Hey stupid! Drop the cell phone and drive

[Better Believe It]

Hey stupid! Drop the cell phone and drive
Turns out, you are not that one guy who safely multitasks while motoring
By Helen A.S. Popkin
msnbc.com
July 24, 2009

While heroic politicians all over America are mandating bicycle helmets, it's still legal to drive 4,000 pounds of steel 60 miles an hour while your brain is turned to the moron setting.

Oh you know exactly who and what I’m talking about. You know because you are that one guy in all the world who is perfectly capable of operating your automobile and cellular device simultaneously without endangering yourself or those driving around you … all of whom are also operating their automobiles and cellular devices simultaneously, because they too are quite certain that they are that one guy … but of course they’re wrong because it’s you who is that one guy, not any of them … morons.

Seriously. Dang. Isn’t it time we, as a people, owned up to the cognitive dissonance going down whenever we tsk-tsk terrible tales of texting bus drivers, then yack away behind the wheel while driving way the hell over the speed limit or coasting through a four-way stop with a carpool full of kids? We should be shocked and appalled that a seven-year-old recommendation by National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration that drivers not use cell phones — not even hands-free — only surfaced Tuesday.

Yet as safety advocates continue to battle politics and the long reach of the cell phone industry, we, of our own free will, continue to blithely endanger the lives of others by partaking in unnecessary wireless communication empirically proven to be deadly.

The facts are these: The NHTSA’s no-cell phones-while-driving recommendations of 2002 and 2003 were made public Tuesday only because The Center for Auto Safety and Public Citizen, two public interest groups, filed a lawsuit to obtain the documents under the Freedom of Information Act.

Please read the complete article at:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32106221/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/wid/11915829?GT1=40000

And participate in the DU poll at:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6148177

[ThomWV]

1. I want to tell you about the brain-dead motherfucker who dam near ran over me yesterday

I was at a motorcycle rally, just one motorcycle out of roughly 10,000 of them that was at one of the events that took place yesterday afternoon. It was a sea of motorcycles. I was leaving the place to head to another gathering and was exiting on the one road out of the bike parking area. A young lady pulled out onto the road in her car - cell phone at her ear and eyes blind to the world - and god dam near ran me down. I immediately pulled up alongside of her and kicked a good sized dent into her driver's door as I screamed at her to put the fucking cell phone down. Sure hope it got her attention - I'm sure the repair bill will.

[Better Believe It]

2. I can understand your anger and reaction.

Thousands of people die and are seriously hurt every year because of cell phone drivers who believe they can do both safely.

[Kingofalldems]

3. Teenage and 20 something girls--Do they have to be on the phone

at all times?

[MineralMan]

5. Pretty much. If they weren't they'd have to think, and

that's really scary.

[Arkansas Granny]

7. It's not just teenage and 20 something girls on the phone at all times.

Look around while you're driving or shopping. People of both genders and all ages are guilty of having their cell phones clamped to their ears, regardless what else they are doing at the time. An acquaintance of mine (in her 40's) totalled her vehicle a couple of weeks ago because she reached for her ringing phone, which had fallen on the floor, lost control of her truck when it went off the shoulder of the road and hit a culvert. Luckily, no one was hurt, but had there been other traffic around, who knows how many of them would have been hurt.

[mwb970]

10. They walk up and down the grocery store aisles while talking on the phone.

They walk to and from their cars in the parking lot while talking on the phone. They drive to and from their homes while talking on the phone. A few questions:

Who are these people talking to? Are they talking to other people who are also driving cars, walking in parking lots, and grocery shopping? Is there someone somewhere with nothing to do but keep these sad, lonely people company?

What are they talking about? What can they possibly be involved with that they must be on the phone every waking minute? Are they all bookies? Stock traders?

What did they do before? It has only been in the last ten years that cell phones have become ubiquitous. How did these yammerers survive alone in their cars (or buggies) for the previous 200+ years of American history? Did they just talk to themselves?

I have a cell phone in my car for emergencies. I never use it. I guess there must be something wrong with me.

[NJCher]

13. there's nobody I want to talk to so bad

That I am willing to crank my head to the side to hold up the phone while selecting products and going down the grocery store aisle.

I consider phone talking as listening to the unedited thoughts of others. If somebody wants to communicate, I ask them to email me. Sorry if it sounds arrogant. I'm just not interested in the minutia of someone's everyday life.


Cher

[mwb970]

14. I don't even *answer* my home phone!

My friends know to wait through the short outgoing message and say who they are. If I'm home, I pick up.

[spooky3]

21. Wish I'd read your post before posting!

[canetoad]

34. Nope, nothing wrong with you

I keep my mobile phone turned off in the car for emergencies. Costs me $9.50 a month for peace of mind although if I ever actually use it, it costs about $1,500 per second!

As for people walking around talking on phones - they are so unaware of what is going on around them, maybe it's a good time for a career change to pickpocket.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

35. That's about theonly thing I use my cell for too. The overuse of cell phones is getting ridiculous.

I see people weaving in and out of traffic on a daily basis with a cell phone attached to their head.

I've also made a rule that I won't talk to my wife on her cell if she's driving. Hard to prove if she's lying, but she's not a good lier.

[mwb970]

39. We haven't even mentioned the people on cell phones in restaurants.

They talk way too loud and/or talk on the phone at length while ignoring the person they are actually with, who stares distractedly into space while waiting.

:eyes:

[Jennicut]

11. Its people of all ages acting stupid.

Why did anyone ever think they could text and drive at the same time???

[tblue37]

33. Back when I had a home daycare (I ended it in 1999), I used to

be terribly annoyed at parents who arrived to pick up their kids, who had been missing them all day, without once taking the cellphone from their ears even to acknowledge their child's greeting, much less listen to me when I tried to tell them impoirtant information about their kid, or simply to tell them something cute or interesting that their kid did that day.

They had no interest in the kid they hadn't seen all day, much less in hearing what that kid had done all day. They simply could not put the damned phone down for one minute.

[Arkansas Granny]

37. I used to get the same reaction when I did babysitting and that was before everyone had cell phones.

The kids wanted, no, needed a hug and a greeting from their parent and got nothing neither.

[tblue37]

38. It makes you want to cry, doesn't it. nt

[1monster]

16. Age and gender don't seem to have anything to do with it in NE Florida. Way too many

people using cell phones on the highway.

If my cell rings while I'm on the road, I pull over to answer it or to call the person back. I know that I cannot drive adequately and talk on a cell phone at the same time.

I also discourage my son from trying to engage me in conversation while I'm driving by playing music and telling him "not while I'm driving, please. It takes too much concentration to listen for me to be able to drive.

[Shagbark Hickory]

4. I support a total ban of cell phone use. They are distracting. I can't be trusted with a mobile +car

[Better Believe It]

6. I agree. This is a bigger problem involving more people and accidents than drunk driving

[fishnfla]

8. what did people do before there were cell phones?

does technology make us stupid(er)?

[tocqueville]

9. it's forbidden in France

- you lose 2 points on your license for a year (a license has a maximum 5 points, then you lose your license if you reach that)
- fine varying from 35€ to 150€ depending on circumstances.

If you cause an accident because of driving while phoning, you are in big doo-doo and your insurance will probably not cover you.

hand-free kits are allowed.

research shows that phoning while driving can be compared to DUI, so a sharpening of penalties can be expected in the future.

[mwb970]

12. Not France again!

Better health care, better working conditions, and now they're smarter about cell phone use too? No wonder the wingnuts hate them so.

[yy4me]

15. And of course, there is the idiot gas station attendant who, as I

waited in a long line, was chatting on his cell while going from car to car pumping gas. This station is one of the lease expensive in the area and there is always a long line. I have seen the attendants talking on cells before. This fellow was on the phone at lease 15-20 minutes. He jest disconnected as I pulled up to the pump.

I wanted to say something about it being dangerous---one stray spark--but I know it would have fallen on deaf ears. I'm really amazed that someone ahead of me did not say something. Do people not know that static electricity has caused explosions at gas stations?

[1monster]

17. Gas station attendant pumping gas?!? I haven't seen one of those since the 1973 Oil Shortage Crisis!

I didn't know they still exhisted.

BTW, all the gas stations I pull into cautions that cell phones should not be in use while pumping gas due to the possibility of them causing gas fumes to ignite.

[mrs_p]

25. can't pump your gas in OR

that's why we also make sure we are gased up in a border state before we have to pass through there

[Maine-ah]

32. we have 3 gas stations in my area that still has attendants.

I love it especially when my daughter is in the car, I don't have to haul her out of her car seat, and get her back in.

[lpbk2713]

18. A real "Gas Station" with an attendant??

Did you see Rod Serling standing around nearby? Did you get a set of glasses or a dish towel with a fill up?

Around here they're all 'convenience stores' and the clerk doesn't ever go near the pumps.


:thumbsup: :hi: :thumbsup:

[Shagbark Hickory]

23. From what I understand, full service is required in NJ.

Insert NJ wisecrack here ______________

[tandot]

19. I had a lady running a red light while talking on a cell and almost hit me

She just continued on her merry way - didn't even notice me. I could clearly see her holding her cell to her ear and yacking away.

Yet, there are still those people who think they drive better while talking on the cell.

[spooky3]

20. How 'bout banning them at the grocery store too?

It's hard enough to dodge people who are pushing carts while looking in another direction, but the cell phone yakkers are even more distracted...

[mwb970]

24. I like the ones who single-handedly block a wide aisle.

You have to hold your cart out at arm's length across the aisle while peering at the shelf on the other side. It helps if you are obese.

[mrs_p]

26. i hear you

but i often have to call the hubby to make sure we don't need anything else. so, i hope no ban there - or the gas bill will go up.

[spooky3]

29. no problem with that - you probably are also very careful not to bump into or

block people.

I remember seeing a Dr. Phil show one day when he was cutting off and criticizing someone ranting about grocery store behavior. I wondered when the last time was that he actually did any grocery shopping - maybe never? If he had I think he would have been a little more sympathetic!

[Better Believe It]

28. How about requiring shopping cart licenses and install traffic lights at supermarket intersections?

Require customers to take a grocery cart aisle test before they are licensed to use a shopping cart!

Does that seem just a bit extreme?

OK

How about having horns and turn signals installed on all shopping carts?

[Gregorian]

22. Forget the cellphone, how about we teach people to just drive, period.

I am stunned at what shitty drivers Americans are. Straight line on a highway seems overly difficult for these dingbats. But put them on a road with curves... I passed cars driving a huge pickup with a fifth wheel utility trailer with a 1955 Chevy on it. On a windy mountain road. These people are inept. We give them licenses without any kind of training. American drivers license requirements are like Disneyland. You must be this high. You can be blind and drive here. And I think many are.

Can you tell I just spent a day recovering from a drive? Headache and all. This subject really aggrivates me. And then there are cell phones.

I think this subject is not confined to the immediate one here. It translates to politics. We're a nation of idiots. With many bright people mixed in, I shouldn't neglect to say.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

36. Completely agree. Maintaining a constant speed seems to be something most people can't comprehend.

Don't get me started about left lane sunday drivers...

[Cresent City Kid]

27. Drive or talk, not both

It's not just the hand usage, it's the distraction, screw the hands-free exemption.

Here are the two examples from my personal experience that stand out.

Once I was turning left at a 4 way stop in front of a woman who was talking on the phone with one hand, gesturing with the other hand and rolling her eyes upward. The gesture wasn't anything other than talking with your hands which as an Italian American I do while not driving. She didn't just misjudge who was to go first at the 4 way stop, she blew through it unaware and almost hit me.

The second one pissed me off more, even though I wasn't the potential victim. Again at a 4 way stop, a guy ran the stop sign, on the phone at an intersection half a block away from an elementary school which is a major crosswalk for kids, with the crossing guard posted when kids are coming and going. Luckily this was after school was out, but this oblivious prick would not have noticed kids any more than the stop sign.

[lib2DaBone]

30. Here's a great bumpersticker....

http://www.stickergiant.com/hang-up-and-drive_zbs598.html

[marshall]

31. Putting radios in cars is what started this whole mess

And that was way back in 1930--seemed like a great idea, but it was the first in a long line of gimmicks to distract the driver.