Hang up & drive!

[drivencrazy]

Isn't it better to be safe, rather than sorry?!

Maybe it's not the cell phone that causes the fire, maybe it's what is being missed while the person is on the cell phone. Who knows. But I know that I would rather hang up for a few minutes then risk something happening.

A while back here, there was a woman filling her tank and walked away to answer her phone... the gas pump didn't shut off and gas went EVERYWHERE, the fire station was called and the gas station was shut down for almost 24 hours while trying to get everything cleaned up... would it have happened if she wouldn't have been on the phone, maybe, but maybe not.

 

[KyraS]

I'll probably be booed but I'm for banning bluetooth too. What about emergency vehicles coming when you are talking? I'm sorry but I don't think you should be able to talk PERIOD while you are driving (texting either) because you are just not as aware as you would be otherwise. If something is so important that it can't wait then pull over into a parking lot or something.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

When was the last time that you read a story of a gas station going up in flames because of someone using a cell phone, or for that matter leaving their engine running?

I actually just read about one from May 2004. It was in New Paltz, New York.

I personally don't know anyone whose been struck by lightening but that doesn't mean I go out into a field every time there's a lightening storm.

 

[englishteacha]

I don't know how true this is, but a co-worker told me that a teen girl was drinking and driving...and texting. When the girl got in an accident (the tree just jumped right out in front of her!), her mother was angry that there was no law against texting and driving! (Not angry that her underage daughter was drunk and driving) One would think some things would be common sense!

 

[Nancy]

NY State has had the no cell phone law for a while now..I don't see it ever being inforced though, heck I even saw a town cop driving with a cell phone attached to his ear. OK,technically he was at the red light next to me, but he was still chatting away on it.

I had an incident with road rage Friday night because I dared to beep at a guy that was sitting at a green light chatting on his phone. I gave a little beep and then yelled (inside a car with closed windows) 'hang up the cell and drive your car.' well, he flipped out on me!

 

[MickeySP]

I also wish they would ban people eating/drinking while driving.

 

[Camicar]

I'm sorry but I don't think you should be able to talk PERIOD while you are driving (texting either) because you are just not as aware as you would be otherwise

So, you never talk to anyone else riding in your car? You drive around and sit there in total silence?

 

[DISUNC]

I swear I'm about ready to make a sign & keep it in my car. The next time an idiot on a cell phone cuts me off, I'm going to pass them at the next safest opportunity & flash them the sign.

Must of had a record number of them today while running errands.

I started a thread just like this a few months ago!!!! And was 'crucified" by Disers...who all thought they can do both!

 

[legalsea]

I do think that the insurance companies will soon weigh in on this issue. It would be a simple thing for an insurance company to declare that it will not be responsible for paying damages if the insured were using a cell phone while driving.

Say you are driving and talking on the telephone (I care not if it is hand-free or not). You are involved in an accident. The insurance company will be able to routinely obtain your cell phone records showing if you were using the phone at the time of the accident. If your phone was on, you are not covered.

Even if you did not 'cause' the accident, the insurance company may still deny coverage, arguing that if you were not on the phone you may have been able to avoid the accident. You would probably have to prove that the accident was unavoidable and that your being on the phone was immaterial.

 

[kelleigh1]

Wish this issue was on the ballot next week. And I don't want just a state ban. I want a federal ban. I can't tell you how many times I've almost been in accidents because some idiot on a cell phone wasn't paying attention.

And to all those who say "I've never had an accident while talking on my phone", that just means you were lucky. It doesn't mean you were safe. It probably means the people around you were paying attention so when you drifted lanes or pulled out in front of them, at least they were paying enough attention to avoid you.

A car is not a toy. It's a machine that can kill you if you don't use it properly, so put down the phone and drive!!

 

[*Fantasia*]

I swear I'm about ready to make a sign & keep it in my car. The next time an idiot on a cell phone cuts me off, I'm going to pass them at the next safest opportunity & flash them the sign.

Must of had a record number of them today while running errands.

Wow... did I write this?? You just took the words out of my mouth! I swear I was going to write this last night. Too many crazy drivers.. and sure enough I find them on the cell phone. You might as well drive drunk! They impair themself when driving.. they can't pay attention to what is going on around them, it's slows their ability or it makes them over speed!

 

[DrCavin]

I do think that the insurance companies will soon weigh in on this issue. It would be a simple thing for an insurance company to declare that it will not be responsible for paying damages if the insured were using a cell phone while driving.

Say you are driving and talking on the telephone (I care not if it is hand-free or not). You are involved in an accident. The insurance company will be able to routinely obtain your cell phone records showing if you were using the phone at the time of the accident. If your phone was on, you are not covered.

Even if you did not 'cause' the accident, the insurance company may still deny coverage, arguing that if you were not on the phone you may have been able to avoid the accident. You would probably have to prove that the accident was unavoidable and that your being on the phone was immaterial.

They will be able to prove EXACTLY when the accident occurred? Better not use your cell to call for help because they may say the accident was at 1:01 & really it was at 1:00 but you were on your cell at 1:01 calling for help!!

 

[Stitchfans]

I agree with you 100%+. That is a big big pet peeve of mine.

 

[legalsea]

They will be able to prove EXACTLY when the accident occurred? Better not use your cell to call for help because they may say the accident was at 1:01 & really it was at 1:00 but you were on your cell at 1:01 calling for help!!

Hmm. Have you ever been in an accident? I'm not talking about a 'fender bender' where you back into a tree or such (most reasonable people would not file a claim for such a thing, since they know it would probably end up in higher insurance rates).

Really, if you are driving through a red light, talking on the telephone, and you hit another person who is lawfully proceeding through said intersection, I doubt that proving that you were on the telephone when the accident occurred will be too hard.

You are also assuming that the insurance company has to 'prove' this and that before they deny your claim. I believe that the way things will eventually 'shake out' is: the insurance company will obtain your cell phone records; if the time of the accident was anywhere close to a time you were on the cell phone, then the insurance company will deny your claim. You will then have to prove them wrong. Some people have even had to 'file a law suit' against an insurance company to get them to pay the claim. Shocking, but true.

After all, the purpose of an insurance company is to maximize shareholders value, isn't it?

 

[pooh6890]

I guess I am the only one left in this world that does NOT have a cell phone. So, I have a real problem with anyone talking on their phone and driving, let alone texting. What is SO important that you can't wait until you get where you are going and then phone someone? From what I can see every day on the way to work, people are just gabbing away and driving and totally paying no attention to the road or their driving. I was practically run out of my lane at least 5 times this week. I ride with my co-worker and he gabs away on the phone, driving in two lanes at once and paying no attention to what he is doing. At least once or twice I have to say something to him. The other post on carrying groceries and talking on the phone........is that really necessary? You can't put down the phone long enough to carry groceries?......yeesh!

Thanks for the rant!

 

[disykat]

It's hands only here. The law went into effect last July and either a lot of people don't know or they simply don't care. They just keep holding their phones to their ears. Since it's a secondary offense, they can't be pulled over for it. You can only be ticketed if they happen to pull you for something else and you are on your phone. How stupid is that?

 

[agnes!]

I never have but I do see people doing it all the time....can I ask why is it dangerous to pump gas and talk on a blue tooth?

I believe it's the static electricity mixed with gas fumes, but I could be wrong. There are signs at the gas pumps where I live warning people not to do it.

http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp

MytheBusters did a piece on this & found this was not true as well.

Snopes hasn't said that there isn't a risk. They have said that, in their opinion, the news reports that have linked cell phones to fires at gas stations have been erroneous, even though the police said that link is valid. This all stems from a few cases where later investigations revealled that it wasn't the cell phone after all. In the article, it also says that researchers say there is a risk and that cell phone companies list such usage as a small risk. It also lists numerous companies/countries that ban cell phone usage at the pump.

So, at best, all this article tells us is that the results are inconclusive.

Snopes quotes the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) as saying the following...

PEI has been in contact with the fire marshal in New Patz, NY to learn more about this incident. It turns out the initial reports were not accurate. Pattrick Koch, the fire chief of New Paltz, NY offered PEI this statement:
"After further investigation of the accident scene and another discussion with the victim of the May 13 gasoline station fire in New Paltz, I have concluded the source of the ignition was from a source other than the cell phone the motorist was carrying. Although we will probably never know for sure, the source of the ignition was most likely static discharge from the motorist himself to the nozzle dispensing gasoline."

I also found this FCC advisory:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wirelessgas.html

The first couple of sentence are:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been alerted to recent reports and rumors that suggest it is dangerous to use a wireless phone while filling your vehicle with gas or in the presence of flammable materials.

The rumors and reports may be fueled by warnings posted at gas stations or included in wireless phone owners’ manuals suggesting that wireless phones should not be used around fuel vapors.

There is no evidence that these reports are true.

Maybe all car-drivers and car-passengers who potentially could discharge a static-charge should be banned ?

agnes!

 

[pooh6890]

What difference does it make? Just hang up the phone and pump your gas...........!

 

[momrek06]

I guess I am the only one left in this world that does NOT have a cell phone. What is SO important that you can't wait until you get where you are going and then phone someone? From what I can see every day on the way to work, people are just gabbing away and driving and totally paying no attention to the road or their driving.

The other post on carrying groceries and talking on the phone........is that really necessary? You can't put down the phone long enough to carry groceries?......yeesh!

POOH, if you read my post correctly....nevermind I will copy it here....I said HAVING A BLUETOOTH, not a cellphone and NOT owning a cellphone OBVIOUSLY you do not know what a bluetooth is..........yeesh!

DH & I went out and bought "blue tooths" and really like them esp when you are talking and you stop to get out of the car....the hands free is awesome!!! I never had a blue tooth in MA. Having the blue tooth allows you to continue talking even if you have your hands full of groceries or you are pumping gas etc!!!

...This is an example of a bluetooth, it clips on your ear, making you completely hands free.

NOW about cellphones.....AND the lack thereof......
Having a cellphone is NOT just for talking to friends. Last Xmas season, I drove to a Mall that is about 16 miles from my MA home AND all backroads. I left early (8am) as the Mall opened early. Did my shopping. Left the Mall around noon and realized as I am heading back home that there is now construction and roadblocks everywhere that were not there when I headed to the Mall. The Police has everyone going in all different directions....I am so confused now and w/o GPS (which I have since purchased) I tried so hard to get back home. I kept turning down all these backroads and was getting NO WHERE fast. I got pretty upset but kept saying I will do this, I am not calling DH or DS. After 15 minutes of following people and deciding that was not right and ending up in all these different neighborhoods....I decided to drive back to where the Police had everyone re-routed....I figured I will ask him how to head in the direction I need.... well, no one was there, they had all left for lunch BUT the road I needed was still BLOCKED.

Now was the time to use my cellphone . I pulled over in front of someone's house and called DH. He was on his computer and asked me the address I was at...I gave him the house # and the street and he went on Mapquest and then directed me out of that neighborhood, that town and I finally was able to find my way back home. I was just so glad he was home and it was not night time.

My new GPS has this awesome feature on it that says "get me home from here"...so if I am every lost again, I just push that button and I am all set!!

I FIND HAVING A CELLPHONE ABSOLUTELY A NECESSITY!!!

 

[agnes!]

What difference does it make? Just hang up the phone and pump your gas...........!

Not any difference to me. I don't think I've ever made or taken a cell-phone call when I'm pumping gas at a gas-station because I am there to fill my car's tank.

*However*, the gas-station stickers I've seen state that cell-phones should be turned OFF. Completely. As if there's something life-threatening and potentially dangerous about a cell-phone simply being on while it's on your person or even just in the car. People are inherently more dangerous around a gas station than a cell-phone because of the very real and proven danger of static-electricity discharge, but I haven't seen any stickers about how people should be banned.

Is it easier to needlessly worry about an unproven but minutely possible theoretical danger than it is to think about a proven danger that all of us potentially can encounter every single time we pump gas?

Maybe.
agnes!