Study: 4 Times More Likely to Crash With Phone
#11
07-12-2005, 02:13 PM
Re: Study: 4 Times More Likely to Crash With Phone
Originally Posted by lars-ss
Actually, gents and ladies, ponder this:
My boss, who is a very smart man, IQ over 200, thinks at least for HIM, the distraction comes from the "multitasking effort" of driving and HOLDING the PHONE *plus* the conversation.
He has done it both ways, with a "hands free" option and also holding the phone, and he thinks that when he is "just talking and driving" that his driving is better than if he is "holding and talking and driving."
I tend to agree with him. Hands free is MUCH less of a distraction to me than trying to hold the phone and talk and drive.
My boss, who is a very smart man, IQ over 200, thinks at least for HIM, the distraction comes from the "multitasking effort" of driving and HOLDING the PHONE *plus* the conversation.
He has done it both ways, with a "hands free" option and also holding the phone, and he thinks that when he is "just talking and driving" that his driving is better than if he is "holding and talking and driving."
I tend to agree with him. Hands free is MUCH less of a distraction to me than trying to hold the phone and talk and drive.
Conversation is distracting, no matter if in car, or on the phone. Anything you can to do avoid your mind drifting from the task of driving is an improvement in your ability to drive defensively.
#12
07-12-2005, 02:46 PM
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Lewisville (Dallas), Texas
Posts: 3,155
Re: Study: 4 Times More Likely to Crash With Phone
I think we can identify people who can "chew gum and walk at the same time" while driving. Also think we can identify those on the road that are multitasking to the point you think they are about to (pardon the pun) crash.
Rush hour traffic in places like Dallas are no place to multitask while driving.
Rush hour traffic in places like Dallas are no place to multitask while driving.
#14
07-12-2005, 05:17 PM
Study: 4 Times More Likely to Crash With Phone WAIT!
Just to play devils advocate... Notice who sponsored the study?
These are the same insurance companies that can now charge you more because of your home zip code and credit rating (and if your like me and refuse to have credit cards you pay more for NOT owing anyone any money) It will be another reason to jack up your rates or deny payment. I was reading earlier today that they want to look at your phone records for the 10-15 minutes before your in an accident to see if that was "cause".
Now I'm not saying that distracted drivers aren't causing accidents but lets be real and look at distractions... How many times have moms (or dads) in minivans swerved into my lane because they are reaching back to grab that bottle or swat those kids jumping around in the back? Countless... or how about Miss Thing thinking her application of eyeliner is more important then my life? Mr. I didn't have 5 minutes to shave so I'll do it in the car... Love how they can see the road ahead while shaving UNDER the chin. Hey how about Mr. Wall Street Journal checking his stocks at 65 MPH? Yeah your portfolio is worth the life in front of you. Mrs. Harlequin Romance, as his hand runs up her thigh she moaned just like your about to in the emergency room... Don't get me started on the drive-thru diner... hard to hold that greasy steering wheel when your hands are full of a double cheesburger and fries!
I do occasionally talk on my cell phone with my handsfree headset and voice recognition dialing and answering but I will tell my caller I'll call you later if traffic is heavy or weather is bad or it's not going to be a fun conversation.
Do we really want another law on the books when the current ones, reckless driving, driving over conditions etc aren't being addressed? Please don't fall into the sheep mentality of politicians of the hip thing to legislate, guess who gives them a lot of their election money???
I'm sure after this post my "reputation" will drop like a rock but I will always say my piece when it comes to telling me I can't do something because some percentage of idiots lose all commen sense when getting behind the wheel. I love my freedoms and take them seriously. If you have a better idea, convince me, I will always listen to the opposing view if it's well thought out.
Love ya all and want you to continue to be here!
These are the same insurance companies that can now charge you more because of your home zip code and credit rating (and if your like me and refuse to have credit cards you pay more for NOT owing anyone any money) It will be another reason to jack up your rates or deny payment. I was reading earlier today that they want to look at your phone records for the 10-15 minutes before your in an accident to see if that was "cause".
Now I'm not saying that distracted drivers aren't causing accidents but lets be real and look at distractions... How many times have moms (or dads) in minivans swerved into my lane because they are reaching back to grab that bottle or swat those kids jumping around in the back? Countless... or how about Miss Thing thinking her application of eyeliner is more important then my life? Mr. I didn't have 5 minutes to shave so I'll do it in the car... Love how they can see the road ahead while shaving UNDER the chin. Hey how about Mr. Wall Street Journal checking his stocks at 65 MPH? Yeah your portfolio is worth the life in front of you. Mrs. Harlequin Romance, as his hand runs up her thigh she moaned just like your about to in the emergency room... Don't get me started on the drive-thru diner... hard to hold that greasy steering wheel when your hands are full of a double cheesburger and fries!
I do occasionally talk on my cell phone with my handsfree headset and voice recognition dialing and answering but I will tell my caller I'll call you later if traffic is heavy or weather is bad or it's not going to be a fun conversation.
Do we really want another law on the books when the current ones, reckless driving, driving over conditions etc aren't being addressed? Please don't fall into the sheep mentality of politicians of the hip thing to legislate, guess who gives them a lot of their election money???
I'm sure after this post my "reputation" will drop like a rock but I will always say my piece when it comes to telling me I can't do something because some percentage of idiots lose all commen sense when getting behind the wheel. I love my freedoms and take them seriously. If you have a better idea, convince me, I will always listen to the opposing view if it's well thought out.
Love ya all and want you to continue to be here!
Last edited by zx24szq; 07-12-2005 at 05:20 PM.
#15
07-12-2005, 07:09 PM
Re: Study: 4 Times More Likely to Crash With Phone
Eric,
I DID read the article and there wasn't enough information regarding the study to tell me that the cell phone was a definite cause of the accidents.
Now if I happened to have an accident and had been on the phone 8 minutes before the accident then they apparently found "at least one earlier period when no accident occurred" ... did they ask me for a detailed list of dates/times that I was driving in the past 2 weeks and then compare my phone records for all those times? Did they compare against someone else who drives a similar amount at the same times of day who never uses a cell phone but may indulge in other distracting behaviors? Somehow I don't think so.
I suspect that the so-called increase in cell-phone involved accidents is directly related to the increase in cell phone usage overall. But there's nothing to say that the same people wouldn't have been involved in some other risky behavior resulting in a crash without a cell phone available.
As zx24szq said, equally distracting are those applying makeup, reading, reaching into the back or passenger seat for something etc. A few years back, Colorado was considering a ban on cell phones while driving but the State Highway Patrol came out against the proposal stating that they already had enough tools at their disposal to deal with distracted drivers.
I DID read the article and there wasn't enough information regarding the study to tell me that the cell phone was a definite cause of the accidents.
Each driver’s cell phone usage during a 10-minute interval prior to the accident was compared to use during at least one earlier period when no accident occurred. Each driver, in effect, served as his or her own control group in the study.
I suspect that the so-called increase in cell-phone involved accidents is directly related to the increase in cell phone usage overall. But there's nothing to say that the same people wouldn't have been involved in some other risky behavior resulting in a crash without a cell phone available.
As zx24szq said, equally distracting are those applying makeup, reading, reaching into the back or passenger seat for something etc. A few years back, Colorado was considering a ban on cell phones while driving but the State Highway Patrol came out against the proposal stating that they already had enough tools at their disposal to deal with distracted drivers.
#16
07-12-2005, 09:06 PM
Re: Study: 4 Times More Likely to Crash With Phone
Sorry to rain on your hands-free parade:
http://forums.thecarlounge.net/zerothread?id=2085463
"A study of Australian drivers found that those using cellphones were four times as likely to be involved in a serious crash regardless of whether they used hands-free devices like earpieces or speaker phones that have been perceived as making talking while driving safer.
The study, which is to appear in The British Medical Journal today, is the first of its kind to use actual crash data and cellphone records to show a link between talking on the phone and being seriously injured in an accident."
http://forums.thecarlounge.net/zerothread?id=2085463
"A study of Australian drivers found that those using cellphones were four times as likely to be involved in a serious crash regardless of whether they used hands-free devices like earpieces or speaker phones that have been perceived as making talking while driving safer.
The study, which is to appear in The British Medical Journal today, is the first of its kind to use actual crash data and cellphone records to show a link between talking on the phone and being seriously injured in an accident."
#17
07-12-2005, 09:14 PM
Re: Study: 4 Times More Likely to Crash With Phone
OK a little levity...and good timing!
My grandfather sent me this joke this evening... Enjoy!
This morning on I-76, looked over to my
left and there was a woman in a brand new Cadillac
doing 65 mph with her face up next to her
rear view mirror putting on her eyeliner.
I looked away for a couple seconds
and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane, still working on that makeup.
As a man, I don't scare easily But she scared me so much;
I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the donut out of my other hand.
In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, it knocked my cell phone away from my ear which fell into the coffee between my legs, splashed, and burned Big Jim and the Twins, ruined the **** phone, soaked my trousers, and disconnected an important call.
**** women drivers!!!
My grandfather sent me this joke this evening... Enjoy!
This morning on I-76, looked over to my
left and there was a woman in a brand new Cadillac
doing 65 mph with her face up next to her
rear view mirror putting on her eyeliner.
I looked away for a couple seconds
and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane, still working on that makeup.
As a man, I don't scare easily But she scared me so much;
I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the donut out of my other hand.
In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, it knocked my cell phone away from my ear which fell into the coffee between my legs, splashed, and burned Big Jim and the Twins, ruined the **** phone, soaked my trousers, and disconnected an important call.
**** women drivers!!!
#18
07-13-2005, 06:52 AM
Re: Study: 4 Times More Likely to Crash With Phone
Originally Posted by lars-ss
Actually, gents and ladies, ponder this:
My boss, who is a very smart man, IQ over 200, thinks at least for HIM, the distraction comes from the "multitasking effort" of driving and HOLDING the PHONE *plus* the conversation.
He has done it both ways, with a "hands free" option and also holding the phone, and he thinks that when he is "just talking and driving" that his driving is better than if he is "holding and talking and driving."
I tend to agree with him. Hands free is MUCH less of a distraction to me than trying to hold the phone and talk and drive.
My boss, who is a very smart man, IQ over 200, thinks at least for HIM, the distraction comes from the "multitasking effort" of driving and HOLDING the PHONE *plus* the conversation.
He has done it both ways, with a "hands free" option and also holding the phone, and he thinks that when he is "just talking and driving" that his driving is better than if he is "holding and talking and driving."
I tend to agree with him. Hands free is MUCH less of a distraction to me than trying to hold the phone and talk and drive.
The multitasking effort is IMHO exactly the problem ... and experience in both the conversation at hand and driving. There are people very qualified to multitask of both sexes, but this is a trait noticed by employers that women excel in. (notice how I moved this to a male/female debate) Dispatchers for example are often women, many have an wired ability to 'multitask' and are extremely efficient at juggling multiple conversations and tasks.
I'll differ from the "IQ remarks above" ... if you Boss told you his IQ was 200 ... be suspect. I recall Albert Einstein was said to have an IQ in is day of 161 ... probably higher had he lived today. The rarity of a 175 measure IQ (generally not considered possible to measure accurately) is 1 in 3 million. I'm not suggesting that your boss is not an intelligent man, just that his quoted IQ is suspect.
Last edited by RichC; 07-13-2005 at 06:56 AM.
#19
07-18-2005, 06:02 AM
Re: Study: 4 Times More Likely to Crash With Phone
"I'll differ from the "IQ remarks above" ... if you Boss told you his IQ was 200 ... be suspect. I recall Albert Einstein was said to have an IQ in is day of 161 ... probably higher had he lived today. The rarity of a 175 measure IQ (generally not considered possible to measure accurately) is 1 in 3 million. I'm not suggesting that your boss is not an intelligent man, just that his quoted IQ is suspect."
Whaddya mean ?? HE TOOK THE TEST ON THE NTERNT !!
I can confirm what Rich says. My father topped out the IQ tests of his day, and was told "at least 165." Basic statistical reasoning tells you this must be so -- the tests are essentially population based surveys. There isn't enough data at the extreme high end.
Whaddya mean ?? HE TOOK THE TEST ON THE NTERNT !!
I can confirm what Rich says. My father topped out the IQ tests of his day, and was told "at least 165." Basic statistical reasoning tells you this must be so -- the tests are essentially population based surveys. There isn't enough data at the extreme high end.
#20
07-18-2005, 06:17 AM
Re: Study: 4 Times More Likely to Crash With Phone
Shiloh,
Consider this (silly, and hypothetical study): Tobbacco smoking was measured in the 30 minutes before a heart attack, and in the same time interval one month earlier. Essentially, the people served as their own controls.
See the error of your logic ?
Cell phone use is one of many risk factors in accidents. Large group multi-variate analysis identifies the risk -- and quantitates it.
It is a fact. You may wish to accept the risk, but at least admit that you are endangering others as well by your actions.
Consider this (silly, and hypothetical study): Tobbacco smoking was measured in the 30 minutes before a heart attack, and in the same time interval one month earlier. Essentially, the people served as their own controls.
See the error of your logic ?
Cell phone use is one of many risk factors in accidents. Large group multi-variate analysis identifies the risk -- and quantitates it.
It is a fact. You may wish to accept the risk, but at least admit that you are endangering others as well by your actions.
