States try to ban driver distractions

[kidzndogznme]

We should never bring our kids with us in the car anymore either. When my kids start bickering in the back seat (he touched me, she's looking at me, MO-O-O-M!!!!) or when the infant in the back seat drops his pacifier and I have to reach around to give it back to him. All distracting. No more kids.

And I have to also include outside noises, too. What about people in the car next to me playing their bass so loud their car shakes? What about sirens? Man those fire trucks coming through the redlight with sirens wailing could really distract someone.

May as well ban the radio, too. Music is a distraction. Gets your mind off of the road and on the melody.

Other driver distractions:

• auto accidents on the road. Man, people turn their necks far to see what all the commotion is. This backs up traffic and sometimes cause more accidents!
• Billboards. I often find myself reading the billboards and when my eyes finally look back to the road, I'm in the next lane!
• car washes ... people waving towels and holding posters about their fundraiser car wash. I ran a light once because I was too busy reading which high school hosted the latest carwash!
• People collecting money at street corners for whatever charity it might be. Too distracting
• My nose. I sneeze and my damned eyes close!! Then I open my eyes and woh! There's a car stopped in front of me.

 

[kidzndogznme]

Ppppsssssttt......hey reb......what's sno????

 

[Peter Hamilton]

From the original link:

Vermont lawmakers are considering a measure that would ban eating, drinking, smoking, reading, writing, personal grooming, playing an instrument, "interacting with pets or cargo," talking on a cell phone or using any other personal communication device while driving.

absolutely right, IMO.

***





find a suitable place to park to take/make the call. rather than creating another emergency involving someone else who has nothing to do with others' phone calls.

and, also IMO: turn the radio/cd player OFF while driving for gawd's sake!

this goes way beyond people's 'rights' and 'freedoms', i believe as it can infringe on others' rights and freedoms to keep their lives. end of story.

ETA: mobile phone usage by drivers has been banned here in Germany for some years now unless on a hands-free set. i never even use the hands-free set when driving.

and on my car the radio/CD player is operated on the steering wheel. there will come a time when that, also, becomes law. don't know when.

as it happens, i choose not to play music while driving as i wish to concentrate fully on the road when driving. i seldom have passengers while driving so the talking to others while driving doesn't arise for me 90% of the time, but when it does, i'm usually not listening to a passenger talking.

Another ETA: i don't fiddle around with a cup of coffee, bottle of pop, a sandwich or anything edible while trying to drive either.

or put on make-up, while trying to drive.

i just drive the freakin' car!

what's sooo difficult about concentrating entirely on where you are aiming a potential lethal weapon and not causing harm to others? :doh:

--Floh, as far as music goes, I completely disagree with you--One of the great pleasures in life is to crank it up and sing along to your favorite songs--I have done it a thousand times--The trick is to make it just loud enough so you can still here your own voice but just slightly--It gives one the illusion that one can actually sing lol--But it is so much fun, one of the great joys in life

 

[Peter Hamilton]

how about this- banning people talking! conversations are also quite distracting.


OK wait a minute.. now we have to ban tinted windows too- how are the police going to see if you're breaking the law in your car?[/QUOTE--LOL--Banning people talking!--good one reb--but as far as tinted windows, they've been banned in Florida for decades--that is, only the heavily tinted car windows where one cannot see the driver

 

[reb]

kidzndogz... hey don't look at me, i never tried the stuff!

peter- yeah, but the trick is to crank it up loud enough so you don't hear the sirens behind you...... LOL

 

[Peter Hamilton]

and while they are banning people from drinking coffee or chewing gum while driving...

--LOL--banning people for chewing gum----another good one,you're cracking me up tonite reb

 

[reb]

i do my best, peter.

 

[reportertype]

I think this is a bit much, mainly because it's nearly impossible to legislate "distraction."

If they insist on it, I'm scr**ed -- my biggest driving distraction is thinking!!!

 

[crypto6]

I think this is a bit much, mainly because it's nearly impossible to legislate "distraction."

If they insist on it, I'm scr**ed -- my biggest driving distraction is thinking!!!

Here's a study which refutes the common notion that music is distracting, at least in congested traffic. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2000.tb02463.x

I also remember a better controlled study which showed music as actually decreasing distraction and improving driving ability; I'll see if I can find it.

 

[reportertype]

Here's a study which refutes the common notion that music is distracting, at least in congested traffic. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2000.tb02463.x

I also remember a better controlled study which showed music as actually decreasing distraction and improving driving ability; I'll see if I can find it.

Actually this makes sense to me -- I usually listen to music and sing along but haven't been lately because someone bent my antenna off. And I tend to get lost in thought. Then I realize I've traveled two blocks and don't recall...I don't do that when I'm singing along.

 

[reb]

yeah, but the important fact you guys are missing here,, is that it's not listening to music that is necessarily distracting or makes you take your eyes off the road and hands off the wheel... it's fumbling with the equipment! radio tuner, tape/CD player, getting CD's out of your case, finding the right tape you want, trying to find your favorite part of the song, etc.

 

[reportertype]

No, I get it. I don't fiddle with the radio, Ipod, etc. except when stopped at red lights. I don't want to rear-end someone....I do drive one-handed, tho, out of habit I put one hand on the gear shift. I've always thought that even a hands-off headset wouldn't help drivers who are yakking on the phone, the conversation is more of a distraction that holding the phone, IMO. At least, it is for me. I also put makeup on sometimes on my commute to work, mainly because the route I travel has tons of red lights; I put it on there, while I'm stopped, a bit here and there. I've seen people do crazy crap while driving and it scares me. I doubt these laws will do any more good than speed limit signs, which people ignore reguarly.