2

2/22/2006 1:30:03 PM

and it wasn't the cell phone.


it was the fact that it was a woman driving.

2/22/2006 1:31:12 PM

there should be a law against that

2/22/2006 1:36:21 PM

People!

We are not the same!

Some of us are more talented than others!

Some of you need to stop acting like you have a crystal ball!

Quote :

"So, it's not the phones that kill, it's the people who never learned to multi-task...."

Quote :

"i agree that it's the person more than the phone. when i first got xm radio, i realized i was dangeroulsy enjoying surfing all the channels. so i stopped doing it. i have a gps that i don't even try to use unless i'm stopped somewhere."

Quote :

"as has been said many times before, it's up to the individual to decide if he can safely handle a cell phone conversation while driving. if you can't, then please don't and save the rest of us the pain in the ass you're most likely being."

Exactly.

Thank you.

Quote :

"using cell phones --> inattention. inattention causes wrecks and disruption of traffic. simple. dont analyze it so damn much.. it's pretty obvious."

The only thing that's pretty obvious is that you are stupid enough to think and act as though evertone is the same. We are not the same. Some suck at multi-tasking, others don't.

Your "using cell phones --> inattention" point is complete bullshit. The correct relationship is:
"certain drivers who aren't good at multitasking and focus using cell phones --> inattention"
"the rest of us drivers who are good at multitasking and focus using cell phones --> attention"

People like you made a huge fuss when radios were first added to cars. WE SHOULD BAN RADIOS FROM CARS TOO RIGHT? INATTENTION RIGHT? stfu



This is what some of you anti-cell-phone-driving people are doing:
1) A test of cell phone driver safety is done with 1000 people.
2) 800 people passed the test, IOW, weren't distracted at all.
3) 200 people failed the test, IOW were distracted.
4) You hear of the results of this test, but misinterpret them.

You think that every individual driver has a 20% chance of being distracted by cell phone driving.
When in fact,
The correct way to view the results is that 20% of individual drivers are distracted by cell phone driving.
Do you see the difference?
If the former were the case, then you'd have a legitimate reason to advocate for prohibitions on cell phone driving, but, the later is the case.

Quote :

"everything is equally distracting to everyone. always."

OK, it's obvious that EhSteve is trolling. Such a viewpoint simply can't be supported.

[Edited on February 22, 2006 at 1:37 PM. Reason : ]

2/22/2006 1:36:39 PM

^^^ I reiterate

Quote :

" ANYONE THAT IS TOO FUCKING STUPID TO MANAGE TALKING ON THE PHONE AND DRIVING IS TOO FUCKING STUPID TO DRIVE AT ALL. END OF STORY. "

2/22/2006 1:41:56 PM

^^sarcasm just doesn't translate well into text.

[Edited on February 22, 2006 at 1:43 PM. Reason : ]

2/22/2006 1:43:19 PM

divided attention = more inattention to driving

simple

I'm not an advocate of banning cell usage during driving. I'm pointing out that it is a common reason for wrecks and disruption of traffic. I use my phone when driving conditions allow and will cut a conversation short if I deem traffic too dangerous at the time.

in their own eyes, everyone can multitask and drive excellently, so get off your high chair. it's overconfidence like yours that ends up causing trouble.

I'm sure there are plenty of cases of people causing trouble because they were fiddling with their stereo. I mess with that stuff when conditions allow and, for the most part, a stereo is less hassle than a cell phone

[Edited on February 22, 2006 at 1:52 PM. Reason : stfu yourself]

2/22/2006 1:49:54 PM

Caps-lock = sarcasm

2/22/2006 1:50:52 PM

caps lock = yelling.


saying something ridiculous that couldn't possibly be true = sarcasm.

btw, you make some excellent points in that post up there.

[Edited on February 22, 2006 at 1:52 PM. Reason : ]

2/22/2006 1:51:53 PM

Quote :

"ANYONE THAT IS TOO FUCKING STUPID TO MANAGE TALKING ON THE PHONE AND DRIVING IS TOO FUCKING STUPID TO DRIVE AT ALL. END OF STORY. "

2/22/2006 1:54:45 PM

hempster, though i agree with some of your posts, they are more often than not, too long winded.

but back to the lecture at hand:

Quote :

"divided attention = more inattention to driving"

damn straight, and anyone who doesn't realize this is a fool. yet they still want to stand there and say: "oh no, not me, i'm the master of multi-tasking." when in fact, the second you start multi-tasking while driving, you are increasing your risk of being in an accident. It's fact people.

2/22/2006 2:01:35 PM

Quote :

"Letcher County"

2/22/2006 2:11:26 PM

Quote :

"divided attention = more inattention to driving"

While true for some, that's not true for others. That would only be universally true if everyone's brain was the same. Me personally? I like to read with talk radio and television on. As a child, I could do homework more easily if the radio or television was on. Many others could never get a lick of homework done with such "distractions".
Please do yourself and the world a favor, and stop acting like we are all the same.

Quote :

"in their own eyes, everyone can multitask and drive excellently, so get off your high chair."

Perhaps many, but not everyone--besides, those people are irresponsible if they simply assume that they're being safe. It is irresponsible to not realize one's own personal limitations if this lack of realization results in one's acting in an unsafe manner.

That's why I said earlier:

Quote :

"I knew a woman who wouldn't allow any passengers to talk or make any noise while she was driving. She also forbid using the stereo. This is understandable--some people just simply aren't as talented (hand-eye coordination, multitasking, focus, etc.) as others. This woman is responsible in that she: 1) realized her own personal limitation(s). 2) didn't form an expectation to be able to drive like everyone else. IOW, didn't see other [more talented] drivers talking freely with their passengers and decide "Well if they can do it, so should I." 3) took measures to ensure that she could drive safely. Personal responsibility includes knowing when and when not one is acting safely."

Also, did you see where someone said:

Quote :

"i agree that it's the person more than the phone. when i first got xm radio, i realized i was dangeroulsy enjoying surfing all the channels. so i stopped doing it. i have a gps that i don't even try to use unless i'm stopped somewhere"

and

Quote :

"as has been said many times before, it's up to the individual to decide if he can safely handle a cell phone conversation while driving. if you can't, then please don't and save the rest of us the pain in the ass you're most likely being"

Quote :

"btw, you make some excellent points in that post up there."

thanks.

Quote :

"too long winded"

guilty.

2/22/2006 2:12:17 PM

yeah there you go again with the longwindedness.

you have to concede this point...when you are talking on your cell phone while driving, there is no way that you can be 100% focused on driving.

ok, i will concede that no one will ever be 100% focused on driving, what with other passengers, scenery, music, other cars, our own thoughts....

but, whatever "percent of attention" you would normally devote to driving is reduced when you are talking on a cell phone while driving

2/22/2006 2:25:13 PM

Would you concede that this "percent of attention" varies greatly among people?

2/22/2006 2:26:39 PM

Quote :

"I like to read with talk radio and television on"

and are you able to completely take in what each are communicating? doubtful. I'm not saying we're all the same. I'm saying divided attention = more inattention to the tasks at hand, there's no way around it. Are you saying that you can handle a cell phone in all road situations?

also:

Quote :

"I'm pointing out that it is a common reason for wrecks and disruption of traffic"

because, I agree, people don't know their own limits

As for you, when you become a rally driver, make sure to turn down that expensive headset. Just get yourself a bottom-of-the-line Nokia and you're good to go win the WRC.

[Edited on February 22, 2006 at 2:27 PM. Reason : yes, the percent of attention varies greatly.. no argument there]

2/22/2006 2:26:40 PM

of course it does, everyone is different, but the lower the "percent of attention" the more likely you are to get into an accident regardless of whether or not you're using a cell phone

2/22/2006 2:34:34 PM

so do we trust people to know what the correct percent of attention they should be devoting to driving is?


I'm not so sure I trust the self-evaluation of a lot of other people, because I've definitely had a few close calls that could have been avoided if the other person had been paying more attention while talking on their cell phones.

2/22/2006 2:49:44 PM

cellphones while driving should be banned.

point blank

hand held, hands free, all of them.

are you saying you dont have a minute right now to pull the fuck over, or don't have a minute later to call someone back. voice mail works.. trust me.

Quote :

"I'm not so sure I trust the self-evaluation of a lot of other people, because I've definitely had a few close calls that could have been avoided if the other person had been paying more attention while talking on their cell phones. "

this happens to me almost weekly.

[Edited on February 22, 2006 at 3:19 PM. Reason : ...]

2/22/2006 3:18:59 PM

Quote :

"are you able to completely take in what each are communicating? doubtful."

Depends. Perhaps not completely....

Quote :

". I'm saying divided attention = more inattention to the tasks at hand, there's no way around it."

You're implying that there must be some "Law of Conservation of Attention", where attention can't be created nor destroyed.

I'm not a psychologist, but from my experiences and my education, I'm not sure that such a "Law" exists. Some people's brains may simply be able to process multiple simultaneous inputs better than others. IOW, different people's brains have different "processor speeds", varying levels of "random access memory" and "multithreaded processor" abilities.

I doubt the equation is as simple as you make it out to be.

Quote :

"Are you saying that you can handle a cell phone in all road situations?"

Of course not. Neither would I be able to handle a radio or a passenger in all road situations…..

Quote :

"so do we trust people to know what the correct percent of attention they should be devoting to driving is?"

We should always [at least initially] trust people to be able to act responsibly.* If they don't, they should face the consequences.

Cell phones are still relatively new. A temporary period of adjustment is obviously needed. Like I said earlier, a half-century ago this very same issue was a big deal over radios distracting drivers. I would expect that immediately after radios were introduced to cars, the number of inattention-related wrecks immediately increased, but has consistently decreased since then.

*(I'm not saying individuals should be able to own aircraft carriers or nuclear weapons…..there's certainly a limit to how much people should be trusted….)

Quote :

"I'm not so sure I trust the self-evaluation of a lot of other people, because I've definitely had a few close calls that could have been avoided if the other person had been paying more attention while talking on their cell phones"

I've had those close calls too. And I certainly doubt the self-evaluations of some.
But I reject the notion that a distrust of "a lot of other people" justifies a legal prohibition on everyone else's liberty.

2/22/2006 3:20:13 PM

i have had more close calls with stupid fuckers who cant drive in any weather but sunny and dry, and even then mother fuckers cant drive


we should ban them from driving while you are at it then

[Edited on February 22, 2006 at 3:22 PM. Reason : ]

2/22/2006 3:21:09 PM

so we should also ban makeup, driving with children, and driveup lanes at banks and restaurants since some ppl cant handle those responsibilities

2/22/2006 6:17:51 PM

i could pass the driving test while talking on the phone
poor driver education is the real issue here

2/22/2006 6:34:21 PM

hempster can roll a blunt, make a gravity bong, AND talk on the cell phone while driving.

its called multi-tasking

2/22/2006 6:52:56 PM

poor driver education is a completely seperate issue

my point is that using a cell phone while driving takes part of your attention away from the road and drving, which in turn raises the POSSIBILITY that you will be involved in some sort of accident.

2/22/2006 6:55:33 PM

Cell usage, whether with a headset or not, increases the chance of getting in an accident by 400%. Doesn't matter how "talented" you are at driving. You're still at a greater risk of wrecking than you would if you weren't yaking away on your damn phone.

2/22/2006 7:13:16 PM

lots of things take away attention
don't scapegoat cellphones

2/22/2006 7:21:42 PM

haha 400% if you say so

my rankings from worst to least bad:

reading
road head
makeup
cell/arguing
eating/stereo fiddling


[Edited on February 22, 2006 at 7:26 PM. Reason : ]

2/22/2006 7:24:51 PM

Quote :

"hempster can roll a blunt, make a gravity bong, AND talk on the cell phone while driving. its called multi-tasking"

How did you know I could do that?

Quote :

"reading"

I've never seen anyone do that. Damn, that's indefensible….



Eating is fine, as long as you don't go overboard.



[Edited on February 22, 2006 at 9:14 PM. Reason : ]

2/22/2006 8:49:27 PM

Why don't we as a soceity get off everybody's back for what may happen from some allegedly dangerous action? If somebody is driving and talking on the phone and crashes then punish them. But don't punish them for talking on the phone, punish them for crashing, DUH.

I hate this media ecouraged notion that we should eliminate all danger from every aspect of our lives. If we are to be free then me must live in danger. A life without danger is a life without freedom. Helmets and safety belts for example, if we really believed in personal freedom we would reject these bad laws. Personal freedoms should only be limited in as much as they interfere with another individual's freedom. Clearly if I choose to not wear a helmet or seatbelt I do not endanger anyone except myself. As such these laws are an unecessary, all be it well-meant, encroachment of a overgrown government. Sadly, I doubt the public will ever free itself of such restrictions. Emotions are to strong.

2/22/2006 9:56:11 PM