well thats the thing....these tests arent indicitive of real world conversations.....unless all of your friends are math or english professors....

its not the act of talking that is distracting, its the complexity of trying to solve differential equations or trying to recite shakespear........i dont know about you, but ive never had that come up in casual conversation.

there is no reason at all why talking with a hands free device should be any more distracting that talking in person....

 

Passengers are a distraction. New drivers in Michigan are limited to the number of passengers allowed. Even driving with one person can be a distraction...my wife still blames me for knocking her mirror off when she was backing out of the garage...

 

Studies have shown the level of distraction is basically the same whether using hands-free or holding the handset to your ear. The key thing is you're talking to someone who is not aware of your traffic condition (as opposed to talking to someone who's in the car who, if anything, helps point out traffic hazards, or at the very least knows to shut up if traffic is getting demanding.

 

http://stupidest.com/wp-content/uplo...billbopard.jpg

 

If talking to a passenger is too demanding - then the next studies may prove having to navigate a manual transmission while driving could be considered distracting too - automatic transmissions will be required on all vehicles from then on.

 

I was a victim of the statistic. My 2009 MC was totaled by a texting GTI driver in December (in very heavy commute traffic). Luckily a police officer giving a driver across the street a ticket saw the entire thing. The GTI (or more accurately, complete GIT) rammed me into a Ford F-150 who was in turn pushed into a Ford Explorer. Thankfully, there were no injuries. Cary did exactly what he was designed to do but it was an absolute heartbreaking experience nonetheless. We discovered from our insurance company later the driver was uninsured (during their inquiries discovered he'd been dropped by his previous company for the exact same offence). On the positive side, it led to us purchasing our new 2013 MCS.

 

No, I said talking to a passenger in the car is *not* demanding, but talking to someone via phone is, whether through the handset or through a hands-free setup.

 

October 1, 2013. Florida banned texting and driving. I will say that since it was implemented I have texted less.

http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2013/316.305

It's still a secondary offense and you need to be pulled over already to get a ticket for it, but now they are pulling people over for distracted driving instead, they don't know if they were texting or not, but they were not driving straight or at a constant speed.

 

Yikes, glad your ok ! Hope they charged him criminally instead of civil fines this time.

 

My impression is that when you have other passengers in the car, they can see what you see on the road, whereas the person you're talking to on the phone, hands-free or not cannot see what you see. That being said, talking to other people while driving is still a distraction due to multi-tasking behind the wheel.

I multi-task enough as it is with driving a manual, and selecting the next playlist on my headunit, so I don't need any of that texting or talking on a mobile phone while driving. If my phone rings, I usually let the voicemail get it, but if it's important, I'll pull over somewhere, put my hazards on, and talk to the person. But normally, I refuse to talk on my phone while driving. I may occasionally do so while on a highway or interstate because of reduced stopping and going, but I try to keep it at a minimum.

 

what difference does it make what the other person may or may not be able to see...?......how does that effect your driving at all?

you people talk as though humans lack the ability to do two things at once...visual(what you use primarily when driving) and auditory( what you use when talking) processing take place in 2 completely different parts of the brain......its not really any great leap to assume a person should be able to do both reasonably well at the same time.

 

I find that talking on the phone while driving, whether hands free, or not, is distracting. That has been my experience. I also find that talking to a passenger, while driving, is much less distracting. I cannot explain why there is a difference. There just is. I will leave it to the scientists and researchers to explain the reasoning.

 

The difference I was trying to convey was that if someone is with you in the car, they could warn you of something you might've not seen (It happens). The person on the other end of the phone cannot do that. Granted, we're talking about a situation where the driver is already a bit distracted, but it could mean the difference between having an accident or not.

In retrospect, I don't have an issue with hands-free devices, but if we're directly comparing talking on your mobile phone with it next to your ear, and talking with a friend riding shotgun, I see as holding the phone while driving as much more distracting and thus more dangerous. Just my opinion.

And just for the record, I'm a terrible multi-tasker. Sure, I can drive a stick and drive, but that's about the extent of that. As I type this, I'm not focusing on anything else around me, the TV, people having a conversation, etc. I'm strictly focusing on what I'm doing, and hence why I'm not a great multi-tasker. Again, just my thoughts.

 

I have never text'd while I was driving - ever, and I do not condone that or talking on a hand held cell phone. I have used a hands free device when someone has called me while I was driving, but I keep the conversation as short as possible.

But I can multi-task. I play the drums and I'm used to having both my hands and feet doing something completely different while I'm keeping the beat to the song, all while scanning the crowd looking at the hot women dancing.

I also ride a motorcycle and my hands work the clutch, front brake, and throttle while my feet work the shifter and rear brake - all while scanning the road and avoiding being road kill.

Maybe it's over confidence - but I feel driving an automatic car and talking on a hands free device is not over-tasking my abilities.

 

Just watching people operating cell phones while driving gives me plenty of evidence
that their driving is impaired compared to ones not using a phone.


I'd like to get across this message to them:


"Hang up your cell phone before your airbag hangs it up for you!"


Unfortunately, they're not the only ones who suffer when they cause an accident.

 

I WOULD AGREE with all your text above EXCEPT for one thing, your statement "could mean the difference between having an accident or not", This COULD mean your DEATH OR NOT, AND it could be the driver in the other car who was texting. ALL these comments given to date WOULD change rapidly, if due to someone else texting in another car, caused either YOU OR one of your family members DEATH.
I live in Houston, and drive a meager 10 miles to and from work. I have seen people either texting or making phone calls in their car for some 25-30 minutes OR MORE. I cannot forsee any logical reason for this, obviously NOT URGENT enough that it could not wait until they got home. MY POINT is, these people are putting YOUR LIFE at risk, NOT neccesarily JUST their own.

 

I find it interesting the posts arguing why cell phones are or are not more distracting than with passengers and arguments for and against "multi-tasking" ability. They miss the point of the post which is the sobering dangers of distracted driving and the statistics showing it. The post perhaps is preaching to the choir (so to speak) a little but the statistics are a good reminder nonetheless. Regardless of the cause, if something is distracting your ability to give the road your fullest attention, you should avoid doing it. Period. It was heartbreaking to lose our MINI to a distracted (texting) driver, but I would be absolutely devastated if something I was doing distracted me and resulted in me injuring someone. Your multi-tasking ability is irrelevant - how would you feel if you injured someone's little boy or girl? Killed someone's loved one? What if it happened to you?