Do you talk on the cell phone when.....

[Tweety05]

Do you talk on the cell phone when driving? Lately I've been in sooooo many almost accidents because people are driving while on the cell phone. They are swerving, not doing the speed limit, etc...The other day I'm passing this woman on the freeway whose on the cell phone and smoking a cigarette ? Personally, I don't like to talk on the phone & drive. Its a distraction for me. I've been noticing the increase number of drivers who are on there cell phones.

Be honest, do you talk on the phone when driving? Some states are going to ban this.

 

[kaylajr]

In NY it is already agaisnt the law I believe but most people still do it

Talking on the phone is one thing
but i have seen people reading the paper
putting on makeup
changing there clothes
and driving with a dog in there lap

Maybe I should stop driving on the Northway

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

I'll put my phone on speaker, set it down and talk while driving. I don't see how this is any different than talking to a passenger sitting next to you in the car.

There are plenty of other distractions out there that are just as bad or much worse than cell phones. Changing the radio, CDs, people smoking, eating, drinking, rambunctious kids, pets unsecured... heck, I've even seen people trying to read, put on makeup, shave, watch tv or DVDs on portable devices while driving. Cell phones are just one tiny piece of this problem.

Instead of outlawing cell phones while driving, they ought to make stiffer fines for people who drive while distracted and start enforcing it more.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

I have and probably will. It's no more distracting that talking to passengers, fiddling with the radio/CD player, or all the other things drivers do that cause them not to pay attention to driving.

 

[Barb D]

I do, but not when I have to merge, change lanes, etc. I hang up on people if I have to.

 

[Annette_VA]

I do, but I use a bluetooth headset

 

[mudnuri]

I do usually on speaker, but

I did hit a deer last year in my Envoy while changing songs on my mp3 player. It was the mp3 player that I was paying attention too...more than likely had I not been changing songs, I would have seen the deer before I hit them

Brandy

 

[Pixiedust34]

I pull over if I have to make a call. I usually don't answer the phone when driving, either. There is too much heavy traffic where I live to deal with talking and driving at the same time.

 

[crz4mm2]

Yes I do.

 

[DVCLiz]

I talk on my cell phone almost every time I get in my car, but it's usually around town doing errands, etc. In other words, no heavy highway traffic. I can easily talk on the phone and pay attention to the traffic at the same time - not sure why so many people seem unable to do this without crashing!!!!

If I have a problem, I'll always say "Hold on a minute, I'm in traffic" and my friend does the same to me. If I thought I was not a safe driver when chatting, I'd hang up right away.

 

[diznygirl]

I'll put my phone on speaker, set it down and talk while driving. I don't see how this is any different than talking to a passenger sitting next to you in the car.

There are plenty of other distractions out there that are just as bad or much worse than cell phones. Changing the radio, CDs, people smoking, eating, drinking, rambunctious kids, pets unsecured... heck, I've even seen people trying to read, put on makeup, shave, watch tv or DVDs on portable devices while driving. Cell phones are just one tiny piece of this problem.

Instead of outlawing cell phones while driving, they ought to make stiffer fines for people who drive while distracted and start enforcing it more.

It is my belief that bad drivers are bad drivers whether they are talking on a cell phone or not. I once saw a guy eating with chopsticks while driving!

 

[tkd lisa]

I do. But only when it's a reasonable time to do it. I don't do it when I'm on base (there's a policy against this now), or when I'm entering a highway or exiting. I only dial if I'm stopped at a light. I will answer when it rings, unless I'm entering or exiting the highway.

Again, I'm less distracted on the phone than I am when my kids are acting up! And yes, I have been known to pull over to deal with them on occasion!

 

[DisneyBug1995]

Myth Busters just did a show on weather it was dangerous to talk on the cell phone while driving. Their results showed that talking on the phone while driving was the same as driving while under the influence of alcohol.

 

[stinkerbelle]

It's "illegal" to hold the cell phone up to your head in the state of CT...you have to use hands-free or speakerphone.

Still gotta look down to dial if you don't have voice-activated dialing!

I, personally, don't talk on the phone while in the car...basically, cause I hate talking on the phone anyway! If i'm expecting a call I'll stick in my earbud before I start driving.

people who say they are "fine driving with a cell phone", IMO, are fooling themselves (i've heard it alot here at the office since the 'law' in CT was passed) I've been stuck behind some real "winners" who were on the phone while driving.

 

[Marseeya]

It depends on where I am.

I don't agree with those who think they're fine. I'm a VERY good driver and I can tell the difference when I'm talking on a cell versus talking in person. When you're talking in person, you have two sets of eyes on the road and they can see what's going on and adjust the conversation accordingly. When you're on the phone, it's different.

Anyway, I do get on the phone for a quick "I'm running late" or "Where are you?" but only if I'm on the highway (the highway I drive on is rarely busy) or in town if there are not many other cars around. I won't do it in traffic or if the highway is busy. Where I live, there isn't much traffic. If someone calls and I need to have an actual conversation, I pull over or ask them to call back.

DH is on the phone for most of his hour and a half drive home from work and it scares me to death.

 

[mainewmn]

I talk on my cell while driving. But to my defense I have been known to hung up on people if I feel I’m getting to distracted from driving and do not use my cell while in heavy traffic. On the other hand, I seen lots of people, shave, apply makeup, eat and even read while driving during my years of commute so I guess by their standards I’m a pretty safe driver.

 

[ericamanda01]

I really think that driving while talking on a cell phone should be against the law. I am all for using a headset so your hands can be on the wheel but otherwise it shouldn't be allowed. I lived in Japan for a while in the Navy and while there they passed a law where you couldn't use a cell phone when driving. So rather than break the law, they would pull over. I personally think we have become far to dependent on cell phones, I mean how many calls are sooooo important that you can't wait to take them? Everyone who calls me knows that I will not answer the phone while I am driving. No call is worth possibly causing an accident.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

It is illegal here so no. I use my hands free set. Some people are ok when driving while on the cell but honostly, why chance it? I have also seen worse though.

-Applying makeup
-Shaving
-Reading (not directions, a book, better yet a novel!!)
-Eating an ice cream cone while playing with the radio. (This was a friend and yes she got into a minor accident. I yelled at her good after that.)
-Once I saw a woman eating ice cream from a bowl with a spoon while in heavy (but moving) rush hour traffic. She was swerving all over the road and wouldn't put the bowl down to drive. I got off the road fast after seeing that.

Now anyone who has driven on the LIE has seen it all when it comes to doing distracting things while driving.

 

[yeartolate]

I have been hit by folks talking on cell phones and driving - twice. One was a major accident totalling my car. If my then 4 year old son was with me he probably would have died.

My feelings are pretty clear on the subject.

 

[taximomfor4]

In NY it is already agaisnt the law I believe but most people still do it

Talking on the phone is one thing
but i have seen people reading the paper
putting on makeup
changing there clothes
and driving with a dog in there lap

Maybe I should stop driving on the Northway

Dog in lap. I was in TWO near-accidents last week. BOTH were people driving with a dog on their lap.

And yes, I talk on the cell ... on speaker phone. But I will not hang up or dial while moving...only at red lights. In other words, I will not look away from the road while my car is in motion. Same for the radio or food. I will not change CDs while in motion, and I can hit the button to skip a song without looking. Food: I will open the wrapper while stopped, will only eat non-messy one-hand foods and will wait till stopped to put empty wrapper in garbage bin.

I too feel that talking to my dd while driving is the same as talking on my cell on speakerphone while driving. DD isn't watching the road with me, neither is the person on the cell phone with me. And if someone I am talking to wants to hang up with me, and I am not yet at a red light, I make them wait. (Can you say POWER TRIP? j/k)

Beth