Hang up the phone and drive

[bonehead]

Now that many states have banned talking on the phone while driving what does everyone do while behind the wheel?

My state has a hands free loophole. You can still talk if you do not have to hold your phone to your ear. That means speakerphone is OK in addition to the ear devices the, "cyborg wanna be" people wear. I have yet to hear well on any cell phone speaker over all the road noise and whatnot. I can't stand to wear the ear piece devices and most are POS anyway. I have opted to link my phone with my car stereo. A mic is nestled at the top of my windshield and the other person can be heard via my car speakers. Not only do I get good quality sound for everyone on the call. I do not miss any calls because my car stereo is..too loud. Via the radio I can also use the phone as a GPS map unit. I can't see on the map where I am going but the phone can bark out orders and tell me where to go. I still prefer the tried and true whipping out a real map and orienting myself, but when I have no maps of the area I can see where the phone will come in handy.

[USSWisconsin]

Now that many states have banned talking on the phone while driving what does everyone do while behind the wheel?

My state has a hands free loophole. You can still talk if you do not have to hold your phone to your ear. That means speakerphone is OK in addition to the ear devices the, "cyborg wanna be" people wear. I have yet to hear well on any cell phone speaker over all the road noise and whatnot. I can't stand to wear the ear piece devices and most are POS anyway. I have opted to link my phone with my car stereo. A mic is nestled at the top of my windshield and the other person can be heard via my car speakers. Not only do I get good quality sound for everyone on the call. I do not miss any calls because my car stereo is..too loud. Via the radio I can also use the phone as a GPS map unit. I can't see on the map where I am going but the phone can bark out orders and tell me where to go. I still prefer the tried and true whipping out a real map and orienting myself, but when I have no maps of the area I can see where the phone will come in handy.

When my pager or phone rings, I pull over and deal with the situation. I don't talk on the phone or read pages when I'm driving, and when my employer asks me to take calls when driving - I request to be notified in writing, that hasn't happened yet.

[Julie]

I pull off the road if I want to take the call. I do not make calls or text while driving. I forbid my 16-year old daughter to do so as well. I have tested her and called her when i knew she was on the road. She's smart, she didn't take the bait.

[bigross86]

I drive a car with a relatively old stereo system that can't connect to my cellphone, so I just don't answer, or answer on speakerphone with the phone on the dash. If I can't do either of those, I'll just hand it someone else with me in the car to tell whoever's calling that I'll call them back

[bonehead]

I put texting in a whole different category as there is no way of hands free, or being able to watch the road while texting, readily available at the moment, but then I am no fan of the texting concept either. There is too much communication lost when you can't hear the subtle inflections of a voice.

I spend way too much time behind the wheel to pull over all the time and if you pull over in the big city rush hour traffic it is going to be a long time before you can force yourself back on the road. There are also some places where its just not safe to pull over. I really cant agree with zero talking. If you don't have enough attention to talk on the phone (hands free) and drive, you would not be able to carry a conversation with any passengers either, and even listening to the radio would be suspect. Forget about the CB radios. How on earth can truckers and others have ben able to talk on CB's all these years with out getting into wrecks all the time. If you are really that badly off you should get rid of the car and have others drive you around because you really are an accident waiting to happen if you are so distracted that easily.

[bigross86]

If you don't have enough attention to talk on the phone (hands free) and drive, you would not be able to carry a conversation with any passengers either, and even listening to the radio would be suspect.

When I was taking lessons for my license, my instructor would make sure that radio was always on and in the background, not loud enough that we couldn't hear each other, but loud enough for it to be a presence in the car and so I would learn from the beginning how to drive with the added noise

[USSWisconsin]

When I was taking lessons for my license, my instructor would make sure that radio was always on and in the background, not loud enough that we couldn't hear each other, but loud enough for it to be a presence in the car and so I would learn from the beginning how to drive with the added noise

When you are talking to someone in the car, they are in it with you and will understand if you need to pay attention to the road, its their life too - if it is your young child, you can ask them to be quiet so you can keep them safe. Someone on the phone may not take your safety into consideration. Hands free with family or friends is fine in normal traffic, work usually demands too much attention and too often ignores your safety. If I pull over, it is not where it isn't safe to do so, on the highway, I'll take an exit, or let voice mail pick it up. The radio can be ignored, or turned off, no one will care.

[bigross86]

All this is true, but my teacher was (still is) of the theory that learning something more difficult from the get go with an instructor is better off than learning something easy and then learning the hard stuff by yourself

[bonehead]

When you are talking to someone in the car, they are in it with you and will understand if you need to pay attention to the road, its their life too - if it is your young child, you can ask them to be quiet so you can keep them safe. Someone on the phone may not take your safety into consideration. Hands free with family or friends is fine in normal traffic, work usually demands too much attention and too often ignores your safety. If I pull over, it is not where it isn't safe to do so, on the highway, I'll take an exit, or let voice mail pick it up. The radio can be ignored, or turned off, no one will care.

A 1 year old does not give a hoot about traffic. They yell and scream whenever it suits them. Generally your right about adults, but I have seen more than one accident/ traffic violation because of the occupants yelling and screaming at each other and/or the driver.

[Blue]

I never text, driving or not. To me its a phone not a telegraph. As for talking while driving, I usually refrain, but if travelling and i get an important call, i have a bluetooth that i usually use for short calls but pull over if it is going to be over a minute or so. I will continue to drive only in clear traffic at that, not in a congested city. Not saying i am better than anyone else, but as a cop, I could drive the car at high-speeds, sirens blasting, while communicating on the radio, so i am literally trained at the task and talking while driving really poses no extra dangers for me.

What i do see on the road that troubles me, is the person who talks quite lively(head bobbing and turning, hand gestures, etc) and you know it is a call that is not very important, just jibber-jabber. THOSE are the ones having accidents and sadly, those of us that have some discipline will be paying the price for the stupid that have to have common sense legislated to them.

[gunnut]

I don't answer phone calls when I'm driving, unless I'm on a straight road with little traffic.

Here's one of those unintended consequences, again. California has banned driving while texting. Cops can pull people over if they see someone driving with a phone and doing what looks like texting. Guess what? People now text while keeping the phone out of sight, usually on their laps. Result? Drivers take their eyes off the road even more than before.

Imagine that, a law making things worse...

[dave lukins]

I pull off the road if I want to take the call. I do not make calls or text while driving. I forbid my 16-year old daughter to do so as well. I have tested her and called her when i knew she was on the road. She's smart, she didn't take the bait.

Maybe she has MOM CALLING flashing on the screen;)

[bonehead]

[/B]


Maybe she has MOM CALLING flashing on the screen;)

LOL. Good point. I have different ringers for different people so I usually know who is calling with out having to look on the phone.

[bigross86]

Can't be bothered, too many different people and groups. Friends, uni, randoms, family, etc...

One ringtone fits all: Roger Waters - One of My Turns (The Wall - Live In Berlin)

[Julie]

[/B]


Maybe she has MOM CALLING flashing on the screen;)

Oh, I'm sure she does....BUT that's my way of making sure she thinks like a brunette and not a blonde.