NTSB calls for blanket ban on cell phones in big rigs~

[SFC Ollie]

I don't text, and I actually seldom use the phone while driving, But I did cross the center line once while fumbling with the radio........... I don't see much difference..... And Talking can't be the distraction or we would have private passenger compartments.............

 

[alan1]

I don't know about all that, the stuff you mentioned is mounted just below the windshield in your line of site, and there's only a few buttons to deal with. As opposed to the phone you're staring at it, making sure you pressed the right buttons, etc.

I'd feel better if truckers weren't doing it.

I feel more comfortable with truckers (that drive all the time) doing it than I do with casual drivers (that spend an hour or less behind the wheel on any given day) doing it.
Kinda like I feel more comfortable with soldiers holding firearms more than I do the casual citizen.

Yeah but if a casual driver drifts into you, you've got an insurance nightmare and a trip to the body shop on your hands. Big rig, you're almost certainly dead.

An awful lot of people die in auto accidents that don't involve big rigs.
Just sayin'

 

[WorldWatcher]

While driving I voice-text now too, which seems redundant to the point of absurdity.

I don't voice text, just voice dial.

"Call, wife".

things like that.

You have an android by any chance? I can now say, for example, "Call target" and it will look up and dial the nearest Target to my location. Wicked cool. "Navigate to" as well.

You don't need android for voice dialing. Many phones have had voice dialing for years and the vast majority of phones produced in the last few years have had it. The important thing is having wireless bluetooth in the phone (which most do today).


Our newer car has bluetooth installed with controls on the steering wheel. You don't have to take your hands off the well to answer a call or initiate one. To answer the call you just click the "Pick Up" button and the car mutes the stero and you hear the call through the speakers and just speak as their is a mike in the dash. You don't have to take the phone out of your pocket.

For old cars I have a Jabra Cruizer. Does the same think as the in car system, but it is a small device that clips to the visor. One button push to make or receive calls. To place the call you just push the button and the device will tell you it's ready. Speak the command "Dail" + the number or use an entry in the phones phone book (i.e. Call Wife's Work) and the phone dials.



Great device for older cars -->> Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphones - Jabra CRUISER



>>>>

 

[Cuyo]

I don't voice text, just voice dial.

"Call, wife".

things like that.

You have an android by any chance? I can now say, for example, "Call target" and it will look up and dial the nearest Target to my location. Wicked cool. "Navigate to" as well.

You don't need android for voice dialing. Many phones have had voice dialing for years and the vast majority of phones produced in the last few years have had it. The important thing is having wireless bluetooth in the phone (which most do today).


Our newer car has bluetooth installed with controls on the steering wheel. You don't have to take your hands off the well to answer a call or initiate one. To answer the call you just click the "Pick Up" button and the car mutes the stero and you hear the call through the speakers and just speak as their is a mike in the dash. You don't have to take the phone out of your pocket.

For old cars I have a Jabra Cruizer. Does the same think as the in car system, but it is a small device that clips to the visor. One button push to make or receive calls. To place the call you just push the button and the device will tell you it's ready. Speak the command "Dail" + the number or use an entry in the phones phone book (i.e. Call Wife's Work) and the phone dials.



Great device for older cars -->> Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphones - Jabra CRUISER



>>>>

Oh yes, voice dialing has been around for years - But only for numbers you spell out or ones in your contact list. This mamma-jamma actually looks up the listing and dials it. Even worked for "Beiler printing," a little hole in the wall print shop in my town.

I'm sure just about any smart phone does it these days, I only mentioned android because that's what I've got.

 

[RadiomanATL]

You have an android by any chance? I can now say, for example, "Call target" and it will look up and dial the nearest Target to my location. Wicked cool. "Navigate to" as well.

You don't need android for voice dialing. Many phones have had voice dialing for years and the vast majority of phones produced in the last few years have had it. The important thing is having wireless bluetooth in the phone (which most do today).


Our newer car has bluetooth installed with controls on the steering wheel. You don't have to take your hands off the well to answer a call or initiate one. To answer the call you just click the "Pick Up" button and the car mutes the stero and you hear the call through the speakers and just speak as their is a mike in the dash. You don't have to take the phone out of your pocket.

For old cars I have a Jabra Cruizer. Does the same think as the in car system, but it is a small device that clips to the visor. One button push to make or receive calls. To place the call you just push the button and the device will tell you it's ready. Speak the command "Dail" + the number or use an entry in the phones phone book (i.e. Call Wife's Work) and the phone dials.



Great device for older cars -->> Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphones - Jabra CRUISER



>>>>

Oh yes, voice dialing has been around for years - But only for numbers you spell out or ones in your contact list. This mamma-jamma actually looks up the listing and dials it. Even worked for "Beiler printing," a little hole in the wall print shop in my town.

I'm sure just about any smart phone does it these days, I only mentioned android because that's what I've got.

Yeah, mine does that. I have T-Mobile with an HTC which has a genius button. One of the 4 actual "buttons" on the phone, and bright green so easy to see. Hit it and say "Call Walmart" or whatever, and it will call the one closest to me as long as I have location enabled. Also, I can say "Find Walmart", and it will take me with voice turn by turn directions to the nearest one.

(I think I have the phrasing right. I've only played with it and never really used it).

 

[uscitizen]

Most cell phones have GPS capabilities and could thus be programmed to disable texting if moving over a certain speed.

 

[Cuyo]

Most cell phones have GPS capabilities and could thus be programmed to disable texting if moving over a certain speed.

Negative, the gps antenna would have to be switched on at all times, thus draining the battery like whoa.

 

[WorldWatcher]

You have an android by any chance? I can now say, for example, "Call target" and it will look up and dial the nearest Target to my location. Wicked cool. "Navigate to" as well.

You don't need android for voice dialing. Many phones have had voice dialing for years and the vast majority of phones produced in the last few years have had it. The important thing is having wireless bluetooth in the phone (which most do today).


Our newer car has bluetooth installed with controls on the steering wheel. You don't have to take your hands off the well to answer a call or initiate one. To answer the call you just click the "Pick Up" button and the car mutes the stero and you hear the call through the speakers and just speak as their is a mike in the dash. You don't have to take the phone out of your pocket.

For old cars I have a Jabra Cruizer. Does the same think as the in car system, but it is a small device that clips to the visor. One button push to make or receive calls. To place the call you just push the button and the device will tell you it's ready. Speak the command "Dail" + the number or use an entry in the phones phone book (i.e. Call Wife's Work) and the phone dials.



Great device for older cars -->> Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphones - Jabra CRUISER



>>>>

Oh yes, voice dialing has been around for years - But only for numbers you spell out or ones in your contact list. This mamma-jamma actually looks up the listing and dials it. Even worked for "Beiler printing," a little hole in the wall print shop in my town.

I'm sure just about any smart phone does it these days, I only mentioned android because that's what I've got.

We've got cell phone service for a family of 4 for about $70.00 a month (all 4 lines). We've been Sprint customers for about 10 years and have a really old grandfathered plan. They notified us last year that come this January that plan would not be available to us anymore (we've had it for about 5 years). (My daughter uses a 2G Blackberry and pays a separate $30 data charge.)

I've got what you would call a dumb phone ( ). It's a clam-shell and I use it to make phone calls. Not for pictures, not for texting, not for calendar, not for games, not for apps - but phone calls.

We've started looking at phones for mom and I and the two college students. Not counting the cost of phones (we all have upgrades coming for a new contract) we're looking at about $45 per person for using smart phones with unlimited data/texting for the family. The kids are both working and at this point they'll kick in for phone service or go off on their own.


>>>>

 

[Intense]

I think it is abominable that professional drivers don't mind putting other drivers at risk!

SHALL COUNTY, Ky. — Truck drivers say they need them to talk to their families, keep in touch with companies and stay safe. So, they can't believe the government wants to ban all cell phone usage in big rigs.

It's a real issue that has the entire truck-driving community in an uproar.

This is in reaction to the announcement that a trucker texting and talking on a cell phone caused a deadly accident on Kentucky's I-65 near Munfordville last year.

NTSB calls for blanket ban on cell phones in big rigs | WPSD Local 6 - News, Sports, Weather - Paducah KY | Local

I think the Law is Total Bullshit.

 

[uscitizen]

We have many laws to stop the few stupid ones that inconvencience the many.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Just like when normal car drivers talk on the phone... It ain't the talking, it's the dialing.

Which is why I think hands-free requirements are bunk.

I have one touch dialing on my phone.

There's also voice dialing.

Mine has it too, I think most new phones do.

In any event, imo the hands free device doesn't help. It's not the act of holding the phone to your ear. I don't actually know anyone who drives with 2 hands anyway, even when they're not on the phone.

edit: of course, all big rigs have manual transmissions... Somethin to think about.

Newer trucks come with semi automatic and automatic transmissions.

 

[Intense]

This law will serve one purpose. It will make Unemployment look good.

 

[freedombecki]

Study on Use of Cell Phones While Driving

Worse than drunk driving
One of the leading researchers in this realm is Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Utah. His team has done several studies using volunteers who drive simulators while talking on cell phones. In one study, some of the volunteers got drunk first so their reactions could be compared to people who were talking while driving and to a control group that was entirely focused on driving.
"We found that people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood-alcohol limit," Drews said. In fact, while some of the participants crashed in a virtual vehicle while sober and chatting, none of them crashed while drunk.

Using a cell phone when driving

Texting While Driving

Previous studies had found that adults who talk on cell phones while driving in simulators perform as dismally as drunken study participants.
When talking on a cell phone, "drivers apparently attempt to divide attention between a phone conversation and driving, adjusting the processing priority of the two activities depending on task demands," the researchers behind the new study write in the journal Human Factors. That split in attention is worse than conversing with someone who is in the car, past research has found.
Texting is a whole other matter. It "requires drivers to switch their attention from one task to the other," the researchers said in a statement today. "When such attention-switching occurs as drivers compose, read, or receive a text, their overall reaction times are substantially slower than when they're engaged in a phone conversation."
Reading text messages affected braking time more than did composing messages.
The research was done by University of Utah psychologists Frank Drews, Dave Strayer and their colleagues. The simulations involved 20 men and 20 women between the ages of 19 and 23. The participants were described as experienced texters who had been driving an average of 4.75 years.

Drivers who text are six times more likely to crash

The news is not favorable either to people who use cell phones or text while driving. About 4 years ago, my husband was walking in a small downtown area. At the corner of his business at a busy intersection, a driver who was using a phone device had hit a man crossing the street in a wheelchair on a green light. When I heard that, I decided maybe it was a good idea not to use a phone when driving. I did wonder how my best friend always managed to drive ok when she was using a hands-free phone. But from what I've read, that's not entirely safe, either, particularly if you are driving alone. It seems to take people's minds off the road.

When the data is in on the increase in danger represented by safety of devices while driving v. non-use of devices, I'd like to see the stats in real life, such as how many vehicles involved in crashes have drivers using devices v. drivers not using devices, and can they tell?

Another factor I'd like them to consider is this: how many lives are saved because someone used a cell phone to get an ambulance to the scene of an accident, and the time differential between that and having to go locate a phone at a nearby residence or business.

 

[Intense]

Study on Use of Cell Phones While Driving

Worse than drunk driving
One of the leading researchers in this realm is Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Utah. His team has done several studies using volunteers who drive simulators while talking on cell phones. In one study, some of the volunteers got drunk first so their reactions could be compared to people who were talking while driving and to a control group that was entirely focused on driving.
"We found that people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood-alcohol limit," Drews said. In fact, while some of the participants crashed in a virtual vehicle while sober and chatting, none of them crashed while drunk.

Using a cell phone when driving

Texting While Driving

Previous studies had found that adults who talk on cell phones while driving in simulators perform as dismally as drunken study participants.
When talking on a cell phone, "drivers apparently attempt to divide attention between a phone conversation and driving, adjusting the processing priority of the two activities depending on task demands," the researchers behind the new study write in the journal Human Factors. That split in attention is worse than conversing with someone who is in the car, past research has found.
Texting is a whole other matter. It "requires drivers to switch their attention from one task to the other," the researchers said in a statement today. "When such attention-switching occurs as drivers compose, read, or receive a text, their overall reaction times are substantially slower than when they're engaged in a phone conversation."
Reading text messages affected braking time more than did composing messages.
The research was done by University of Utah psychologists Frank Drews, Dave Strayer and their colleagues. The simulations involved 20 men and 20 women between the ages of 19 and 23. The participants were described as experienced texters who had been driving an average of 4.75 years.

Drivers who text are six times more likely to crash

The news is not favorable either to people who use cell phones or text while driving. About 4 years ago, my husband was walking in a small downtown area. At the corner of his business at a busy intersection, a driver who was using a phone device had hit a man crossing the street in a wheelchair on a green light. When I heard that, I decided maybe it was a good idea not to use a phone when driving. I did wonder how my best friend always managed to drive ok when she was using a hands-free phone. But from what I've read, that's not entirely safe, either, particularly if you are driving alone. It seems to take people's minds off the road.

When the data is in on the increase in danger represented by safety of devices while driving v. non-use of devices, I'd like to see the stats in real life, such as how many vehicles involved in crashes have drivers using devices v. drivers not using devices, and can they tell?

Another factor I'd like them to consider is this: how many lives are saved because someone used a cell phone to get an ambulance to the scene of an accident, and the time differential between that and having to go locate a phone at a nearby residence or business.

My issue is the use of Voice dial, one touch, two touch phones. Nobody should be texting while driving. Passengers should be able to talk or text.

 

[freedombecki]

Study on Use of Cell Phones While Driving

Worse than drunk driving
One of the leading researchers in this realm is Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Utah. His team has done several studies using volunteers who drive simulators while talking on cell phones. In one study, some of the volunteers got drunk first so their reactions could be compared to people who were talking while driving and to a control group that was entirely focused on driving.
"We found that people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood-alcohol limit," Drews said. In fact, while some of the participants crashed in a virtual vehicle while sober and chatting, none of them crashed while drunk.

Using a cell phone when driving

Texting While Driving

Previous studies had found that adults who talk on cell phones while driving in simulators perform as dismally as drunken study participants.
When talking on a cell phone, "drivers apparently attempt to divide attention between a phone conversation and driving, adjusting the processing priority of the two activities depending on task demands," the researchers behind the new study write in the journal Human Factors. That split in attention is worse than conversing with someone who is in the car, past research has found.
Texting is a whole other matter. It "requires drivers to switch their attention from one task to the other," the researchers said in a statement today. "When such attention-switching occurs as drivers compose, read, or receive a text, their overall reaction times are substantially slower than when they're engaged in a phone conversation."
Reading text messages affected braking time more than did composing messages.
The research was done by University of Utah psychologists Frank Drews, Dave Strayer and their colleagues. The simulations involved 20 men and 20 women between the ages of 19 and 23. The participants were described as experienced texters who had been driving an average of 4.75 years.

Drivers who text are six times more likely to crash

The news is not favorable either to people who use cell phones or text while driving. About 4 years ago, my husband was walking in a small downtown area. At the corner of his business at a busy intersection, a driver who was using a phone device had hit a man crossing the street in a wheelchair on a green light. When I heard that, I decided maybe it was a good idea not to use a phone when driving. I did wonder how my best friend always managed to drive ok when she was using a hands-free phone. But from what I've read, that's not entirely safe, either, particularly if you are driving alone. It seems to take people's minds off the road.

When the data is in on the increase in danger represented by safety of devices while driving v. non-use of devices, I'd like to see the stats in real life, such as how many vehicles involved in crashes have drivers using devices v. drivers not using devices, and can they tell?

Another factor I'd like them to consider is this: how many lives are saved because someone used a cell phone to get an ambulance to the scene of an accident, and the time differential between that and having to go locate a phone at a nearby residence or business.

My issue is the use of Voice dial, one touch, two touch phones. Nobody should be texting while driving. Passengers should be able to talk or text.

I only snipped paragraphs from studies. The one on cell phones covered the use of hands-free phoning. The results were dismally not good. Apparently anything that distracts a driver from paying full attention to the road is not good, but driving with both hands on the wheel is the best option for the safest driving. Drinking and some drugs are also deleterious. Put them together with any other factor, risk goes up. Just sayin'.