Yes
No
You're right. Passive restraints came from NHTSA. From Wikipedia, NTSB recommendations that have been adopted include:
"Graduated drivers license laws for young drivers, age-21 drinking laws, smart airbag technology, rear high-mounted brake lights, commercial drivers licenses, improved school bus construction standards."
If I thought about it, I could probably name more.
FWIW, I'm just going to check out now before the thread gets derailed and has to be nuked.
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I disagree with this. The person on the other end likely knows your driving and reacts the same way as a passenger. If not, tell them so.
As for studies? They can easily fall into the same category as polls, and easily manipulated to produce the desired outcome to match a bias or support an agenda.
No texting is a given. I can live with and encourage requiring hands-free devices while driving, but an outright ban on talking, NO.
Bingo! This is the nut of the problem. A conversation with a passenger is not the same as a conversation on a telephone. Entirely different protocols.
For those who think they can do both, try watching a hockey game on the TV and talk to an old high school buddy you haven't talked to in years. If you feel you are able to give your complete, undivided attention to both activities you are a better engineered person than I. Feel free to tailgate me during commuting traffic.
Last edited by Greg Peterson; 12-14-2011 at 12:27 AM.
Measure twice, cut three times, start over. Repeat as necessary.
do the driver that talk on a cell phone turn the radio off first, will this rule affect airplane pilots ?
Yeah, I feel so much safer with people having conversations with other people in the car, when they are constantly turning their head towards the passenger and talking with hand gestures. If you think for one second that people having conversations in the car aren't distracted the same as those on a hands-free cell phone call, it's possible you're a bit naive.
With 2600 (from yr 2009) deaths attributed to cell phones compared to nearly 11,773 (from yr 2008) for alcohol related crashes, it's clear where we need to focus attention most.
Keep in mind, too, that the problem with drunk driving is not that there aren't enough laws against it--it's the lack of enforcement (or selective enforcement) of the already existing laws that is the problem. So adding more laws that the police can't enforce (or do so randomly/selectively) is going to help us how?
How many of you drive on a few hours of sleep or after a long day at work? What about while taking any medication? High risk of stroke or heart attack? Those are all huge risk factors for accidents. Truck drivers are limited to 11 hours per day and 70 hours per week on the road--how many of you always stay within those limits? (Not illegal for non-commercial drivers to exceed them, but there's a reason that CDL holders have to abide).
I voted - no - I don't do bans anymore.
It's hard to back ANOTHER "Protect us from ourselves" law, but until driver license
testing includes such things as proving you can walk and chew gum at the same time,
it's all we got.
And as for privilege, not a right, that may have been a good definition when people didn't
have to commute to work, but these days driving should at least be considered a
necessity.
Here in Georgia you have the option to renew a driver's license by Internet for either 5 or 8 years up to age 59, then you can only renew for 5 years due to the requirement of vision testing at age 65. A lot can change in eight years. Speaking of distracted driving, I know a couple in their 60s who take their teenaged granddaughter and a friend to Disney World every summer. Both of the grandparents drive with earbuds so they can listen to their Ipods during the trip. I do not understand this insanity.
“Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy and chivalry.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Everybody knows what to do with the devil but them that has him. My Grandmother
I had a guardian angel at one time, but my little devil got him drunk, tattooed, and left him penniless at a strip club. I have not had another angel assigned to me yet.
I didn't change my mind, my mind changed me.
Bella Terra
My wifes car is being repaired right now. She was stopped at a red light, in line with other cars, someone hit her from behind knocking her car into the car in front of her.
We dont know if the person that hit her was using their cell phone or smart phone at the time or not, certainly a possibility.
I voted for the ban. The smallest lack of attention at just the wrong time could result in people being seriously injured or killed. I think the cell phone laws would probably be helpful so I'm for them.
PHM
If you want to protect everyone from cars, ban cars. Make everyone ride a bus, put the bus on rails so it's more safe, ban people from talking while the bus is moving.
Ban everything that is remotely unsafe. That's the end. The line of thinking that you can just define a narrow line of thinking and action to make everyone perfectly safe from everyone else is overreaching and bordering on a disorder.