Cell phones being used in vehicles while driving. Pros. Cons.

Even with hands free thru our cell phone we don't call or recieve a call while driving. But the use of our cell phone for GPS locating various places we haven't driven to is convenient.

Still ignored by a lot of people.

It is illegal to talk or text on a handheld cellphone or similar device while driving under legislation passed by the 2011 Nevada Legislature.

As of Jan. 1, 2012, fines of up to $250 are being imposed for any driver using a handheld phone or similar device to talk, read or type.
 
Since my car is pretty much pre-high tech (2004), it has nothing I used to take for granted on it, including the screen that shows everything including maps and music.

Until I find out whether my car can be upgraded, I put my cell in a holder on the dash to use maps. The sound is up so I don't have to look at the phone. If that were forbidden by law, I'd be living in Homer, Alaska, by now. I have no real good sense of direction. Plus when I do remember how to get somewhere, it is always because I navigate by landmark. I'm lucky I know the name of the street I live on!

IMO, drivers should not do anything else with their phones while driving. I have been a passenger in a car with a normally intelligent and safety-conscious person who checked their incoming texts while driving. Nevah again!

I can see the tombstone. Here lies XYZ. Checking his texts was more important than living.
 
Mike said:
Here in the UK, to use a phone in a car, you need to
pull over and shut down the engine, even if you are
safely parked, the engine has to be off, or you will get
charged for using a phone while driving/in charge
of a vehicle.

Mike.
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I'd vote for that. I now expect to have to honk at the person ahead of me at a red-light. It seems no one is paying attention anymore. It shouldn't be my job to alert someone on their phone that the light has changed.
 
StarSong said:
Exactly the experience I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. Computer screens suck a driver's attention from the matter at hand: driving.
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I am too neurotic to pay attention to screens while driving. I have a simple point of view. I pretend all the people in cars around me are my beloved friends and relatives. That ensures that I stay focused on driving.

When I was 12, my best friend died in a car accident. Not only was that horrifying, it made me resolve to do my best never to physically hurt another person -- especially in such a way that they were seriously injured or died. I feel that way about other animals too.
 
Della said:
There is an incident of distracted driving in Ohio that looms large in our minds because the girl's father is a well known sportscaster who made it his mission to educate us. She drove into the back of a stopped truck and died because she had looked down to answer her phone. The message, from her friend was, "Hi."

Short calls can be deadly if they take your eyes off the road. Is it really necessary to tell people you'll be there in ten minutes?
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that is a text then - which are illegal to reply while driving here - the only calls allowed are voice calls from a mounted phone or using an external device - eg a hearing aid.
Exactly so nobody is looking down and away from the road to do so
You reach across and touch the button t o answer - so no different to turning on the air con or the radio.

Given they are legal and safe - yes I'm fine with answering a simple quick call to say I will be there in 10 minutes, as an example
 
My son has a cell phone holder on the dashboard of the car and the ability to put the caller on speaker while talking. He's a professional driver (18 wheeler) and trainer who is very safety conscious. In fact he's gotten J.B. Hunt's safe driver award about 9 years in a row. I've seen Uber and Lyft drivers using earbuds, which may be less safe because they may not be able to hear what's necessary, according to how loud the person is talking. Hopefully they don't listen to music that way.

I think there should be fines for holding the phone in one's hand and looking down at the screen while driving. Maybe for using earbuds while driving. I don't necessarily think there should be for using speaker phone method. But some people have the ability to focus on driving more than others, even while talking with a passenger.
 
January said:
that is a text then - which are illegal to reply while driving here - the only calls allowed are voice calls from a mounted phone or using an external device - eg a hearing aid.
Exactly so nobody is looking down and away from the road to do so
You reach across and touch the button t o answer - so no different to turning on the air con or the radio.

Given they are legal and safe - yes I'm fine with answering a simple quick call to say I will be there in 10 minutes, as an example
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Yeah my phone has that built Into texts^^^ ….as well as few others ….I've never used the feature , I can understand city dwelling people needing and using it ….when I looked up the number of fines in SA for using the phone while driving one person had been sprung 41 times ….some never learn …

More than 28,000 drivers were caught using mobile phones by SA's new cameras in the past three months, down from more than 68,000 during the trial phase.
Driver caught 41 times by SA mobile phone detection cameras, fined $27,000
Police say one driver was issued with 41 expiation notices amounting to a $27,000 penalty.
 
This is my screen. If I have any adjustments I need to make (music, sound, Google Maps) I make them before I leave home and don't touch the screen once I'm driving. I have manual buttons for A/C and volume. Those are the only ones I use while driving. If a call comes in I will see a Green Accept or Red Ignore button and have the option as to whether to click on it. I'll admit that I've never even learned what some of the icons are because I don't need them.

I can certainly see how these screens can be distracting, but if you know how to use them safely they are pretty cool.

MMI.jpg
 
Ai: Talking while driving, whether on a handheld or hands-free phone, is dangerous distracted driving, significantly impairing focus by dividing your attention, slowing reaction times, and making you miss hazards, with some studies showing it carries similar risks to driving drunk, increasing crash risk by 400% and causing significant cognitive distraction. It reduces your brain's ability to process visual cues, making it harder to see stop signs, pedestrians, or other dangers, even with hands-free devices, and laws in many places restrict or ban cell phone use while driving, especially for younger drivers.

Why talking while driving is risky
  • Cognitive distraction: Your brain struggles to multitask safely, diverting attention from the road.
  • Impaired vision: Drivers on the phone often experience "tunnel vision," failing to see up to half of their surroundings, including hazards like pedestrians or red lights.
  • Slower reactions: It delays critical eye movements and slows down your ability to recognize and react to sudden events.
  • Increased crash risk: Using a cell phone, including hands-free, increases your chance of a crash by about 400%.
 
The trouble with phone calls, anywhere, if it is
a family member or a friend, your mind suddenly
conjures up an image, in your head, of their home
where they are calling from, if they start detailing
an incident, another image pops up, the same happens
when you are driving, so you are not fully aware of
the road and other road users, even on hands free.

Mike.
 

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