on radio: NHTSA "hid" info ?

Victorious4 · Jul 21, 2009

Re: cell phone safety risk while driving on par with drunk driving

I know someone will be able to contribute links, but I cannot copy/paste via old version iPhone

I actually remember having the data mentioned via an economics course discussion & posted about it here at the time . . . so of course I have various ponderings.... Basically it's a good reminder that CPSTs have our own duty to share knowledge with our colleagues (because it wasn't really hidden all that well*) & stick to preaching safest practice built upon a solid foundation of current info, as comprehensive as poosible, at seatchecks (ie. never stop researching) :twocents:

* I remember including it in a letter to my reps re: child passenger safety

Maedze · Jul 21, 2009

Dude you lost me

Are you saying we're supposed to be reminding parents not to 'talk-drive' at seatchecks

Jeanum · Jul 21, 2009

No, although that's a good idea. I believe the OP is referring to news regarding a distracted driving study/data about cell phone usage comparing hands-free cell phone use in vehicles vs. non-hands-free, and how the study was apparently squashed due to political motives:

NY Times Article, U.S. Withheld Data on Risks of Distracted Driving

Public Citizen's main site has links to data/documents obtained through FOIA: http://www.citizen.org/

southpawboston · Jul 21, 2009

the dangers of cell phone use while driving has been discussed here before, and it's pretty much accepted and agreed upon that it makes automobile travel less safe-- no argument there. our own car-seat.org polls have shown that many of us are guilty of doing an unsafe practice (cell phone while driving), but we do it as opposed to best practice because it is legal. i just find that interesting...

emandbri · Jul 22, 2009

Maedze said:
Are you saying we're supposed to be reminding parents not to 'talk-drive' at seatchecks

Where does it end? Should we also make sure to tell the parents the benefits of breastfeeding? having their kids eat veggies? reading to them?

Victorious4 · Jul 22, 2009

Yes, southpaw, that is where I'm at in my thoughts on this

Would so many of us be willing to put our families (and others') at about the same risk as being drunk at the wheel, but on a more regular basis via the generally constant use of texting/etc., now that this issue is being highlighted? :question:

Once I'm on a real computer again I plan to find said threads related to this & share the info again, if possible ... I'm sure I do not have the discussion notes still after 5+ yrs

Jeanum said:
NY Times Article, U.S. Withheld Data on Risks of Distracted Driving

Public Citizen's main site has links to data/documents obtained through FOIA: http://www.citizen.org/

Yep, thanks!!

joolsplus3 · Jul 22, 2009

emandbri said:
Where does it end? Should we also make sure to tell the parents the benefits of breastfeeding? having their kids eat veggies? reading to them?

Well, yeah. But since we are specifically educating people how to stay safe in the car, and cell phone (including hands free) usage is a significant risk factor in being in a crash, shouldn't we tell them? All the TSIP and top tethers and properly placed chest clips in the world aren't going to help if mom drives out of the check yakking on the phone and slams into a tractor trailer, right?

"The highway safety agency, rather than commissioning a study with 10,000 drivers, handled one involving 100 cars. That study, done with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, placed cameras inside cars to monitor drivers for more than a year.

It found that drivers using a hand-held device were at 1.3 times greater risk of a crash or near crash, and at three times the risk when dialing compared with other drivers." (from the link Jean posted)

southpawboston · Jul 22, 2009

joolsplus3 said:
Well, yeah. But since we are specifically educating people how to stay safe in the car, and cell phone (including hands free) usage is a significant risk factor in being in a crash, shouldn't we tell them? All the TSIP and top tethers and properly placed chest clips in the world aren't going to help if mom drives out of the check yakking on the phone and slams into a tractor trailer, right?

right. this is where i was going with this. but many of us (myself included) have admitted to taking that risk because it is legal, even though we know intellectually that it's putting ourselves and others at greater risk of injury or death. i find it hypocritical that we have so many threads here chiding people we know or encounter who fail to adopt best practice advice as it pertains to carseats, even though they are operating within the "legal minimums" of the law. just very interesting...

on radio: NHTSA "hid" info ?

Victorious4

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Maedze

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Jeanum

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southpawboston

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Victorious4

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