Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cellphone Risks (NYT)

[tj2001]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/technology/19distracted.html?_r=1&em

July 19, 2009
Driven to Distraction
Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cellphone Risks
By MATT RICHTEL

OKLAHOMA CITY — On his 15th birthday, Christopher Hill got his first cellphone. For his 16th, he was given a used red Ford Ranger pickup, a source of pride he washed every week.

Mr. Hill, a diligent student with a reputation for helping neighbors, also took pride in his clean driving record. “Not a speeding ticket, not a fender bender, nothing,” he said.

Until last Sept. 3. Mr. Hill, then 20, left the parking lot of a Goodwill store where he had spotted a dresser he thought might interest a neighbor. He dialed her to pass along news of the find.

Mr. Hill was so engrossed in the call that he ran a red light and didn’t notice Linda Doyle’s small sport utility vehicle until the last second. He hit her going 45 miles per hour. She was pronounced dead shortly after.

Later, a policeman asked Mr. Hill what color the light had been. “I never saw it,” he answered...

[elocs]

1. Posted in General Discussion at near 7 a.m. today:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6100832

[KittyWampus]

2. The driver's seat is not the living room couch. Sounds obvious but maybe it isn't

IMO, Americans need to examine their relationship with cars.

How much of it is the product of what others have imprinted on us?

How much is what we really want for ourselves and society?

If the young gentleman mentioned in the OP had been in a street car or bus, that phone call wouldn't have been fatal.

[MADem]

3. In Italy, if you are a "serious" driver, you don't even use the radio. nt

[tech3149]

4. The big problem is the idea of "serious drivers"

Most people aren't serious drivers. I call them pedestrian drivers. It's so easy to get behind the wheel and get from A to B that they don't pay attention to the physics involved or understand the risks involved.

I'm a motor sports enthusiast and my working life had me on the road at least 12 hours a day. That might bias my opinion but I had to deal with the cell phone issue to do my job. I found very quickly that a headset was not an option but a necessity. There was no way I could drive in an emergency situation with only one hand.

I like the idea of issuing license based on driver skill. Make people prove what they can do and give a benefit to those who are skilled drivers and let the less skilled pay more for the privilege.