NTSB recommends full ban on use of cell phones while driving ‎

[BridgeTroll]

I urge you to watch this... It is called "The Last Text."   

http://www.youtube.com/v/DebhWD6ljZs

Thanks, BT!

Your welcome... unfortunately most do not see this as a problem... when it appears to be a bigger problem than DUI...

[strider]

Ars Technica notes that even the board’s own (disputable) statistics link the hazards of “conversation with passengers” to more than twice as many fatal accidents as the hazards of device use â€" and no one has yet proposed banning passenger conversations with the driver. (Don’t give Washington ideas, though.) Among devices, the sort of touch-screen car entertainment systems that you can fiddle with for ten seconds at a stretch â€" which are apparently okay with NTSB â€" would seem to pose considerably more distraction than one-button phone-answering. And speaking of statistics, the Federal Highway Administration website reports the lowest per-mile auto fatality rate ever, and the lowest in absolute numbers since the year 1950 â€" even though, to quote the NTSB itself, device use has seen “exponential growth” in the past few years.
Something doesn’t add up here. Commercial drivers, since the early-1980s CB radio craze and long before, have been using mobile communications for purposes other than emergencies and driving assistance, and their safety record is not notably atrocious. Hang up on this bad idea now, please.

I have read results of independent tess - I think even Fifth Gear did one  - comparing drunk driving, talking to a passenger, talking on the phone and texting.  In every case I have seen so far, texting is as bad as drunk driving.  Talking on the cell phone is no worse than talking to a person sitting next to you, certainly true if hand free.

As far as driving with one hand, as far as I can tell, people have been doing than for generations. Remember those knobs on the steering wheels? When I lived in DC,  rush hour on the Beltway was 70 plus, bumper to bumper and people were reading books while doing it. Heck, they may have been doing it too! And yes, perhaps more dangerous is the lost person looking at the Tom Tom that isn't cooperating.

This does seem like someone decided to find a new cause or perhaps they have stock in the company about to announcer it's great new retrofit "just like factory installed" phone system for a mere $ 500.00.  Plus installation.  Because we all know no one is going to really give up those phones.

[BridgeTroll]

Ars Technica notes that even the board’s own (disputable) statistics link the hazards of “conversation with passengers” to more than twice as many fatal accidents as the hazards of device use — and no one has yet proposed banning passenger conversations with the driver. (Don’t give Washington ideas, though.) Among devices, the sort of touch-screen car entertainment systems that you can fiddle with for ten seconds at a stretch — which are apparently okay with NTSB — would seem to pose considerably more distraction than one-button phone-answering. And speaking of statistics, the Federal Highway Administration website reports the lowest per-mile auto fatality rate ever, and the lowest in absolute numbers since the year 1950 — even though, to quote the NTSB itself, device use has seen “exponential growth” in the past few years.
Something doesn’t add up here. Commercial drivers, since the early-1980s CB radio craze and long before, have been using mobile communications for purposes other than emergencies and driving assistance, and their safety record is not notably atrocious. Hang up on this bad idea now, please.

I have read results of independent tess - I think even Fifth Gear did one  - comparing drunk driving, talking to a passenger, talking on the phone and texting.  In every case I have seen so far, texting is as bad as drunk driving.  Talking on the cell phone is no worse than talking to a person sitting next to you, certainly true if hand free.

As far as driving with one hand, as far as I can tell, people have been doing than for generations. Remember those knobs on the steering wheels? When I lived in DC,  rush hour on the Beltway was 70 plus, bumper to bumper and people were reading books while doing it. Heck, they may have been doing it too! And yes, perhaps more dangerous is the lost person looking at the Tom Tom that isn't cooperating.

This does seem like someone decided to find a new cause or perhaps they have stock in the company about to announcer it's great new retrofit "just like factory installed" phone system for a mere $ 500.00.  Plus installation.  Because we all know no one is going to really give up those phones.

I know of 3000+ who did...

[civil42806]

The reality...

Some 3,092 roadway fatalities last year involved distracted drivers

Notice the weasel word "distracted driver"  what does that mean? it can be anything from kids in the car, eating, reading, and using a cell phone or texting.  Apparently out of the 3092 fatalities 900 or so were from texting.  Would be interesting to see the total break down.  But even 3092 fatalities out of a population of 300,000,000 makes it difficult to declare a crisis.  While each death is a tragedy hard to figure out how legislation will affect it much.  I suspect this law will be like the seat belt law rarely enforced except on special days like the announced "click it or ticket".  Suspect it will be applied when stopped for other reasons. 

[KenFSU]

Literally just came within 6 inches of a head-on collision with a "distracted driver" on their cell phone who drifted into oncoming traffic on a two-lane, undivided roadway. I u-turned and followed her for two minutes with my horn depressed. This served no practical purpose, but it made me a little less angry.

[BridgeTroll]

Literally just came within 6 inches of a head-on collision with a "distracted driver" on their cell phone who drifted into oncoming traffic on a two-lane, undivided roadway. I u-turned and followed her for two minutes with my horn depressed. This served no practical purpose, but it made me a little less angry.

It happens every day... not just drifting into oncoming traffic but drifting into your lane... or the bike lane... or clipping a pedestrian... or running off the road... or simply missing the light turning green.  Comparing eating, drinking and talking to passengers with texting and talking on a phone are simply a way to justify the reckless, selfish, dangerous, and completely unnecessary act of texting or yakking on a phone.  I wonder what the media uproar would be if these phones were discovered to cause a virulent and deadly form of thumb cancer to users?

[Dog Walker]

Bridge, some people do a lot of those things all at once.  Cigarette smoking and cellphone talking at the same time is common.

Google can't perfect those self driving cars fast enough.

[redglittercoffin]

IIHS study finds cell phone bans don't work.  In an ironic twist, texting bans make things worse.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-driver-cell-phone-bans-dont-works-insurance-group-finds-20111215,0,5576373.story

While the bans have resulted in actual reductions in phone use, they have not resulted in any reduction in crash rates, according to the Institute.

The Institute found similar results from bans on text messaging while driving. In fact, in a strange twist, texting bans actually resulted in more crashes in several states, according to an IIHS study.

The lesson, Insurance Institute spokesman Russ Rader said, may be that cell phones aren't really the problem, drivers are.

[BridgeTroll]

IIHS study finds cell phone bans don't work.  In an ironic twist, texting bans make things worse.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-driver-cell-phone-bans-dont-works-insurance-group-finds-20111215,0,5576373.story

While the bans have resulted in actual reductions in phone use, they have not resulted in any reduction in crash rates, according to the Institute.

The Institute found similar results from bans on text messaging while driving. In fact, in a strange twist, texting bans actually resulted in more crashes in several states, according to an IIHS study.

The lesson, Insurance Institute spokesman Russ Rader said, may be that cell phones aren't really the problem, drivers are.

Keep texting bro... I just hope you dont show up in the remake of this video...

http://www.youtube.com/v/DebhWD6ljZs

[Tacachale]

^Clearly texting while driving needs to stop. The question is whether a ban on it will actually do that.

I can't conceive of a ban having a direct effect. People would just stop admitting that that's what they were doing when they wreck. But perhaps it would force the providers' hand and get them to channel their efforts into more pervasive hands-free technology.

[Ajax]

People would just stop admitting that that's what they were doing when they wreck. But perhaps it would force the providers' hand and get them to channel their efforts into more pervasive hands-free technology.

Yes, but they're not going to rely on your word for it.  I suppose they'll have to subpoena your cell phone records.  They could call it the "Super Patriotic Safe Driving Act" and Congress would fall all over themselves passing it.  "What - you're not Patriotic and you're against safe driving?" 

[Jason]

^ Agreed.  You can ban doing apsolutely anything while driving other than driving and it will have no effect at all.  I think our problems will solve themselves (with regard to cell phone use) as technology gets more and more advanced.  Voice command style systems coupled with bluetooth will soon seamlessly integrate every mobile device we have allowing hands free driving. 

That way you can do some serious multi-tasking like talking on the phone while e-mailing pics to grandma and getting updated directions to your meeting while reading the paper...  maybe the problem will get worse.....     Until the cars start driving themselves, at least.

[BridgeTroll]

^ Agreed.  You can ban doing apsolutely anything while driving other than driving and it will have no effect at all.  I think our problems will solve themselves (with regard to cell phone use) as technology gets more and more advanced.  Voice command style systems coupled with bluetooth will soon seamlessly integrate every mobile device we have allowing hands free driving. 

That way you can do some serious multi-tasking like talking on the phone while e-mailing pics to grandma and getting updated directions to your meeting while reading the paper...  maybe the problem will get worse.....     Until the cars start driving themselves, at least.

Your right... a couple thousand dead or maimed teenagers is a small price to pay for the ability to send "wats up dude lol" while driving. ROFL...

[mtraininjax]

What do you drive, a Hummer?

Actually Brian, most Hummers have a CURB weight of about 5,000 pounds, give or take. Most sedans between 3 and 4 thousand pounds, but if you are texting and driving or playing a game with friends while driving, forget the sedans, SUVs, and Hummers, focus on the fact that an 18 wheeler can weigh as much as 165,000 pounds, like hitting a wall or having the wall hit you.

The only way to solve this problem is get the phone companies to lock down cell phone use when the GPS on them, which would become impossible to turn off, is moving. So if you are walking, biking, riding, flying (who uses their voice phone when flying?), the communications piece, wi-fi would not work.

If people driving along want to use their phone to play a game and drive a 2, 3, or 80 ton vehicle, well then they are just plain idiots, but let's start here and nuke all comm with a phone when it is moving.

[KenFSU]

^Clearly texting while driving needs to stop. The question is whether a ban on it will actually do that.

I can't conceive of a ban having a direct effect.

A strongly enforced ban on texting might not cure the problem, but the threat of a heavy fine or points on their license would certainly scare many, many people away from using their cell phone whilst in traffic. It's certainly better than doing nothing at all. Seat belt laws, which have proven effective, would actually be a pretty decent comparison.

From the New York Times:

Study Indicates Strong Enforcing Of Seat Belt Laws Cuts Fatalities

Laws requiring the use of seat belts have saved an estimated 1,300 lives in recent years, a new study shows, and the researchers say there is a direct relationship between strong enforcing of the laws and reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries.

The study, by three researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was characterized by traffic safety experts as one of the most comprehensive on the subject so far. It examined statistics in states that have been requiring using seat belts for more than a year.