Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[EvilPie]

Doesn't look good. 

Probably won't help me stating the obvious but why no hands free kit or sat nav? 

Hands-free kit (Moby summons) - new 'phone, Chilli's fault.

Sat-Nav (Running the Red Light) - I have a Sat-Nav. I did not have the Postcode of the address, or know the exact address.

All so avoidable, in hindsight.

Using a mobile without a proper hands-free kit is more dangerous than exceeding the speed limit - imo of course.  You only have one free hand for the wheel, you have to look at the phone to dial or receive a call, and please don't tell me you were sending a text...

Also, what's so important that you had to use the phone whilst driving? 

 

Debate required.

Driving whilst using a phone is not as dangerous as speeding imo.

It all depends on how well your brain can cope with doing more than one thing at once. Some people obviously can't but I know that I can cope well and so can most.

Given the choice which would you prefer:-

Step out 10m in front of a car doing 30mph where the driver is using a mobile

Step out 10m in front of a car doing 50mph where the driver is not using a mobile?

I can't see how being handsfree can affect how quickly your foot hits the brake. You are either concentrating or you're not.

[TheChipPrince]

hands free kits, smands free kits, its not the holding of the phone, its the concentration you put into a conversion that takes your focus of something which to do safely requires a lot of concentration...

[EvilPie]

hands free kits, smands free kits, its not the holding of the phone, its the concentration you put into a conversion that takes your focus of something which to do safely requires a lot of concentration...

Exactly

[RED-DOG]

hands free kits, smands free kits, its not the holding of the phone, its the concentration you put into a conversion that takes your focus of something which to do safely requires a lot of concentration...

Cobblers! That means that you can't talk to the person sitting next to you.

[EvilPie]

hands free kits, smands free kits, its not the holding of the phone, its the concentration you put into a conversion that takes your focus of something which to do safely requires a lot of concentration...

Cobblers! That means that you can't talk to the person sitting next to you.

I think that's what he's comparing it to.

How can talking on your phone be any different to talking to the person next to you with one hand on the steering wheel and one arm on your arm rest.

Obviously dialling numbers or texting are very different but actually having the conversation shouldn't be worse than chatting away to your passenger.

[RED-DOG]

Cobblers again! (I just like typing it)

[EvilPie]

Cobblers again! (I just like typing it)

Peach cobblers!!

[kinboshi]

Doesn't look good. 

Probably won't help me stating the obvious but why no hands free kit or sat nav? 

Hands-free kit (Moby summons) - new 'phone, Chilli's fault.

Sat-Nav (Running the Red Light) - I have a Sat-Nav. I did not have the Postcode of the address, or know the exact address.

All so avoidable, in hindsight.

Using a mobile without a proper hands-free kit is more dangerous than exceeding the speed limit - imo of course.  You only have one free hand for the wheel, you have to look at the phone to dial or receive a call, and please don't tell me you were sending a text...

Also, what's so important that you had to use the phone whilst driving? 

 

Debate required.

Driving whilst using a phone is not as dangerous as speeding imo.

It all depends on how well your brain can cope with doing more than one thing at once. Some people obviously can't but I know that I can cope well and so can most.

Given the choice which would you prefer:-

Step out 10m in front of a car doing 30mph where the driver is using a mobile

Step out 10m in front of a car doing 50mph where the driver is not using a mobile?

I can't see how being handsfree can affect how quickly your foot hits the brake. You are either concentrating or you're not.

Exceeding the speed limit is NOT dangerous.  Excessive speed is. 

Driving at 50mph in a 50mph zone whilst it's pouring down with rain could be dangerous.  You're not speeding, but your speed might be excessive.  Add a driver using a mobile phone without a handsfree kit into the same situation, and you've got a potential accident waiting to happen.

Talking and listening whilst driving isn't the issue - as Tom said, that's the same as talking to a passenger - or even to yourself.  The use of a phone that you have to look at to read the screen and the buttons is extremely distracting to the driver (as research has shown).  Texting whilst driving is just asking to be in a accident.

[kinboshi]

hands free kits, smands free kits, its not the holding of the phone, its the concentration you put into a conversion that takes your focus of something which to do safely requires a lot of concentration...

Is that just personal opinion?  It's not what the research says.  It's the fact that you have to look at the phone to interact with it (and therefore take your eyes off the road) that's dangerous.  Of course, picking up a ringing mobile to answer the call and say that you're driving isn't in itself that dangerous (imo) as you don't have to look at the phone to do this.  But I don't think we're limiting the use of a mobile phone to just this in the 'debate' are we?

[TheChipPrince]

hands free kits, smands free kits, its not the holding of the phone, its the concentration you put into a conversion that takes your focus of something which to do safely requires a lot of concentration...

Is that just personal opinion?  It's not what the research says.  It's the fact that you have to look at the phone to interact with it (and therefore take your eyes off the road) that's dangerous.  Of course, picking up a ringing mobile to answer the call and say that you're driving isn't in itself that dangerous (imo) as you don't have to look at the phone to do this.  But I don't think we're limiting the use of a mobile phone to just this in the 'debate' are we?

Yep jus my two bob's worth. On a mobile i always find, hands free kit or not, your straining to get a clear signal, or really focusing on what the other person is saying, while in turn shouting yourself.  More than once ive been on the phone, finished the consersation and literally cannot remember driving the last 1/2 a mile. Scary really.

[kinboshi]

hands free kits, smands free kits, its not the holding of the phone, its the concentration you put into a conversion that takes your focus of something which to do safely requires a lot of concentration...

Is that just personal opinion?  It's not what the research says.  It's the fact that you have to look at the phone to interact with it (and therefore take your eyes off the road) that's dangerous.  Of course, picking up a ringing mobile to answer the call and say that you're driving isn't in itself that dangerous (imo) as you don't have to look at the phone to do this.  But I don't think we're limiting the use of a mobile phone to just this in the 'debate' are we?

Yep jus my two bob's worth. On a mobile i always find, hands free kit or not, your straining to get a clear signal, or really focusing on what the other person is saying, while in turn shouting yourself.  More than once ive been on the phone, finished the consersation and literally cannot remember driving the last 1/2 a mile. Scary really.

Decent hands-free kit FTW.

[EvilPie]

hands free kits, smands free kits, its not the holding of the phone, its the concentration you put into a conversion that takes your focus of something which to do safely requires a lot of concentration...

Is that just personal opinion?  It's not what the research says.  It's the fact that you have to look at the phone to interact with it (and therefore take your eyes off the road) that's dangerous.  Of course, picking up a ringing mobile to answer the call and say that you're driving isn't in itself that dangerous (imo) as you don't have to look at the phone to do this.  But I don't think we're limiting the use of a mobile phone to just this in the 'debate' are we?

Yep jus my two bob's worth. On a mobile i always find, hands free kit or not, your straining to get a clear signal, or really focusing on what the other person is saying, while in turn shouting yourself.  More than once ive been on the phone, finished the consersation and literally cannot remember driving the last 1/2 a mile. Scary really.

Decent hands-free kit FTW.

You still have to scroll through menus and things with a good built in hands free kit.

The one I've got seems very good. Your whole phone book is on the screen and you can voice activate so technically no need to remove hands from the steering wheel.

However even if you used the (shit) voice activation you still need to look at the screen to check if you're ringing the right person. You wouldn't use the voice activation though because it's shit.

Therefore you're having to scroll through the names on the screen which is obviously distracting.

I freely admit that this could be dangerous but it's allowed by law so I do it. I would never say however that it is any more dangerous than tuning in my stereo whilst driving.

[EvilPie]

Doesn't look good. 

Probably won't help me stating the obvious but why no hands free kit or sat nav? 

Hands-free kit (Moby summons) - new 'phone, Chilli's fault.

Sat-Nav (Running the Red Light) - I have a Sat-Nav. I did not have the Postcode of the address, or know the exact address.

All so avoidable, in hindsight.

Using a mobile without a proper hands-free kit is more dangerous than exceeding the speed limit - imo of course.  You only have one free hand for the wheel, you have to look at the phone to dial or receive a call, and please don't tell me you were sending a text...

Also, what's so important that you had to use the phone whilst driving? 

 

Debate required.

Driving whilst using a phone is not as dangerous as speeding imo.

It all depends on how well your brain can cope with doing more than one thing at once. Some people obviously can't but I know that I can cope well and so can most.

Given the choice which would you prefer:-

Step out 10m in front of a car doing 30mph where the driver is using a mobile

Step out 10m in front of a car doing 50mph where the driver is not using a mobile?

I can't see how being handsfree can affect how quickly your foot hits the brake. You are either concentrating or you're not.

Exceeding the speed limit is NOT dangerous.  Excessive speed is. 

Driving at 50mph in a 50mph zone whilst it's pouring down with rain could be dangerous.  You're not speeding, but your speed might be excessive.  Add a driver using a mobile phone without a handsfree kit into the same situation, and you've got a potential accident waiting to happen.

So is exessive speed more dangerous than using a mobile at a safe speed? 

In your pouring down with rain scenario why does the phone have to be the final straw that turns this in to a potential accident?

Why not say that a driver doing 30mph while on his phone in a 50mph limit could be dangerous. You're not speeding and despite the conditions your speed is not excessive. Add 20mph to your speed and you've got a potential accident waiting to happen.

[Moskvich]

I guess this is also probably only personal opinion, but I think it is more dangerous to be talking on the phone than to be talking to a passenger. The person on the other end of the phone doesn't really appreciate that you're driving and can't see what you can see (potential hazards etc), so is likely to demand your attention in a way that a passenger isn't. If you're driving with a passenger and things get complicated, you've got no problem instinctively pausing the conversation for a minute or two, and chances are the passenger appreciates that and shuts up too. You're much less likely to do that if your attention is with the person on the end of the phone.

I nearly had an accident a while back while on the phone, and realised afterwards that my attention was almost entirely taken up by the conversation - I couldn't remember anything about my driving in the previous couple of minutes. I've never had that problem while driving with a passenger.

[EvilPie]

I nearly had an accident a while back while on the phone, and realised afterwards that my attention was almost entirely taken up by the conversation - I couldn't remember anything about my driving in the previous couple of minutes. I've never had that problem while driving with a passenger.

This is probably not caused by being on the phone. It's just because driving is such a mundane task that you don't take notes of what you're doing. It was only because of the near miss that you stopped to think about it and decided that it may have been the phone that was the cause.

Can you remember anything about your drive to work this morning? I'd guess not much unless there was a specific incident that doesn't normally happen.

It's the same as locking your door in the morning when you go to work. It's just something you do but don't always know that you've actually done.

If I was to ask you if you'd locked your door this morning you would say "yes of course". If I was to say that your life depended on getting the answer correct but gave you a probably option I'm pretty sure you'd take the probably.

You know that you locked your door this morning because you always do but if you think back can you actually remember stepping out of the door and turning the key. Are you sure it's not yesterday you're remembering?

It's the same with driving. We do it so much that we do it without realising.