Cell-phone-driving ban takes effect July 1 in Washington (Washington State)

The Seattle Times ^ | June 23, 2008

[dragnet2]

Look slick, if you want to multi-task while driving down the highway, be my guest!!

[boogerbear]

Look slick maybe you should READ WHAT WAS WRITTEN before getting your panties in a bunch. What’s apparently making you mad is 100% a figment of YOUR IMAGINATION.

Don’t get mad at me for your hallucinations SLICK.

[dragnet2]

Hmmm, you seem angry...Maybe ya ought to turn down that internal music in your head.

[Stoat]

It won't be long, it will be illegal to talk to other people in your car

If a way could be devised to muzzle back-seat drivers, I might just sign on to such a proposal  :-)

PASSENGER; "Stoat, you're going the wrong way"

STOAT:: "Umm...actually, this is the right way, but perhaps not the exact route you're accustomed to."

PASSENGER: "Then it's the wrong way!"  (passenger starts to cry)

STOAT: "Okay then, I'm sorry, my fault.  Which route would you like to take?  We can go any way you like."

PASSENGER: "I don't remember the names of the streets!  I just know what the houses look like along the way!"

STOAT: "Okay then, would you like to drive around until we see a house or landmark that you recognize, and then go from there?"

PASSENGER: "No! That's a waste of gas!" (sobbing)

STOAT: (banging head against steering wheel)

[boogerbear]

Let’s see some jackass comes on and starts yelling at me because he ass-u-med I talk on a phone while driving even though I explicitly said TWICE that I don’t even have a cellphone, he even insults me in the process, and then he wonders why I might seem a bit annoyed. Maybe you should turn down the a$$hole that is your head.

[antiRepublicrat]

I might suggest that a box of kleenex as well as a stylish Bluetooth headset might be appropriate items to add to your shopping list

I don't do cell phones in cars, not even hands-free. Studies show that hands-free is better than holding it, but not by much. Apparently it's the redirected attention that makes you dangerous, not holding the phone in itself.

[Stoat]

Apparently it's the redirected attention that makes you dangerous, not holding the phone in itself.
 

I'm sure you're right....makes sense to me.

After the accident statistics remain about the same with headset users, the politicians will embark upon a new "crisis session" to make headsets and hands-free telephony illegal as well  :-)

[dragnet2]

Let’s see some jackass comes on and starts yelling at me because he ass-u-med I talk on a phone while driving

I never said you did. You're the one that stated or implied, "It depends on the vehicle" when referring to multi-tasking.

I merely stated that one who multi-tasks while driving will end up being a team player with the dead.

Perhaps you should review what was said here. And please, try and relax.

[boogerbear]

You went off on me for NOTHING. You ranted on me about the evils of cellphones while driving even though I said I couldn’t. Because you couldn’t be bother to ACTUALLY read what was ACTUALLY written. And you know it, heck you even admitted you didn’t read the whole thing.

Had you read the rest of that paragraph you’d have found I was talking about how driving different types of vehicles is INNATELY multi-tasking. But nooooooooo, you couldn’t be bothered to actually read what was written, that would get in the way of your rant.

I’m relaxed, I’d be more relaxed if I didn’t have to put up with assumers that are too lazy to read what’s written and start ranting based entirely on the contents of their head. But in spite of dorks like you I’m relaxed. Perhaps you should read before you write.

[dragnet2]

This is what I told you originally: Multi-tasking while driving will make you a team player with the dead.

Ya note it says nothing about cell phones? Here is how you responded:

Depends on what kind of vehicle you drive.

Again, if you want to multi-task while you drive, I could care less. You can drive and do what ever you like.

I was talking about how driving different types of vehicles is INNATELY multi-tasking.

You're suggesting that driving a manual 4 speed is multi-tasking while driving?

You are joking right?

[elkfersupper]

None of the state’s business, completely unenforcable and just another reason for armed revenue enhancement agents to stop you, assess a toll for using their road and go through your stuff.

[dragnet2]

I basically agree with you. However, it is enforceable to a degree.

You probably heard this, but they're discussing plans to go after and charge those criminally that are found at fault and in a collision while talking on their cell...We're talking criminal charges here, not just a civil action that causes you to go broke.

The insurance companies love this and pushed it. They just want everyone to keep making those payments each month, and never mind about any claim...It probably isn't covered anyway.

[boogerbear]

That was the first sentence of the second paragraph in my response, which you have taken 100% out of context without even bothering to read the rest.

In the mid-90s one of the car mags did a study of the controlling actions (ie deliberate acts to change the speed, direction, or lane spacing of a vehicle) per minute performed by the average vehicle driver. They found that automatic drivers made the fewest number of controlling actions, I forget the exact number by it was less than 1 a second, drivers of manual transmission cars made about half again as many which put them over 1 a minute, and drivers of motor cycles had a huge jump of over twice as many controlling actions. They didn’t include semis but I’ve known guys that drove semis and motorcycles and semis are much more complicated.

So yes if you consider the driving of an automatic to be a “full attention” situation then driving a stick is at least marginally multi-tasking, not only do you have to make your own gear changes but you also have to figure out what gear is right, and we get the additional speed control option of coasting. If you’ve ever taught an experienced automatic driver how to handle a stick you’d know being in charge of the transmission adds a lot of complexity, they forget and wind out a lot, then don’t know what gear to put it in or where it is. If you learn manuals early it’s second nature, but experienced automatic drivers tend to have a really hard time finding the spare brain space for the additional controls and decisions.

Motorcycles of course are like sticks only more so, not only do you have all that manual transmission stuff but your brakes are now separately controllable and any shift in body weight can steer your vehicle.

Sorry slick but that’s the reality of the situation. More control options adds more decisions and more thinking and more actions. If, as you rant, driving at its base (which would be an automatic) requires 100% of the single tasking brain, then driving at its more complicated (a stick) would have to be multi-tasking. On the other hand if there’s plenty of room in the single tasking brain for these additional things then maybe a little multi-tasking isn’t such a bad thing. Of course the reality is that EVERYBODY a little multi-tasking while the drive, the question is never if but how much and is it appropriate and little enough to not cause problems. Or are you saying you’ve never decided on an alternate route when you came upon unexpected construction? Never decided whether or not to get gas? Never changed the climate control settings? Never turned the radio on or off? Never had any part of your brain on anything other than the immediate physical control of the vehicle for even a second?

[cherry]

sadly, its not just holding the cell phone that is the problem....the real problem is not concentrating on driving.....

[dragnet2]

You're suggesting that driving a manual 4 speed is multi-tasking while driving? You're joking right?

So yes if you consider the driving of an automatic to be a “full attention” situation then driving a stick is at least marginally multi-tasking

lol..

not only do you have to make your own gear changes but you also have to figure out what gear is right

Too funny!

If you’ve ever taught an experienced automatic driver how to handle a stick you’d know being in charge of the transmission adds a lot of complexity

No it's not complicated, nor would it be considered multi-tasking while driving. Yeoza!

I've driven professionally for high profile individuals in many different countries..Been trained in high speed evasive maneuver techniques etc, and was a test driver early in my career. What's your experience?

Your wordy chat alleging turning on a radio, shifting, thinking about getting gas, and even steering a vehicle can somehow be considered multi-tasking while driving is a dramatic stretch and ridicules.

Real world examples of what would be considered multi-tasking while driving would be obvious things like a driver talking on a cell, texting, (yes I know you don't do that) putting on make up, shaving, eating lunch, and looking at a map/newspaper while driving, etc, etc, etc.

Thanks for the high speed spin on this topic. It was quite humorous.

[boogerbear]

You really don’t bother to read much do you? You just pick a few random sentences out of context and make up replies that don’t even apply if you actually read the whole thing.

I see so the list is actually thing YOU don’t do (and BTW neither do I) are multi-tasking, things you DO do aren’t. Gotcha, dragnet2 is the sole definer of all things. I got news for you pal, every single one of those things I listed, if done while doing something else ARE multi-tasking. That’s what multi-tasking is, doing 2 or more basically unrelated things at once, thinking about when to get gas is NOT driving, therefore if you do it WHILE driving you ARE multi-tasking. It’s just that simple, and if you’ve got enough brains to tie your shoe you know that already, but you got called out and aren’t man enough top admit you’ve been 100% full of crap on this thread for 2 days.

So long SLICK!

[dragnet2]

I see so the list is actually thing YOU don’t do (and BTW neither do I) are multi-tasking, things you DO do aren’t.

lol

[Stoat]

None of the state’s business, completely unenforcable and just another reason for armed revenue enhancement agents to stop you, assess a toll for using their road and go through your stuff.

I'm thinking that if they are able to enforce the seatbelt laws, which they appear to be doing if one believes the endless commercials that are saturating the airwaves, that they can probably find a way to enforce this cellphone ban.  For example, if the officer, upon approaching your vehicle during a traffic stop, notices a cellphone on the passenger seat or on the floor, he may be able to make the case that the phone had been 'in use' and had been cast aside.  At such a time it would probably be a good plan for the driver to have a bluetooth headset nearby so that a defense can be made.

But, that defense won't work once it's decided that it's not holding the phone while driving but the mental distraction of the call that they want to legislate against.

Also, traffic camera technology has gotten to the point where they are now able to use it to spot cell phone users in cars

Great Britain New super-cameras will mean no hiding place for drivers who smoke, eat or use a phone

Perhaps similar camera technology will be used in patrol cars soon, where the officer can zoom in on the driver and take closeup video, even while both cars are in motion.

Actually, for me at least, I'm thinking that passing a vivacious and buxom miniskirted young lady pedestrian would be FAR more distracting to my driving than any phone call   :-)

(hopefully no busybody lawmakers are reading this thread and getting any ideas....outlawing miniskirts would be far more likely to cause a massive insurrection than most things, methinks  :-)....some things people simply will not tolerate)

[elkfersupper]

This is just another inroad in the war against the privately-owned and operated automobile.

Way too much freedom involved in that activity and it has to stop, at least for the serf class (anybody not employed by the government).

[elkfersupper]

You are correct.

I'm thinking about outfitting whatever I drive with audio and video (uploaded constantly to a secure site) in order to combat this B.S.