Do you talk on cell phone when driving?

Do you talk on cell phone while driving? Pick one of first four and last only if yes.

  • Never

    Votes: 18 12.6%
  • Only when REALLY necessary,

    Votes: 24 16.8%
  • Yeah, sometimes.

    Votes: 49 34.3%
  • I do often.

    Votes: 31 21.7%
  • When I do I use earbud, bluetooth, or other hands free system.

    Votes: 37 25.9%

  • Total voters
    143

Synchro246

New member
Please only pick ONE of the first four choices AND then the last if it applies to you.


I am curious. I am guilty of this- pretty often. I just got an ear bud though, so that's a bit better I guess.
 
ADS

honeybee03

New member
I guess I don't see it any differently than talking to a passenger, yelling at the kids in the back, or changing the radio station.
 

Morganthe

New member
I'm a "Never!" person when it comes to talking on cell phones while driving. 99.9% of the time, my phone is off. The .1% that I forget and leave it on... well, that person can wait until I call them back after I safely pull over. Driving while talking or fiddling with a cell is one of my biggest peeves that I get really angry about. And I"m a pretty laid back person. :)

It was illegal in Germany from about 2-3 years ago, so I haven't experienced too much of this until recently. Sure there were violators, but it was rare and usually on the open road, not gunning down pedestrians in the supermarket parking lot. Around here, a cell phone seems to be issued with a driver's license. I saw a driver today turn the wrong way on a one way street because she more interested in yacking than paying attention to the roads. Scary. Thankfully, it was almost empty. No accident. Just a lot of dodging and trying to get turned around.

I'm not sure how these new ear bud/ blue tooth hookups work, but if there's a momentary distraction caused by trying to locate or press a button to send or answer, it's just as dangerous as a regular phone being used by driving. The driver is more focused downwards when fiddling with a gadget than what is occuring within the driving environment. It takes up precious concentration no matter how we use it.

There are a lot of little things that we do on this website to keep our children safe --- is it really worth it to endanger all that just to talk on a bloody phone? If it's that important, then safely pull over, stop, and focus on that vital conversation. Multi-tasking in this situation is dangerous to everyone around and inside that vehicle.

And that's my very strong opinion on this issue.
 

abacus2

Well-known member
I think I remember hearing a study that showed that hands free devices offered no advantage. It's the conversation with someone unaware of the road circumstances that causes the problem. If we could get over our need to be polite and just stop talking/listening when driving conditions warrant it there'd be fewer cell phone related accidents.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I sometimes talk to dh...usually he calls me..., and then slam the phone (well, hit the end button), in a dramatically angry tone when I get to a dangerous driving situation, to passively aggresively remind him not to call me when I'm driving. ;)
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
I do occasionally, but honestly my cell is less of a distraction than my kids. :rolleyes:
Anyway, it costs so much (25 cents a minute) for me to talk on my cell that when I say occasionally, I mean it, and then for just a couple of minutes at the time. My goal is to give/get the info and get off most of the time. lol
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Very rarely, and I won't pick up if it rings unless I'm stuck at a red light and know it will be red for a looonnnnggg time at some of the busiest intersections in town. And I'm notorious for rudely cutting off the call (usually it's just DH any way) when the light turns green, or putting it on hold until I can safely pull over or stop at the next red light. ;) The same for placing a call, almost never, and again while stopped at a light, or just pull off the road into a parking lot. Voice mail and missed calls are my friends and protectors. :)
 

Yoshi

New member
I usually don't RECEIVE calls while I'm driving, but I have been known to place a call to locate DS (teenager) when I have to pick him up, or call for Pizza:p In NY we HAVE to be "hands free" but, quite honestly, it's MORE distracting to have all these extra gizzies to deal with. I read somewhere that having a phone conversation competes with the part of your brain you need to stay focused on the road. So you are in essence, "impaired" to the extent that it is classified as similar to DUI with your reaction time. No one seems to care about the law, they just talk and talk and sometimes stop in the middle of the intersection zoning on when to turn! UGH!:mad:
 

j4m4d8

New member
I do occasionally, but honestly my cell is less of a distraction than my kids.

LOL, if they ever test the effect that a screaming infant and a toddler that's trying to outdo the infant have on driving, they'll make it illegal to transport children under 4.

Julie D.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
It's illegal here -- I usually keep mine stored in my "walking wallet" under my seat.... On a rare occassion that I'm expecting a call from a Dr. or attorney (after playing an obnoxious game of phone tag for days) I will answer, but with the speaker phone option so both eyes stay on the road & both hands on the wheel.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
LOL, if they ever test the effect that a screaming infant and a toddler that's trying to outdo the infant have on driving, they'll make it illegal to transport children under 4.

Julie D.

Forget the toddler/preschooler - it's the ten & eight year olds that drive me crazy!
 

Tara

New member
I do sometimes, but, I hardly ever talk on the phone, period LOL
It's actually quite 'rare' that I am on the phone while driving, but I didn't feel my situation fit the 'only when really needed' category hehe Because it's not 'really needed' Dh calls or I call him real quickly. Always quick. No lengthy conversations. No calling just to talk kind of thing.
Most often it's "Uh, honey, is *this* my turn?" LOL (I guess that one does fit the 'really needed' category) and "I'm at X spot, I'll be there in about X minutes" that kind of thing.
 

Lara

New member
Nope, never!

I never mastered the skill of talking on the phone and doing other things at the same time (except cleaning, I can talk and clean at the same time LOL). Its way to much of a distraction to me. My phone stays off in the car.
 

nursekori

New member
I guess I don't see it any differently than talking to a passenger, yelling at the kids in the back, or changing the radio station.

I totally agree. I don't usually instigate the call, however. Someone usually calls me. I do tell them I am driving and I can call them back later. most of my calls in the car last less than 1min anyway! I constantly have my bluetooth headset in so that I'm not looking for my phone if it rings. If I have to look, its not worth the distraction!
 

Kellyr2

New member
I do quite often. It's also less of a distraction to me than the kids are. Ear buds drive me insane. I think I have small ears. These things hurt! The speakerphone is never good enoush so I never bother. I try to keep it short though - especialy since it's illegal. oops.
 

southpawboston

New member
I guess I don't see it any differently than talking to a passenger, yelling at the kids in the back, or changing the radio station.

accident data and other studies indicate otherwise. cellphone usage has been proven to be more distracting than talking with other passengers (i don't know about yelling at kids, i don't think they looked at that, lol). when you talk to passengers in the car, you are relying on more than one sensory input. when you are talking on the phone (even if it's hands free), your brain has to focus more because you are trying to channel information through one sensory input, your ears. this causes the brain to "shut off" the other sensory inputs that aren't helping you hear the person on the phone, which means that your brain is focusing its energy on letting you hear the person on the phone, rather than focusing on seeing.

that said, i'm guilty of the occasional phone use while driving. i've tried hands-free, but i notice that i'm just as distracted (if not more, since there are wires and all kinds of accessories to deal with) than if i'm holding the phone in my hand. once the new cell phone law goes into effect in my state i will probably just give it up altogether.

incidentally, about 9 out of 10 times i see someone pulling a really stupid move in a car, they're on the phone.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
there actually was a study recently that showed children are as much of a distraction as cells, but I don't remember any specifics about it. :rolleyes:

That said, if you (general you, not specifically YOU) think my cell is a bigger distraction than my kids you've never met my kids. :p lol
 

beeman

Active member
Yes I do. I usually use the earbud, because holding the phone up is distracting. I avoid using it in heavy traffic, but because I live in the country, I will use it when driving down the highway or the grids.
 

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