that than having a conversation with someone in the car?

that's not a rhetorical question...does anyone know?

i'm concerned about this...can't tell you how irritating it is to sit behind someone at a stop light who fails to note the light has turned green because they're scrolling through the "phone book" on their cell phone...now imagine that someone at highway speeds...yep, you bet it concerns me

as for the argument that it's just one more distraction and no more or less dangerous than many others...well, i can't help it if my kid starts to act up (though i do head for the next exit if it hasn't subsided) but why deliberately add to the mix with a phone call?

 

[MysticSwing]

with the ear bud i'm just having a conversation with someone...is there any difference doing that than having a conversation with someone in the car?

that's not a rhetorical question...does anyone know?

In my opinion there is a difference. When you're talking to someone who's setting next to you in a car they are also aware of your surroundings and can help alert you of any dangers. When you're talking on the phone, the person you're talking to has no clue as to what's going on around you.

I don't believe in talking on cell/mobile phones while driving. If a call is THAT important, it's just as easy to pull over to make it. To me, my life, the lives of my passengers and the lives of others on the road are much more important than any phone call could ever possibly be.

Just my opinion.

~~Mystic

 

[bluespoke]

Do those studies take into account the duration of the distraction? Underage children would last longer than a cell call, but lighting a cigarette or tuning a radio typically take only a few seconds. Carrying on a phone conversation would take longer, and I would think it would be much more dangerous.

It only takes a second............

 

[KillerMuffin]

Things that those studies don't seem to have taken into account are the way that people behave when talking on the telephone. Think about that. Next time you talk on the telephone think about how aware you are of your surroundings. How well do you pay attention to the person on the telephone when you're making yourself aware of your surroundings. Even at home.

There is a big difference between talking to someone in person and talking to someone on a telephone. It seems to me that it takes a little more concentration to follow a phone conversation than it does to talk to someone whose right there.

Personally, I was sitting in the passenger seat of a big rig. A bright red 72 foot long conglomeration of metal that weighed 79,954 pounds. It takes at least the length of two football fields to stop safely. There is limited visibility for the driver. We were doing 55 miles per hour. A woman on a cell phone in a white mini-van merged into traffic. Well, she tried to merge with the front of our truck. There was no where the truck could go, too much traffic, except over her mini-van. There were children in the vehicle. I can still see the face of the girl pressed to the back window screaming.

This is only one of a large number of examples. The fact is that cell phones cause people to drive badly. It doesn't matter if screaming children or tuning a radio is a distraction as well, they have nothing to do with a cell phone. They have nothing to do with the simple fact that people who drive while talking on cell phones do not pay attention to the road nearly enough to drive safely.

Cell phones, email, all of that stuff shouldn't be in the driver's hands. Kids and dogs should be fastened to their seats. The driver's attention should be on the road, not on their phone conversation. There is no reason beyond an emergency to be on the telephone while driving down the road.

People don't have the right to talk and drive at the same time. Most people forget this simple fact: people do not have a right to drive at all. They have the privilege and that privilege is granted through the state via the expedient of drivers licenses. That privilege can be removed just as simply.

 

[wolfie69]

Professional driver's opinion

I use a wireless phone in my truck "while driving"! Now, that said let's look at the facts. When I am on the phone, I have a hands free unit. When I am on the phone I pay more attention to what is around me... BECAUSE.... I am on the phone and do not want to get distracted.

Distracted driving covers a whole wide range of things besides telephones. Things I have seen.... women doing make-up and hair, bussiness men reading books, newspapers, reports and writing or using a lap top, blow jobs, looking for something on the floor of the car and many other things.... It is a dangerous world out there on the road.

I am not defending people who use phones while driving, for most it is not a good idea. When proper precautions are taken and people pay attention to their surroundings, usingt a "hands free" device should be no problem

 

[Guest]

My .02 cents worth.

Killer Muffin, excellent post!!!

In my opinion, it is not the act of being on the phone that distracts people, it is the conversation itself. All over the world people are using headsets and mics instead of putting the phone to their ears. Does it matter if your hand is to your head or not?(other than the fact that you don't have both hands on the wheel)The conversation makes peoples minds wander. It could be someone on the other line pissing you off for some reason or another, thus creating "road rage". If the driver isn't concentrating on their surroundings at all times then eventually they will end up in an accident. Personally, as the chaffuer of a 100ft. rear mount ladder truck, everytime I get in the cab to drive, I have the rest of my companies lives in my hands. I have to look ahead and scan my surroundings every second I'm on the road. I have to almost predict what the other drivers are going to do and believe me, when you're in an emergency vehicle with lights and sirens blaring, you wouldn't be able to make up the shit people do. Oh and people......please wear your seatbelts!! It does save lives!

 

[Cibo]

I talk on the phone when driving sometimes. But I have a hands free device that I use and that works wonders.

 

[1hotjob]

I talk on the phone when driving sometimes. But I have a hands free device that I use and that works wonders.

Cibo, buddy, that's my point exactly. Whether it's hands free or not, you still lose concentration because of the conversation, not the act of having the phone to your head.

1HJ

 

[wolfie69]

a question

Do you talk to the person sitting next to you in the car, while you are driving? If so is this less distracting than using a hands free device to talk?

 

[Mischka]

Re: a question

Do you talk to the person sitting next to you in the car, while you are driving? If so is this less distracting than using a hands free device to talk?

Yes, a conversation between two people in the same vehicle is less distracting than a conversation with a disembodied voice. As has already been pointed out, the person on the other end of the phone is oblivious to your road conditions. In-car conversations stop when someone cuts you off, or there's an emergency vehicle blaring its siren behind you. A caller is unaware of these situations.