The truth about driving and talking on the cell

Way to go Dawn-308170!!!!!!!! I agree with you 100%! I am tired of getting cut off by rude people paying attention to their call, and not the road!
What are these people talking about anyway???

If having both hands on the steering wheel is the point of all of these laws, then why do we allow truck drivers, who drive the most dangerous and hazardous vehicles on our roads, to use a CB radio?? If the states are going to crack down on people on their cell phones, then they should also outlaw CB radios. This really smacks of class discrimination...

I'm all for making driving safer for everyone, but what is the difference between talking on a cell phone and talking to a passenger in the car and smoking a cigarette or for that matter changing the station on the radio? You are still talking and using your hands for something other than steering the wheel. Now I do agree that people should not be texting while driving because you are taking your eyes off the road more often than anything else. If people have trouble driving while talking on a phone then that have a problem driving period! They haven't made it illegal for people to stop reading (IE. newspapers, maps, etc.) while driving. They haven't made it illegal for people to stop grooming themselves (IE. putting on makeup, shaving, etc.) while driving. The reason there are more accidents in today's society is because there are more drivers and more careless drivers on the road.

Don't blame the cell phone's as the problem, blame the careless drivers who don't pay attention while driving.

"That would be your driving. Wake up people. We are becoming a society of ignorant, rude, arrogant human beings who really don't give a crap about anybody but ourselves. It's time to wake up and take responsibility for our actions. We did without cell phones and electronic gadgets for how many years? " Wow, climb down off your soapbox now. As a women what about the ones who drive down the road putting on make-up, eating, reading or any number of other things? Should they go to jail as well? How about the parent trying to calm down a crying child by handing them something, should they go to jail?

The fact of the matter is phone or not some people are just easily distracted and bad drivers. Granted you add a phone and it gets worse. By your standards perhaps we should screen for those characteristics and make those people take the bus.

Please, someone explain to me how a 'hands-free' phone conversation is any more distracting than having a discussion with a passenger in the vehicle with you. What about those loud kids in the back seat? Are we so close to wanting government control in our entire lives? Let's get real....there are just more witless drivers on the road now than ever before. Oh, and by the way we want to protect them from us and themselves!

Doesn't anybody still beleive in personal responsibility? Survival of the fittest?

Come on Dawn - get real! Maybe mothers shouldn't be allowed to have their children in the car because the moms are usually looking in their rear view mirror to see what their children are doing or what they want. Moms usually turn around to face the children in the rear while driving - how safe is that!? There is nothing wrong with hands-free cell phones, I use one and it doesn't distract me any more than when I'm singing with my radio!!

First, let me say that I'm someone who does wish that everyone would stop using their phones while driving. I do not do my make up, eat, drink or use my phone in any form while driving.

As for not making everything political, whenever we're asking for laws on anything, safe or otherwise, it becomes a political thing. No way around that, it's ALL political because not everyone agrees. But we cannot legislate all of our troubles away. We can't keep asking for tougher laws on this, more rules on that. Sue that one for looking at me cross-eyed. People need to grow up and take responsibility for being safe. We keep asking the government for tighter leashes forgetting that eventually we're going to be tethered too.

So lets start with a look the fact that talking on the phone is not the worst of the safety hazards... I've seen someone changing his pants, yet I've heard of no law against it. Smoking, eating, drinking, or better yet that moron who's doing all of the above at the same time and nearly side-swiping the car in the next lane... I'd say they've got to be about equal to the hazards of hands-free phone use. And yet again, no laws and no ramifications until they actually cause an accident.

But here's the ultimate rub. Has anyone noticed that the study said that it was safest when "no one" was talking to the driver??? So why stop at banning cell phone? We should ban radios and CD's because the driver is listening to that rather than pay attention to the road. What about kids? They're incredibly distracting. A toddler screaming for french fries, or 2 kids fighting over "he's touching my side" is way too distracting for the driver. Actually, just hearing about their day takes the driver's mind off the road. Oh, and don't forget adult passengers either! They talk to the driver and expect a reply, so the driver is essentially having a "hands-free" conversation with the passenger... that's just like using a hands-free cell. In the end, let's just ban driving... it's really the only safe alternative.

Let's get a grip people.

Yep, and you shouldn't talk to your passengers either. Shouldn't tell your kids to be quiet in the back. Shouldn 't ask the co-pilot in the passenger seat if the next exit is the one the map says to take.

Heck, just forget about those nasty nuisances - GPS devices - they make too much noise. Oh, and don't forget to remove the radio from the cars and trucks too. No weather scanners either - no matter that you are going to drive into a tornado...just wing it - no talking or noise in the cars - you may be too stupid to handle it.

Grow up people. Next thing you know our 'Nanny state' is going to want to tell us when to go to bed and put monitors on your toothbrush to make sure you brush before bed. Don't forget, if you don't brush you will just cost us more for dental care with National Healthcare!!!

People like this need to get a life. I think we have more important things on the agenda.

Should we be talking on the phone while we're driving? No. But until we outlaw looking at a map while driving, or for that matter eating while we're driving, or drinking water or soda while we're driving, then we can't really justify eliminating the use of hands-free devices. There are a million things distracting things drivers do while actually driving so that they can avoid pulling over. Where do we draw the line? The best we can do is put limits on the types of actions we can be performing while driving. We can't outlaw everything, so compromises have to be made. Going hands-free is a fair compromise.

I'm not that worried about those talking on the cellphone. People who don't pay attention don't pay attention, and no law is going to change them. Where the real problem lies is when people driving are reading, writing notes, looking at a map, shaving, putting on make-up, or, the absolute worst, text messaging. I see people daily holding their phones on the wheel or in the air sending texts. It's idiotic, and dangerous. Of course here in California, where the hands-free law takes effect on July 1, there is NO prohibition against texting while driving. If it causes an accident, the texter will surely be liable, but man could the CHP have written tickets for texts.

Try flying some time, as a pilot! The problem is not whether someone is talking on a hands-free device, it's who we let drive in the first place. In England, it takes 40 hours of driving instruction before someone can get a license. People can be banned (have the license suspended) for much lessor offenses, or go to classes. The tolerance for speeding over there is zero miles per hour over, none. Most places here, you can be well over 11mph over the limit before you even worry about a ticket. People with little sight and hearing are allowed to drive, as well as people with little to no driving experience. If we ban hands-free devices, we'd better ban radios, drinks, cigarettes, and any discussion with passengers. Also GPS devices and cars without heads-up displays - you might look away from the road for a second! Instead, require that people know how to drive and continue to practice safe driving habits. You should need more than a face to get a drivers' license!

I totally agree with you, Dawn! I can't count how many times I've almost been run off the road by someone talking on a cell phone (whether the actual device or hands free!). Let's keep in mind that the average person cannot MULTI-TASK like a pro...let alone do it while driving! My state (Washington) is one of the two implementing the new law. And yes, it needs to include hands-free talkers. If a call is that important, pull off the road until you are done. I, for one, do not wish to become one of the countless victims of such a selfish act. To me, it is like someone that thinks they are okay to drink and drive. That is my classification of the topic.

Hello,

So putting on on Make-up, or eating a candy bar or looking at the navigation screen, or heaching for a cup of coffee or a drink of water, or even yelling at the kids in the back seat, isn't in the same area of a diversion from driving as using a cell Phone?

Just think, pretty soon you won't be able to take a breath without an OK from the authorities.

These people are a joke, and people like you do not even know where this is coming from do you?

Do you believe that you should HAVE to wear a seat belt, and can be stopped and you are BREAKING a LAW by not using one? You think that this is right?

And it's OK to ride a motorcycle without a Helmet?

I believe in wearing a seat belt, and a helmet when riding, but I need no law or Government to force me to do so and it is a scam and a sham when they pass laws about seat belts. It is none of their business if I do or I don't,,,of course at least not to me. Who would possibly care about this issue, and what is the motovation? Do you think that they really care about you and me? Ha.

Then they have TV commercials that state, "Police are CRACKING Down on people who don't use their seat belt." We will be looking for you and you WILL Get caught!"

Since WHEN is not wearing a seat belt such a hidious CRIME? It is if you are an insurance company. Who do you think pays for these commercials and would you believe a kick back to Local and state police for every ticket written? Don't be stupid. Have you ever seen an actual VOTE on this issue to the people affected?

All of these RULES, seat-belt, Cell phone, manditory Insurance, law after law after law, comes from: Da Daaa,,,The Insurance Lobby. Who do you think is behind Click-it or Ticket?

If you really knew what Corporations and Government are working together against you on,,,fascist state, you remember Nazi Germany don't you, in other words,,you would not be making ignorant statements like the one you made in this forum. Plus once again, you and the rest of Americans who just let the Government dictate what you can and cannot do, then make up a BS reason for it, wake up.

Stop Government from medling into everything we do. They already can spy on us without a Warrant. What's next?

And stop complaining about gas prices. We are par of the problem. 100 pound women driving 5,000 trucks to work, SUV's etc, ect

Wake up. people in Europe and Asia really do appear to be smarter than we are.

You can see it in the way Americans handle themselves, Rude and Crude.

Bruce

Very well put Dawn! I had a woman drinking coffee AND talking on a cell phone rear end me on my way to work. All it takes is one time to be distracted to cause a deadly accident. Is it really worth it?

I will be talking in my car. Whether it is to a passenger or singing along to the radio or to a wireless device it makes no difference. They should ban using a Kleenex in the car too. Just let the boogers fly everywhere.

I'm so happy for the cell phone ban in California!!!!!!! I sold my Ford Explored and drive around on a Vespa now. People on cell phones scare and have allmost killed me many times. And when you combine the lady putting on make-up and talking on the phone while switching lanes, you get the picture.

If you have a screaming baby in the back of your car, PULL OVER!!!! I'm sorry lazy mothers if you cant take an extra minute to pull over and would rather reach back and not see what you're doing you're going to get you and your screaming baby killed. Bring a friend on trips or use the Voice over on your GPS-yes they can talk to you "turn left at next street" you don't hold your radio to your head while driving so you can't use that one, you can hold onto a cig and still grasp the wheel so that one isn't going to work either.

Be careful in California, I've installed a Camera on my bike and have sold 50 others that take clear pictures of License Plates and most of the time perfect shots of the person on the phone, I will be sending those to the Police and they have informed me that they will enforce and Ticket all pictures taken.

Have fun, Hope to see you talking on the road. :)

Thank-you very much I agree with what you said the penalty such be very harsh. All of a sudden eveyone wants to act as they have to be on the phone while driving give it a break already. I believe hands free is just as bad, because you are still concentrating on the conversation and not trhe road so I hope they do band all of it. when i am driving i do not answer until i can get to a place where i can call them back. I just wanted you to know that I appreciated your input on the question at hand so THANK-YOU very much.

What are they going to do next ban talk period? Why not a $200 fine for talking to the person in the passenger seat.

You should all listen to CIGARO

We should all take are cell phones and give them to the Iraq militants so they can crash and die and we won't have to worry about them any more. Just a thought.

How about the truck drivers ,they have been talking on cb's for years.Should we ban that? How about dispatch for policeman,should we ban that?They're not above the law.Lets stop blaming cell phones for our bad drivers,rock music for our problem teens,and start blaming corporate/government greed for the gas prices.

Dawn,
You sound like an idiot! Your premise for penalizing drivers using communications devices makes no sense and will never stand up to logical scrutiny.
I find women drivers fooling with their hair and carrying on conversations with passengers while gesturing wildly, more frightening than people talking on cell phones.
Some people CAN multitask. Some can't chew gum and blink at the same time. You need to get a grip on reality and back off your tendency to throw the baby out with the bath water.

whats next sing to the music or having music in the car to begin with or how about making it illegal to talk to your passengers use commom sense. each Law that passes strips we the people of one more right. where does it end?

So you are saying that eveytime my kids are crying I should pull over? Are you mad? If I did that I would be sitting on the side of the road for hours. Pulling over does not make a crying baby stop crying. All it does is put me in a dangerous situation because I'm parked on the side of a busy freeway with all my kids in the car. It has nothing to do with being lazy, it has to do with common sense.

I will also say that talking on the phone is less distracting than eating, or trying to find your way while lost. And when I'm in the car with my husband my conversations with him are no less distracting than if I were talking to him on the phone. When he's driving I don't watch the road, I look at him. I don't believe that conversations on a phone while using hands-free devices are any more distracting than thinking to yourself while driving. You can just as easily get lost in thought as you can get lost in a conversation.

talking on a cell phone is more than multitasking. Multitasking is usually one job at a time. On the Cell you call this mutitasking and it is not. One devise for mutipple tasks. Multitasking is usually one device with one job. Your incorrect. Your not thinking rational and just blowing steam.

It's easy enough to see the impact of this without the sarcasm. There is a HUGE difference between driving with a phone held up to your ear and a hands free set (which in fact is like talking to someone in the car). I live in Florida and it is amazing to me that the ban does not exist here. While speaking with a handset held by a hand to your ear, you lose peripheral vision, depth perception on side with phone, the ability to quickly turn your head in the direction the phone is in and the necessary reflex time. In essence you are blind to that side. PLEASE CONTACT your legislators to make this requirement law.

In reply to driving handsfree and the fines imposed. Are we to say that car pooling is eligal because just as we speak to someone in the same vehicle with us we talk on the cell phone hands free. and with passengers we tend to look at the person who speaks just because of the human nature in us. We are to look at the job at hand is right but lets be practical police,fire figthers and other emergengy worker all drive at verry high speeds and talk on the rado set all in the saake of doing there job and if someone have to spend jail time for talking hands free and driving then all should get jail time while driving and talking cell phone or no cell phone. and im a fire figther.

Sure, Ill run with there idea that cell phone holding is a distraction, but trying to say that conversation itself is the distraction is the result of someone not being educated by any means.

If you can say that conversation is the distraction then you must remove any passengers from the vehicle as well and if not remove them then duct tape there mouths shut, the radio, anything shiny, planes cannot fly with messages nor can blimps be allowed to fly over head. Shut down air ports that fly over highways like DFW. No eating in the car, no doing make up like women tend to do alot of. Women cannot be beautiful in other vehicles as this may cause a distraction for men and lesbians and visa versa. No news paper or anything reading material.

In fact, how about this government and all of its retards in office vote that we put head harnesses in cars that force the driver of a vehicle to only look straight and eyes can only look left right and up at the rear view.

I am certain that with all of these counter measures taken we will have safe roads by next year if action is taken now.

Sincerely,

Our elected officials and citizens have way to much @!$%#ing time on there hands and need to start fighting real issues not bull@!$%# like this and people need to wake up and have some common @!$%#ing sense about life and stop letting people decide for them like a parent to there child what is right and wrong. Distractions are an every day part of life real focus and discipline is from within and cannot be altered by something like a @!$%#ing hand held device or ear device or anything listed above. Drunk Driving is Jail time NOT CELL PHONES

That is all.

I must say, I have had some close calls while driving, but with a Whopper from Burger King in my hand..Not my cell phone. Lets look at the problem, people driving not paying attention!
Cell phones don't kill people, bad drivers kill people!

The problem with cell phone driving with many people is like chewing gum and walking at the same time, your easily distracted. Especially in South Florida where I drive. Don't get me wrong I don't think talking on a cell phone without a hands free device should be legal, there are enough idiots on the road without using a cell phone. I drive for a living and the cell phone is our communication tool and we use a hands free devise and it is much less distracting, as brought up in other comments it's really no differant than talking to a passanger in the same vehicle. How many of you eat while your driving, what's worse? The cell phone ban without a hands free device is long overdue, I see first hand every day what people drive like with a cell phone glued to there ear.

Are you kidding me?! This law had to be proposed by a Democrat. I would bet my paycheck. Only a Democrat thinks that you can solve problems by aggressively attacking the symptoms instead of the actual root of the problem and thereby making a bunch of laws. Other's have pointed out that there is no difference between talking to a passenger in the car and talking on a hands-free cell phone device.

I'm going to put my Democrat hat on and list some laws to make driving safer:
1. No talking (on the phone or to anyone in the vehicle)
2. No singing
3. No listening radios or other audio devices
4. No looking behind you to check on your kids (autmatic license suspension)
5. No drinking
6. No eating
7. No chewing gum
8. No smoking
9. No looking at the scenery to the side of the vehicle 10. No sneezing (pull over to the shoulder and put out safety flares before sneezing)
11. No coughing (pull over to the shoulder and put out safety flares before coughing)
12. Need I say No putting on make-up or no shaving?
13. No reading anything but a road sign (pull over if you are a slow reader - and don't forget your safety flares)
14. No adjusting your seat
15. No scratching any itches (you know the routine, pull over)
16. No adjusting of any vehicle settings (mirrors included - pull over)
17. No blinking too long
18. No removing of either of your hands from the wheel unless it is to signal or change gears
19. No THINKING about anything other than driving so as not to destract (I propose that the government funds scientific research to develop a think monitor so that we can make sure people aren't thinking about things when they are driving)

If everyone follows these 19 simple rules, the world will be a safer place. Please contact me for other tips for safer living such as how never get hurt physically or emotional. I'll give a secret preview... (Sit at home in a dark room with padding and don't go outside, have your meals sanitized and don't move too quickly. Basically, if nobody did anything then we will all be safe) Enjoy your life! :-)

Signed,
Logical

Well said, Dawn.
I think the problem is that there are too many people out there who cannot handle talking on their cell phones while they are driving. Haven't you seen them? They're the ones who look like they are sitting on their couch at home talking on the phone. They are either swerving in their lane or going 35 mph in a 55 mph zone. When I see someone driving like a bonehead, I assume that they are talking on the phone. Most of the time, I am right. Some people get too involved in their phone conversations and it distracts them from driving. I do not believe that changing the radio station or talking to someone in the car would constitute the same problem, unless a person cannot do that and still focus on their driving. Hands-free or not, some people just can't handle it, so it should be illegal.

I personaly have tried both options with and without hands free. I never believed there was a difference until I went hands free. There is a difference you tend to concentrate on the call more and holding the phone when not hands free. I noticed when hands free it was like listening to the radio or someone in the vehicle. I tend to pay more attention to the road and actually have to have the person repeat what they said because of this. I do feel that teens under 21 should have a all out ban on use while driving.

Please! Those people putting on their make-up and shaving are a lot worst! They not only use their hands but have to look in the mirror also......... If they are going to outlaw cell phone use then everything should be outlawed.

I think there should be a law against eating cheseburgers while you drive also

Wow do you work for the insurance industry that will profit tremendously for this? Or maybe you work for a cell phone company that will profit from this or is it an automaker? How bout you do your research and realize that this legislation has been lobbied for for many years now in my very own Washington state with millions of dollars by none other than Prudential insurance. In fact The Washington State Patrol stated just yesterday on every local Seattle TV 5 p.m. news that less than 1% of accidents are caused by cell phone usage. Did you know that more than 5% are caused by eating according to that very same insurance company lobbying for this bill? I guess its not morally ok or politically correct to tell people to stop eating; or driving gas guzzling war promoting SUV's and mini vans that are so big they can't see how many other vehicles they force out of the other lane when they carelessly change lanes. Or I guess its not ok to tell people to stop irresponsibly pooping out children and stuffing them into their cars distracting them from driving and causing accidents.

I live 15 miles south of Seattle and often commute on 3 different freeways from my home to Seattle and back TWICE a day 3-4 x's a week. I witness Washington State Patrol officers using both hands to enter text into their blackberries while driving 60 mph on I 5 daily. Who is gonna police that? And don't get me started on them using both hands to enter information into their official computers while driving.

Do you not want your Doctor answering an emergency call about your healthcare so that an insurance company can make a profit?

Every insurance company makes millions from this legislation. They can then tack on "points" to your driving record for every "secondary offense" you earn on any ticket you receive and force you to pay increased premiums for 3 years after each offense. Every cell phone company will have increased sales of headsets or completely new phones to people that don't have headset capable phones. The auto manufacturer's are pressing selling the bluetooth package with every new car they try to sell you now.

It's about money people!

I hope for every commie socialist person that wants this legislation you realize that there is a responsible person out there who hasn't had a ticket in years and talks for miles every day while driving and talking on their cell phone like myself. I hope someone takes some freedom you love away in order to not change anything and profit some company that paid millions to get a piece of legislation enacted into law. I hope you wake up and realize that there is already a law in all 50 states called inattentive driving that these 1% of accidents could already be ticketed with and thats a primary offense and is a much larger fine.

America Land of the Free? They should rename it land of the irresponsible overlegislated big government.

Sincerely,

Tim Miller Kent WA

This point only has merit if there has been some study comparing talking on your phone to talking to a passenger. If it weren't for the split second hitting the send button, dialing, etc. there really is no difference. Talking while driving is distracting period. I personally don't think that hands-free makes much difference because it's replying to emails that really has me in a dangerous position. Do they have hands-free email? That device might save some lives.

Hands-free devices can't be any more distracting than having a conversation with your passenger while driving. Your hands are free to do the job they need to do, you're talking to someone that you can't even LOOK at (think about it... it's probably LESS distracting than conversing with a passenger). Just because some people are distracted drivers in general doesn't mean it's as a result of the hands-free cellphone. Now handheld, that's another story....

Hands free makes a big difference. I need 2 hands to drive safely. Banning blue tooth\Hands free is tantamount to making it ILLEGAL to drive while drinking some water or picking your nose. Perhaps taking a deep breath while driving should be made illegal. Perhaps talking altogether should be owlawed. Imagine all the arguments that would be avoided. Next thing you know farting will be outlawed in elevators. Excessive speed is more dangerous and we are not giving out enough tickets to younger drivers who speed.

I suppose you NEVER do anything else while your driving? People get distracted all the time while driving, and do other things while they drive. If you have kids in the car, If your drinking something while your driving, If your a smoker. Have you NEVER taken a drink while you were driving? Talking handsfree is no different than talking with a passenger sitting right next to you.

Any one moving their mouth while Driving go directly to Jail....Come on people. Handsfree I can see but no talking sounds like somethng from the Catholic School I went to in the Elementary years.....People need to take responsibility for their actions...bad drivers should get punished..agreed! But where do we stop next...no XM radio either because it will casue you to sing more? Where do you draw the line?

OK, if you don't think that people should have any kind of cell phone conversations, including hands free, then why should you be able to carry on a conversation with anyone in your car while you are driving?

You cannot regulate distracted driving. Talking on the cell (handsfree or not) is just one of many distractions available to us while driving, no different from talking to a passenger drinking your coffee or picking up the pacifier for your child who dropped it in the backseat. What's next, isolate the drivers compartment from the rest of the car? If a driver causes an accident (distracted or not) then they should be held accountable but to criminalize an activity because it COULD be distracting is going to far. Should we next outlaw car radio's? People might sing along to the music!!! We need to take some personal responsibility. If you can talk on the phone and still drive safely, great. If you cannot concentrate on both, either pull over or don't take the call.....
Just my opinion.

I think we have come to an age where people can multi-task and organize better than any other age. that being said, I do think that hands free is dangerous. Certainly not as dangerous as all our past mobile communication efforts. Do I think it should be illegal? Not at all! if we want to target an area that has been over-looked far to long, let's look mat drive-thru restaurants. for years I have watched people get fatter due to the ridiculous conviencance of drive-thrus. Let's look past health, and target the great mass of people that eat with both hands, dig thru the bag for lost fries, and let's not forget the world trash can that was created by throwing bags and cups out the window. Talk about that on your hands free!

Good Grief - and will we be arrested for talking to our passenger next? I think I am more concerned about road rage with guns than I am about cell phones....
Yes, our society has become rude and self-centered; hmmmmm who raised those kids anyway??

I know for a fact that many drivers cannot maintain complete control of their vehicles while talking to passengers. My daughter was recently rear-ended by such a person. While there is no way to regulate this sort of inattention, aside from reminding all drivers that they are required by law to be in complete control of their vehicle, we certainly can regulate cell phones. They should not be permitted while driving - hands free or otherwise.

I agree cell phones being used while driving should be banned. Hands free devices are fine for those that are business persons traveling, or to get directions, (note I do pull over to get my directions) but for personal gossiping etc no. I have kids and their safety is more important than some jerks fake social life.

You know that pilots fly airplanes talk on radios all the time. Hey, they have hundreds of lives in their hands as well as a microphone button. They manage to get it together and multi task because they are trained to do that. I'm not talking about just airline pilots but private pilots as well.

Hands free is okay. The bigger issue to me is they lack of training that goes with operating a cel phone in a vehicle. If you use one while driving you are responsible for continuing to drive safely and accountable for your conduct. Drivers have been in accidents changing CD's (my son wrecked my car doing that stunt). However, I have seen no movement to outlaw CD players in cars.

Texting should be illegal - period. Using any device that constitutes a distraction while driving should be illegal. However, the reality is that passengers talk to drivers and drivers talk to passengers all the time - no hands involved. The cel phone is a new cultural addition and we need to manage it correctly and safely. Make cel phone use and etiquette part of driver education.

I have to wonder if all the people who are against cell phones while driving, actually own a cell phone or is it jealousy talking? I do not talk while driving, however I have occassionally had to answer an important call from one of my children. TALKING on the cell phone is no more distracting than talking to someone sitting beside you, unless you are trying to smoke or put on your makeup at the same time. TEXTING or PLAYING GAMES while driving are a lot more dangerous as you have to take your eyes off the road. If your argument is that now both hands are not on the wheel, then put your Big Mac down, forget your cola or coffee, put the map away, which by the way is more distracting than just talking. I have to wonder what is next? Arrest me because you see my mouth moving as I talk to my kids in the back seat?

If that is the logic being used to justify this case then conversation with another individual in a car is just as distracting. So, on that logic passengers should also be banned, radios, gps devices, makeup, pets, children, etc. When will this stop, saving one life, give me a break, if you care about saving lives go to your local shelter and help a drug addict turn their life around and stop bothering mine and everyone elses!

I'm against cell phones while driving and my only phone is a cell phone. Look, there have been many tests / studies done: If you are holding a conversation with someone in the car you can mentally "put them on hold" when you need to pay attention to something on the road; you can't do that when you are talking on the phone. Studies have shown that having even a hands free conversation affects your driving the same as being legally drunk.

There is no need for this childish, selfish behavior; if you need to talk pull over and talk; otherwise just let it go to voice mail and answer it later.

BTW; the worse I have ever seen is this woman passing me at least 10mph over the speed limit with a cell phone held to her head in the left hand; a PDA in her right - I think she was steering with her legs - in a big 4 door super duty truck with 4 rear wheels (duallies).

This may sound nice, but if it is distracting to talk to someone on the phone whether it is hands free or not, wouldn't it be just as distracting to talk to someone in the car? Should we then make it illegal to drive with other people in the car since you could be talking to them and be distracted? As drivers we each have a huge responsibility, seems like we are often forgetting that. Instead of trying to ban everything, maybe we should should just start holding people responsible for their actions!

Ever driven with a crying baby in the back of the car? Or worse, more than one crying baby in the back seat? Holding a cell phone has nothing on that situation for level of distraction. If they're going to outlaw using the phone while driving, they better make any passengers at all illegal as well. Especially children.

I'm getting sick of the nanny state. Let's try this: if you cause an accident due to negligence of ANY kind, how about you get prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law?

I THINK THEY SHOULD MAKE THE DRIVING TEST ALOT HARDER LIKE GERMANY!!!!!!!! THEY MAKE ALL THESE RULES TO STOP AND PULL YOU OVER TO GIVE A SUMMONS AND MAKE MONEY AND TRHEY TELL YOU ITS FOR YOUR WELL BEING THEY DOINT CARE ABOUT YOU. I CANT BELEIVE THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE A LICENSE.!!!!!!!!!!! PEOPLE IN USA DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DRIVE ......... END OF STORY....

It is not the hands free device that is the problem - it's the driver. I see plenty of terrible driving from people without the hands free device. Usually, its the person who is trying to have a long conversation on the cell, drive with one hand, listen to the radio and read a map all at the same time.

I like my hands free. With a touch I can answer the phone. I let the person know that I am driving, keep the conversation short and if it needs my full attention to please let me pull over and I will call them back.

The problem are the people who feel a need to be connected at all times. Not neccessary, it is a helpful device to get a short message from one person to another. Ie., I'm running late, I'll be there shortly, can you stop at the store and pick up such and such.

Personally, having the State tell me how to live my life is a bit much. BTW, I have been driving for over 20 years and I have never hit anyone, though I have been run into by others. Strangely enough they were not talking on a cell. Most times it was aggressive driving and / or showing off.

Dawn, you're absolutely right. Wake up people. Get off the d. phone before you kill someone. Off the phone, be considerate of others. Please.

So if talking on a hands free is to distracting then you shouldn't talk to your passengers either? This is the logical extreme of the whole cell phone argument. Where does it end?

OMG! there are worst issues then driving and talking. How about the kids who drive 100 mph only to belong to the Centry Club. How about playing chicken. How about the blind guy who was driving by commands from the back seat. How about the 12 year old kid who drove to the store because he didn't want to walk a mile. The list is a million miles long. Where does it end? Get out of my life and let me drive!

You're serious, aren't you!??!!??!! Next you'll say that all speaking to or by the driver needs to stop. Sound-proof dividers will be mandatory around all driver's seats unless everyone uses duct tape on their mouths. No radio unless it's only instrumental and soft. Rap needs to be just banned altogether. OK, I'll give you that one! Consider this - Some people shouldn't be allowed to do certain things for obvious reasons. How about a mandatory all-purpose safety class? The more sections you can pass, the more things you're allowed to do. The weakest ones get what they deserve - nothing. The strongest - cell phone, drivers' license, gun permit, motorcycle license, marriage license, etc. Think how safe we'd all be with stupid people basically banned from all the priveleges the rest of us EARN!

The reason talking on a cell phone is different from all the other distracting things you can do while driving is that it is a different neurological function. Talking on the cell phone involves both receptive and expressive language function, the most complex processing our brain does. Talking on a phone (compared to conversing with a passenger) focuses your auditory attention and filters out other stimuli in your environment, such as a red light ahead of you. If your conversation is no more interesting than, say, adjusting the radio, then you would have a pretty dim social life. Talking on the phone is neurologically different, just as watching a baseball game is very different than playing in the game. Conversing on a cell phone takes over a much greater amount of your brain's processing compared to other more passive activities. So, it is not surprising that cell phone use causes more accidents than listening to the radio. And for those who object to making cell phone use illegal, why not argue that we should be allowed to choose for ourselves whether or not to stop at a red light?

What about having a conversation with someone who is in the car with you?? Or turning around to yell at your kids in the backseat? Are we going to ban passengers now? This is just ridiculous.

Dawn says;

I think driving while talking on your cell phone or hands free device should be illegal altogether

Insane.

Problem with ppl like you Dawn is you want to regulate every aspect of living. Logical in Texas (#1.46) did a good job of listing other distractions that should be illegal. How many of those are you guilty of?

people are idiots. they think there conversations are more important than paying attention to the road.where i live about 1/3 of drivers on thier cell phones with phone up at their ears and the police just ignore it.

Please...I'm a professional driver. Over 2.6 million miles. Holding a phone and trying to drive?...very dangerous, distracting, ect. But hands free is no more problematic than speaking to a passenger. Less so actually, because your eyes never leave the road when you are on the phone. And you have to continually monitor your situation, the conversation ends at the slightest hint of a situation. When radios were introduced to automobiles years ago, the same concerns were voiced. People adapt. Professionals have been talking on radios and driving for years, yet we manage to do a pretty good job of being safe out there.

Please! The law is just plain idiotic. You're going to limit people from talking on a phone but not limit people texting, reading, putting on makeup, shaving, eating, etc, etc? it's quite stupid. Some people are very considerate about talking on the phone, and sometimes they only answer while driving during emergency situations. Basically the law is trying to protect people from being idiots. Such as the coffee cups now have to warn people that contents may be hot, that cigarettes may kill you, to use cross walks instead of jay walking. If people in general were not such idiots then we wouldn't feel the need to support stupid laws like this one.

I drive in the cities and the suburbs everyday. I put on an average of 200 miles. I am not an authourity, but I have seen enough to draw a pretty good conclusion on cell phone use. For all of those saying explain to me why...
You have a passenger you are talking to - she can see you veer off into the other lane. He can say, Christ! You just cut that guy off and you didn't even know it! Throw text messaging in there and now you're not even watching.
The point is the popularity is with the cell phone. Putting on make-up, shaving is stupid enough. Most people don't do it. Many people talk on
the cell - constantly! Almost every idiot that affects the rest of the traffic
is not paying attention. Most of them are on the cell.

The SOONER that this country passes laws to keep people from using their F-N cell phones, the better off we will be. Got a call to make, pull over and make it. Got a call coming in, either pull over and SEARCH for it AFTERWARDS and return the call or LEAVE IT BE! Nothing pisses me off more than these people be CONTROLLED by the phone. When it rings, these people's brains go on vacation. I've seen people swerve across 3 lanes of traffic while looking for a ringing phone that slipped under the seat. People who get calls while driving, more often than not, stare straight ahead and usually drop their speed by 10mph or more (Which could be safer, but the DIS-Courteous A-holes are in the Hi-speed lanes and screwing up the flow of traffic). The worst part is, they don't give a RATS-A$$!

On top of ALL this, they don't use directionals when they have a cell phone in their hand either AND use the road as a GO-KART track. Using signals is a fundamental of driving and YOU ALL were tested on this before you could get a license! Yet it is the first thing that we are ALLOWED to forget (until the Police have a quota to fill and conveniently remember again). God forbid a bulb has blown when you get a vehicle inspected "That has to work", but ALAS, you don't have to use them! They're just for show right?!

IGNORANCE is NOT BLISS people!

Wake the F up and care for your fellow ! That is the only way that this Country will turn around! Lose the selfishness and gain some courtesy and respect for others!

Regardless of all these other arguments, the fact is this ISSUE is a bad one! In CT, they don't allow for many distractions at all, not eating or drinking coffee OR cell phone usage. PERIOD! $110 ticket for the phone alone in CT! I LUV THAT! If it were up to me, I would also give ANYONE throwing a cigarette butt out the window, the same ticket as for dumping a pile of trash! Whatever the fine is (I've seen many diff. ones from $75 to $500), these Litter Bugs/Fire Starters will think twice about flicking a BUTT, when they have a $500 to contend with. Just sick of having these DISGUSTING things bounce off my windshield OR my arm while driving down the Highway.

Please, someone explain to me how a 'hands-free' phone conversation is any more distracting than having a discussion with a passenger in the vehicle with you. What about those loud kids in the back seat?

With actual people in the car, communication is easier and shorter, it requires less attention. There's more information available and it's easier process.

In person, you can read body language, you can hear nuance in voice better, etc. Those things make a huge difference in the amount of concentration it takes to communicate.

Whereas on the phone, one has to strain a good amount more to understand what's being communicated in the absence of other cues.

Consider how difficult it is to detect sarcasm, or any emotion while reading stuff here or via email, it's the same basic principle.

I've seen a few posts here asking how driving while using a cell phone can be dangerous? I mean, what makes usage of a phone a special danger outweighing changing a CD, talking to a passenger, etc.

Well, I don't know for sure.

But here's something for you to consider, and it happens all the time. In 2006, a 16-year-old girl from Lakewood, Washington pulled out from a parking lot into traffic while on the cell phone. The trucker later told police the girl made eye contact with him, but never reacted, not even batting an eye...right up to the moment his 16-wheeler slammed into the side of her car, killing her instantly. He never even had a chance to stop. She pulled right out in front of him, in apparent la-la land. This could be YOUR daughter, or son.

I have a job that requires me to do a lot of local driving. Dealing with people on the road who are on their phones is a lot like dealing with the mentally challenged. You just give them their space and watch out, hoping not to become involved in their world, which could be an accident at the next intersection.

I've had them cross over the center line on me several times, and they were only aware they almost killed both of us when I honked the horn.

Last year, I saw a lady on a cell phone turn right in front of a guy who was making a legal turn. Her van was totaled, but she was unhurt. The other driver only got angry when he got out of his car and walked up to her to exchange information...and she was still on the phone.

Get off your stupid phone and drive your car, folks. That's two tons of steel flying down the road with you at the controls. Pay attention.

After 35 years of marriage we still talk.
What is the difference between us talking and talking on the phone.
Mind you, I still pull over to talk on the cell phone.
There is a limit to understanding.
The limit is being crossed.

Human Factors testing is showing that the difference is mind-set. We end up with many people who become telephone talkers who are also driving a car instead of being a driver who is also talking on the phone. Other tasks mentioned; eating, singing, changing a radio station, etc. are usually short term diversions and take less attention. When the main focus becomes the phone conversation (or any other of the things mentioned), the driving becomes the diversion and safety is compromised. Many people can successfully and safely talk on a phone, CB, police radio, even other passengers, as long as the driving task is the focus and the conversation (or other task) is secondary.