New Cell Phone Car Use Report shows 400% more accidents

[K1JJ]

Wow...

Just read a front page article in the Hartford Courant talking
about a study done in Perth, Australia.  In Australia, they can
look at phone records legally, thus able to see who was on the
phone at the time of a car crash. It appears that the cell phone
distraction makes it four times more likely to have an accident
over a non-user.  That's quite a message.  [I think this similar
article was in other national papers too.]  There's more cell phones
out there than land lines now and it said that cell users use 40%
of their driving time on the phone!! Amazing.

CT and many of the NEast states have a new law requiring
hands-off cell phone use. Headset VOX, baby. But now some of the
insurance big guns are saying that it doesn't help much...
the brain can only multi-task so many duties and the driving
gets compromised greatly.

I had a feeling it would eventually come to this. Hams can
multitask cuz they're smarter...    -  But, now that John
Q Pubic is in the act by the millions, the game is changing
and the spotlight is on.

T

[W3SLK]

I have got on our plant's safety department to outlaw cell phone use in the plant. On a good day we have anywhere from 1-1.5 million gallons of volatile chemicals & solvents on site, (toluene, methanol, ethanol, hexane to name a few).Their reply is that plant personel use radios why not cell phones. I tried to explain the difference between half-duplex vs full duplex communications. Like Ralphie says "...They looked at me as if I had lobsters growing out of my head..."

[K1JJ]

I.Their reply is that plant personel use radios
why not cell phones. I tried to explain the difference between
half-duplex vs full duplex communications.

Mikey,
Ya know, I never thought of that!!   Yes, there IS a difference
in brain loading. And probably much more than a linear 50%
reduction.

I guess the bottom line here is that if millions of people continue
to have more accidents, then the car insurance rates will go up
for everyone. The insurance companies are not dummies and
simply look at the stats and adjust risk and premiums accordingly.

T

[k4kyv]

Would a hands-free mobile phone be any more of a distraction than simply talking with a live person while driving?

Once, while I was visiting Italy, I noticed that many drivers' heads were turned sideways.  You could see their profile instead of the back of their heads from the car behind.  These drivers were engrossed in conversation with the person in the front passenger seat.

So are in-car conversations going to be banned next?

[W3SLK]

Don said:

Once, while I was visiting Italy, I noticed that many drivers' heads were turned sideways. You could see their profile instead of the back of their heads from the car behind. These drivers were engrossed in conversation with the person in the front passenger seat.

No Don, all they will do is tie their hands together

[WA1GFZ]

Gee,
This was a good morning drive to work. I only flipped two people off because gabbing on the phone was more important than signaling into my lane. I can't wait for the law to become effective. Most people are too stupid to drive then they get a phone and you have to become a mind reader for their next rash move. I only travel 5 miles on RT91 and RT20
so that is why my count is so low.  gfz

[Paul, K2ORC]

Everyone from soccer moms to pimp daddies
are rolling with one hand holding the little Nokiola
up to their ear while the other hand does something
else.  Looking at the road is an afterthought with these chumps
and chumpettes.  I was nearly run down in a
crosswalk at high noon on the main drag a
couple of weeks ago by some soccer ho in an SUV.  
She was yacking on her cell and primping her grill
in the rearview mirror and I missed getting
flattened and embossed with a Ford emblem by
inches.  I gave her the bone and called her a
"Stupid ho" as she disappeared up the block.   I'm
sure she did not hear me, but the old fart beat cop
on the corner did and he invited me over for a
discussion about language and good manners.  
I explained what happened and asked if he saw it.  
He allowed as how he did not, but that he did see
and hear me and it didn't matter what had happened
because "Stupid ho" and nasty sign language weren't
the kinds of things he liked to hear and see at high
noon on the main drag of his fine town.  I allowed
as how he'd probably then rather have seen me
lying in the crosswalk at that very moment with
my head as big and flat as a thin crust pie.  He allowed as
how that would have been okay with him because
men who went around calling women "Stupid hos"
deserved whatever happened to them.  I allowed as
how he was a lunchbucket.  He didn't care
much for that and I guess some other time
he would have run me in for mopery or something.
But it was noon and the high school summer
school classes up the street were getting out for
lunch and then he'd miss staring at the 16 year old
bad girls in tight shorts so I walked away.  
See all the trouble people cause who yack on the
cellphone while they're driving?

[WA1GFZ]

A moron rear ended my beautiful 88 3/4 ton truck talking on a phone and my head went through the rear window so I tend to be a red neck about this subject. That caused me to wait 3 extra years building the new QTH costing about $5K extra for lumber.
I wanted to punch the AH out but he looked older than me. I was really pissed when I found he was 8 years younger.

[Jack-KA3ZLR-]

Welp, I have from time to time been Guilty of Checking out Seat covers, So, One Distraction is a good as the next I guess.

Of course checking out Seat covers is much more to My Liking compared to a piece of plastic, and i'm always going."Huh..?"..what'd you Say...then i have to pull off so i can here what i'm doing..