POLL: Do You Use Your Cell Phone While Driving?
Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments section.
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By now, most of us have heard the warnings to stop using our cell phones while driving, but today the National Transportation Safety Board took a firm stance on the issue.
The board has issued a recommendation that all 50 states, and the District of Columbia, "ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices (other than those designed to support the driving task) for all drivers." Rhode Island already bans texting while driving, but the National Transportation Safety Board's recommendation would take it a step further, banning phone use altogether.
The advice comes just a few days after the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration released findings from its recent survey that studied drivers' perceptions of the safety risks associated with distracted driving. Three-quarters of respondents, according to the report, admitted to answering phone calls at least some of the time while driving.
Despite these warnings, do you still pick up the phone while driving?
Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Larry Tillman
9:00 pm on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Maybe they should do away with drive-thru fast food. They're probably way more dangerous than a cell phone. Seems like a lot of juggling goes on with unwrapping the food, finding ketchup or the soda. and frankly, I'd rather drop a cell phone on my lap than a cup of hot coffee.
Joyce Campbell
9:20 am on Thursday, December 15, 2011
I understnd the dangers of driving and texting, and yes dialing a number is disracting, but I think if they are including handsfree in this ban then maybe they should rethink it. The phone is not the only distraction while driving...having children in the car can cause many people to get distracted, when will the ban on that start! :)
Phoenix Finds
10:21 am on Thursday, December 15, 2011
We have had 2 minor accidents, in both cases the person was texting. I think if they were not this could have been avoided.
gerri
10:50 am on Thursday, December 15, 2011
Drivers can be distracted by many things. Lighting displays on houses/businesses at holiday time are distracting too. Should they be banned?
Good sense cannot be legislated! If cell phones are incapacitated while the vehicle is in motion, it will result in the same dopes who are texting, (or driving with their heads up their arse while on the phone), making unexpected/unsafe/inconsiderate pull-overs to make their phone calls! Result: accidents!
Taking a cell call while driving should be left to the discretion of the driver. Talking while driving (especially hands-free) does not require much mental attention. Cell phones should remain operational for driver safety. It is not always possible or wise to pull over to make a phone call. (To report an accident/disabled car or tree down on the highway, to report any other danger, threat or incident, or to call for directions when traveling in an unfamiliar urban area.) Sometimes cell calls are necessary, and having been made, remove driver stress and mental distraction!
Texting requires a higher degree of mental attention and takes the driver's eyes off the road, which is obviously dangerous. Ban texting.
As for GPS systems: They are safer than reading written directions or using a map (especially after dark), and should not be banned. They should be operational while the vehicle is moving.
MaryAnn
1:08 pm on Thursday, December 15, 2011
People drive like fools as it is - no directional signals, running red lights, etc. Another distraction sure isn't necessary. People should drive with other people's safety in mind as well as their own. Sharing the road should include other cars not just bicycles.