Safety Board Recommends Total Cell Phone Ban for Drivers

I'm sorry, but I hate blanket recommendations like this. There are people out there that can navigate using their cell phone while eating a cheeseburger and carrying on a conversation with other people in the car. And, there are people who can barely drive when the conditions are ideal and they have their hands glued to 10 and 2. Cops can already pull people over for driving erratically, so why do we need this?

Wellcome to the civilized world. In Europe is forbiden the use of the cell phone to the drivers. Only with the handsfree. No texting or videoconference(lol). This is not the freedom issue. Is a good measure. What the hell, i don't want to be killed by someone eager to text about nothig with some other dude. I am a good driver.

No-one disagrees that transit kills more than wars but these measures are barely effective.

1. People will ignore the ban and will keep phoning regardless;
2. Dark windshields are still allowed except for Minnesota and California.

Ban the cars themselves. They're the things that do the real damage!

Wasn't talking on cell phones / texting already illegal?

I want my money back for the "Hands Free Link" in my Honda then!! The Feds have no business in this kind of thing. I do not text and drive myself, nor will I ever, but I still think making a law against something like this is about as effective as putting a "No Handguns on Campus" sign on the Virginia Tech Campus.... Just saying... People are going to do whatever they want, and no laws will stop them.

"Well, I haven't crashed my car yet and I don't see it happening to me. Time to send out some text messages..."

-Typical mentality of many humans, especially teenagers

This is good. It's time for these chatty dorks to start being responsible, instead of having stupid conversations while driving which has a risk.

To those who think there shouldn't be blanket rules, I'll give you a hint. Everyone thinks it shouldn't apply to them. They're not the problem, it's someone else who can't drive good like they can, while on the phone, that's the problem.

Get over it. You're sharing a road, it's not your home. You have to ensure other people's safety even though you want to have stupid conversations with boring people, that aren't necessary. If they are, PULL OVER.

maybe true, but then when you cause an accident, kill someone and they pull your cellphone record and see you were on a call, then they can charge you with something actually meaningful. With the current laws, it's hard to get people even with reckless driving, let alone vehicular manslaughter.

Human multitasking is a myth that has been debunked many times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_multitasking

You can also watch "test your brain" for more proof that there's no such thing. The "blanket" recommendation is sound and has scientific backing, your claim does not unfortunately.

What next?!?
They should ban GPS', radios and all other electronics. You get distracted from those devices too. You should not talk either, that is a distraction too.
I use my phone in the stereo of the car, completely hands free, no texting or anything else.

Give heavier fines for texting while driving.

If you can't hold a conversation while you drive, maybe you shouldn't be driving.

You can't multitask effectively, you're better off focusing on the driving.

If the human brain was not capable of multitasking, you would be dead... it's that simple. Hell, you wouldn't even be able to drive a car as it requires a careful coordination of your hands and feet in response to input from your sight, hearing, and touch. That's a lot of stuff going on a once. I know the tendency is to sum up all that activity as simply "driving" but it's actually a ballet of several activities being done simultaneously. So if you want to say that we can't multitask, then you are simply arguing semantics.

I'd read that article and watch some researched documentaries before making yet another ill educated comment.

Link your sources pls?

Hell.. here's one for ya.. goodluck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r5-jrzNjI4

They need to ban people putting on makeup or reading the paper while eating and several other distractions worst than being on the phone...

The only part I don't like about that law is that I use my phone as an MP3 player so, I guess that means I have to set it and just leave it alone. Kinda sucks if you want to just press 1 button to skip to the next song.

The point I believe he was making is that when we multi-task we do all the things we are doing in a FAR less efficient/effective manner. Driving well takes a lot of concentration, the moment you take away from it it causes deadly accidents.

I am fine with this 'blanket decision' because people suck at driving as is. The more we do to limit people's distractions the better off we all are. Driving a car or not driving a car is a decision, but when it comes to doing something so dangerous (driving what could be a couple thousand pound death machine) there should be rules like this.

Texting is one thing and should be banned. The issue comes from the fact that they are reccomending outlawing ALL cell phone usage, even talking with hands free equipement.

This is where the problem comes in. I know for myself, it is less distracting to talk on the cell phone, and yes, I use a headset, than when carrying on a conversation with someone in the car. When someone is in the car with us, we have a tendency to turn our heads, even if for a brief moment, to make eye contact. No such thing happens with cell phone usage. So will having passengers in the car also become illegal? If not (and I'm not advocating it), there's a huge hypocrisy issue.

This is what happens when a society loses common sense and goes from one extreme to another.

Wasn't talking on cell phones / texting already illegal?

I love this downvoting as a knee jerk reaction by people. If you want to down vote, fine, but at least have the courage to back up your downvote by explaining it.

Explain how talking hands free on a cell phone is more dangerous than talking to a passenger in a vehicle? You are still carrying on a conversation, but human nature has as reflexively look at someone we are talking to in person from time to time. So if you support a blanket ban on cell phone usage, which includes the use of hands free equipment, then explain how talking to the same person who is instead in the vehicle is any safer.

Under 21 any cell phone use should be banned. Over 21 hands free use only. If you just have to text someone pull the f*ck over!

Because I do not subscribe to something that you have bought into does not make me "illeducated" (no such word, by the way). Typical pretentious, pseudo-intellectual trying to sound superior to everyone else. Save it for your easily impressed friends, I'm not interested.

still no sour

If anyone here has pseudo-intellect sir, it's you. If can't even back up your claims, pathetic.

1. It clearly states that it does not apply to hands free units built in to a car. Most of them can be activated by steering wheel controls now and is a one button press to answer a call. To make a call is the same using voice dialing.

A distracted driver by-law was just passed in my city a few months ago. It includes everything from food to phones but does allow for anything that can be operated with one button press, including any type of hands free (not limited to built in). Bans all food eating but allows for drinking.

Basically, if it requires you to take your eyes off the road then it is banned. Hopefully, most of us can use our standard radio controls without looking away from the road....

Why not just recommend mandate that a Faraday Cage be built into the exterior of automobiles.

Personally, I would rather see them raise the minimum passing grade for the drivers test. As well as mandate courses/tests for wet weather driving and emergency maneuvers.

Says the man who first resorted to ad hominem attacks.

Number one distraction in cars are children on back seats. They should ban them, too.
Hell, nobody should ever be allowed to have any passengers in their vehicles, period.
This will be as effective as prohibition.
Banning any use other than via hands-free should be enforced, but going to the extreme of banning ALL use is just stupid and will never fly.

thats making you play a find my picture and count, and the same time count how many times you are hearing the word magic.

try counting, and listening to someone shout random numbers, not exactly fun.

let me give you a counter example, why hands free cell use should be allowed.

how many fatal school buss crashes are there a year, for the people on the buss or other drivers?

we have all ridden a school buss, people in the back are jumping, people are all talking, to the point that its an aggravating noise.

now how hard is it to hold a conversation with the person driving when you are both in the car?

if this passes and is enforced, ill start a grass roots campaign to make it illegal for cars to be designed for more than 1 person, as you are too distracted.




driveing isnt a decision, at least when you dont live in a city, you want to go to work, its a 50~ mile drive, you want to go to the store, thats a 10 mile drive, school (collage) is about 20 miles from where i live.

driveing where i live isnt a choice.

and laws shouldn't be put into place for the worst drivers, they should only effect the competent.

---------------------------

im 24, so it doesnt effect me any more, thought i should point that out.

the government needs to stop babying us. now lets take drinking age as an example. in other countries its socialy acceptable to drink from a very young age, and they tend to be far more mature about it, but here, we baby people till they are 21 and than they do what? binge, and many typically drink like there is no tomorrow. instead of learning in a more controlled environment about drinking, at 21 they let you in buy what you want and if you drink to death, so what.

to me this just feels like more of the government wanting to babysit us.

No the man behind the wheel is the one to blame.