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When on your Cell Phone while driving your car, do you 'picture' the other person ? (2 selections)
Yes, I 'picture' the image of the other party 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Yes, I 'picture' the image of the other party 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
No, I only hear their voice 14%  14%  [ 11 ]
No, I only hear their voice 14%  14%  [ 11 ]
Yes / No, I think it is about about 50:50 voice / image of the person 1%  1%  [ 1 ]
Yes / No, I think it is about about 50:50 voice / image of the person 1%  1%  [ 1 ]
Yes, but I have now learned, NOT to 'see' them, my driving is uneffected 1%  1%  [ 1 ]
Yes, but I have now learned, NOT to 'see' them, my driving is uneffected 1%  1%  [ 1 ]
Yes, but I have now learned, NOT to 'see' them, my driving is effected 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Yes, but I have now learned, NOT to 'see' them, my driving is effected 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
No, but occasionally (around 25%) 'see' them, my driving is uneffected 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
No, but occasionally (around 25%) 'see' them, my driving is uneffected 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
No, but occasionally (around 25%) 'see' them, my driving is effected 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
No, but occasionally (around 25%) 'see' them, my driving is effected 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Yes but I believe that my driving concentration is uneffected. 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Yes but I believe that my driving concentration is uneffected. 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Yes but I believe that my driving concentration is effected. 1%  1%  [ 1 ]
Yes but I believe that my driving concentration is effected. 1%  1%  [ 1 ]
No but I believe that my driving is uneffected 3%  3%  [ 2 ]
No but I believe that my driving is uneffected 3%  3%  [ 2 ]
No but I believe that my driving is effected 3%  3%  [ 2 ]
No but I believe that my driving is effected 3%  3%  [ 2 ]
I can talk and drive - my driving concentration is uneffected 9%  9%  [ 7 ]
I can talk and drive - my driving concentration is uneffected 9%  9%  [ 7 ]
I cannot talk and drive - my driving concentration is effected 5%  5%  [ 4 ]
I cannot talk and drive - my driving concentration is effected 5%  5%  [ 4 ]
Other - please explain ..... 12%  12%  [ 9 ]
Other - please explain ..... 12%  12%  [ 9 ]
Total votes : 76
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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 01:43 
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Trying to calculate if you picture someone at the end of the phone when driving and on the cell or hands free etc ... and then whether this picture effects your driving at all ?

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PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 09:18 
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Has something promted this?


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PostPosted: Sat May 31, 2008 18:49 
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I see some, I hear others - HAVE to hear others - some I speak to I've never met!

I don't THINK that presence of an image makes any difference - if it is a socila ish call I can cope in low hazard conditions, if it is a call requiring decisions/more than superficial thought - it is an absolute no for me. I find I miss turnings, don't recall stretches of journeys - totally dangerous.

Handed is slightly safer than hands free too - easy to drop the phone and the call is (temporarily) suspended in the event of something requiring more concentration without someone speaking to me.


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 06:09 
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I did a radio interview that touched it, and Paul and I have discussed it at length.
I wanted to find out what people thought here, with the current climate, and if opinions were changing, and what other's think.
Best to take the 'chat' to forum Speed, safety, driving & the law.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 08:00 
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Slightly OT but related, one of the most dangerous things I have seen as a passenger in various cars is the phenomenon of drivers who insist on looking at other passengers that they are talking to - even if they are in the back!

Not exactly visualising the caller on the phone, more actually seeing them. Perhaps the people who do this also have to imagine the phone caller

The worst example I have seen of this was in Germany when I was sitting in the back row of a people carrier being driven at 100mph on the autobahn. The driver turned right round to address me. I was just panicing.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 10:21 
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I do not visualise the person, however I may start to visualise the subject of the conversation. A quick 'I'll be about 20 minutes' is fine but if the caller wants to discuss how to implement a network connection between two buildings I would want to pull over first. Hand held or hands free makes little or no difference to my driving in comparison.

I also tend not to pick up a call if the current road situation is anything other than simple and apparently stable e.g. stationary in a queue or on a lightly loaded motorway.

That is just the way my brain works though so I accept other people may be able to take calls of types and in situations I would not.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 13:31 
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Like many things I believe that driving while on the phone is a skill, you can either get good at it or you can do it poorly.

It's interesting point, visualising the person. To be honest the thought had never crossed my mind that some people might do that. I know I don't. I think the point you're getting at is that doing so may cause a significant distraction. I'd be interested in the results of this poll but I have a suspicion that you may find a correlation between age and the tendency to visualise. The current generation are a lot more likely to spend long periods of time talking to people they have never actually seen and thus are less likely to have a need to visualise a person who they can hear but can't see.


I'm not sure asking if people have seen mobiles affecting others driving standards is going to be quite so useful. I'd suspect most people don't make a habbit of looking at every driver they pass, but if a driver does something stupid you're more likely to look at them, and if they're on the phone, suddenly you've found your reason for the stupidity.
For what it's worth, these last few months or so I have for some reason started briefly glancing at the people I pass (or who pass me) on the motorway, I've seen all sorts of things, mobile phones, sandwich eatching, smoking, nose picking and haven't noted any correlation between any of those activities and reduced driving standards.
However my sample is still limited. I'm on the road all day some days and tend to avoid rush hour. Most of the people I see are trucks, sales reps, van drivers, generally people who are also on the road all day, so it's hardly surprising they're good at what they do


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 15:42 
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I am one of those people who can't talk on the phone whilst driving (commonly referred to as a 'Man') ;) I don't know why but as soon as it's a phone conversation I literally stop concentrating on the road, if I try really hard to focus on the road I barely hear the person on the phone. As such I no longer take calls whilst driving.

I find it bizarre but being on a handsfree does make a difference, though I am very aware that my ability to concentrate on driving has dropped significantly still.
Talking to a passenger is no problem for me though, I can't explain it but it's just how it is for me.

Having said that I have no problem with concentration if I decide to have a drink (non-alco obviously) or eat some food whilst driving. Plenty of times i've devoured a full dinner on a long journey (sandwich, crisps, banana + drink for example) with no effect on my ability to concentrate on driving at all in my opinion. In fact, I'm pretty sure that on a number of occasions of long late night trips if I weren't able to drink some Red Bull/Kick on the move I wouldn't be here right now :o


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 18:52 
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I don't visualise people when talking to them.

I voted "other" too- speaking on a cellphone can distract me from the road, so I didn't let it- Previously I'd answer the call if in slow traffic/queue/can see somewhere to safely pull up soon. If in slightly more demanding situations ie middle of marble arch I'd let the voicemail get it. Running a biz as I do it's nice to be able to answer calls straight away, but not worth taking risks for. So I suppose thats an example of something called "judgement", something the government seems to think drivers don't possess, yet paradoxically something we couldn't drive without.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 20:19 
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I voted other.

I don't talk on the phone whilst driving at all. (Personal choice)

I don't visualise people on the phone.

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PostPosted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 07:15 
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I also voted Other.

My car has integrated Bluetooth hands free (through the sound system's speakers) so is about the best solution you'll get. However I still don't like talking on the phone whilst driving. I have a friend who often calls me when I'm driving somewhere and I can't get through to him that I really don't like trying to have a phone conversation when I'm concentrating on the road.

If it's during working hours and a client calls I'll make it clear that I'm driving at the start of the call and will often tell them to "hold on" if I'm, say, negotiating a roundabout. But I'll keep it short and if they try asking me anything technical I'll say "I'll call you back when I get where I'm going".

I'm now fairly convinced that the main difference between hands free and chatting to your passenger is that the passenger has the same view of the road ahead as you do - and won't try asking you anything technical when you're bearing down on a hairpin left at 80mph about to flick an apex turn around it! (Ok, exaggerated example but you get the idea.) Small children in the car can be just as distracting as a hands free mobile conversation.

Using hand-held... I've done it very briefly (before it became illegal) in a manual and found it impossible. In an automatic it's easier as you don't have to take your hands off the wheel to change gear. However it's not something I ever felt comfortable doing and would only have done it in extreme circumstances. Hands free takes the control aspect out of things but I still don't like it.


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 00:04 
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prof beard wrote:
I voted other.

I don't talk on the phone whilst driving at all. (Personal choice)

I don't visualise people on the phone.


Me too.

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PostPosted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 05:37 
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I do answer phone calls occasionally - 5% of phonecalls are important enough to answer - though I won't make them unless I am stopped 1st.

I go out of my way to keep the call as short as possible, to avoid the topic of the phonecon from developing into a video in my mind. Less than one minute if possible, otherwise I consciously begin blocking out the phonecon to encourage the caller to end the call. At two minutes, I hear two beeps; at which time I end the call at all costs.

The tougher the road and / or traffic conditions, the more likely I am to either not answer in the first place, or pull over if the call is important enough to answer.

Whether or not I pull over, the call needs to remain short. It doesn't take long for certain topics to be distracting after a call is finished.

The longer the phonecall, the more distracting the topic, the more difficult the driving conditions, and /or the more vulnerable the driver, the more important it is to avoid the call, or barring that, avoid multitasking while driving.

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Do not let other road users' mistakes become yours, nor yours become others
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 23:09 
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My vote - other - I do talk and drive -but ONLY ,like everything else ,when safe to do so .

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 12:17 
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I can't talk and drive and voted that way. At least I can't talk about anything to taxing and drive.


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:50 
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My view is there should be no discussion it should simply be outlawed. It is a fact that when people use mobile phones even hands free their awareness,judgement reaction times are affected and because of this it should be stopped. I have ZERO sympathy for anyone who gets nicked for using a mob while driving. 1. Because of the above 2. Because it is not ness to use phone on the move in a veh 3.Because arrogance and ignorance leads to questioning common sense.

People are destracted enough just changing a CD over by pressing a button on the steering column, or opening a electric window, or looking for the light switch.

What many forget is that not everyone is a competent or advanced driver who may for a few moments be able to multi task and not crash or cause a crash, some road users are utter rubbish or just complete idiots incapable of driving safely let alone holding a conversation on the phone so as with everything, all rules and regs should apply to the dumbest and most incompetent. I for one would readily accept a ban on raio/CD, along with banning passenger conversations with the driver. As ridiculous as that may appear it would reduce a lot of crashes, likewise the banning of passenger carrying by all new drivers for up to one year. It may seem a crazy thing to say but not when you look at many accident causes.Everything about modern cars are distactions, they are a coccoon with a wheel on each corner, passengers are a distraction, music can distract, comfort and quietness can distract from reality. I would happily let anyone enjoy these luxuries if only they could drive well enough, sadly the majority cannot. So its a good job for all that Im not in charge lol.


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 13:33 
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Herbie J wrote:
all rules and regs should apply to the dumbest and most incompetent.


So you'd support a plan to roll out 20 limits in all urban areas and lowering the :nsl: speed limit to 40 (SC) and 50 (DC/MW) then?

While we're at it, lets ban people from installing software on their own PCs have to take it to a shop and pay them £20 to install the game they just bought

And we can ban people from wiring plugs or changing fuses on their appliances too, in case they get it wrong, again we can pay a shop to do that.

What about cooking, we'd have to ban that too. Everyone can eat microwave ready meals with RFID tags to tell the microwave how long to cook it for, that way nobody will ever get food poisoning from incorrect food preparation.


No, the dumbest and most incompetent need to be identified and either educated or removed from the roads. Mobile phone use should be treated the way driving whilst tired currently is, an aggravating factor in any other charge, such as due care and attention. Of course that would require that we actually start catching people for due care and attention again. Not just after they've had a crash, but when they drive past an unmarked car weaving all over the place with a phone clamped to their ear.


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 23:31 
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Herbie J wrote:
My view is there should be no discussion it should simply be outlawed. It is a fact that when people use mobile phones even hands free their awareness, judgement reaction times are affected and because of this it should be stopped. I have ZERO sympathy for anyone who gets nicked for using a mobile while driving. 1. Because of the above 2. Because it is not necessary to use the phone on the move in a vehicle 3.Because arrogance and ignorance leads to questioning common sense.

People are distracted enough just changing a CD over by pressing a button on the steering column, or opening a electric window, or looking for the light switch.

What many forget is that not everyone is a competent or advanced driver who may for a few moments be able to multi task and not crash or cause a crash, some road users are utter rubbish or just complete idiots incapable of driving safely let alone holding a conversation on the phone so as with everything, all rules and regs should apply to the dumbest and most incompetent. I for one would readily accept a ban on radio/CD, along with banning passenger conversations with the driver. As ridiculous as that may appear it would reduce a lot of crashes, likewise the banning of passenger carrying by all new drivers for up to one year. It may seem a crazy thing to say but not when you look at many accident causes.Everything about modern cars are distactions, they are a coccoon with a wheel on each corner, passengers are a distraction, music can distract, comfort and quietness can distract from reality. I would happily let anyone enjoy these luxuries if only they could drive well enough, sadly the majority cannot. So its a good job for all that Im not in charge lol.
What we have here, is someone who believes that the dumbest and the most incompetent should be permitted to drive.

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2) Nothing gets hit, except to protect others; see Rule#1
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Do not let other road users' mistakes become yours, nor yours become others
5) The rest, including laws of the land, is thoughtful observation, prescience, etiquette, decorum, and cooperation


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 15:25 
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The Rush wrote:
Herbie J wrote:
My view is there should be no discussion it should simply be outlawed. It is a fact that when people use mobile phones even hands free their awareness, judgement reaction times are affected and because of this it should be stopped. I have ZERO sympathy for anyone who gets nicked for using a mobile while driving. 1. Because of the above 2. Because it is not necessary to use the phone on the move in a vehicle 3.Because arrogance and ignorance leads to questioning common sense.

People are distracted enough just changing a CD over by pressing a button on the steering column, or opening a electric window, or looking for the light switch.

What many forget is that not everyone is a competent or advanced driver who may for a few moments be able to multi task and not crash or cause a crash, some road users are utter rubbish or just complete idiots incapable of driving safely let alone holding a conversation on the phone so as with everything, all rules and regs should apply to the dumbest and most incompetent. I for one would readily accept a ban on radio/CD, along with banning passenger conversations with the driver. As ridiculous as that may appear it would reduce a lot of crashes, likewise the banning of passenger carrying by all new drivers for up to one year. It may seem a crazy thing to say but not when you look at many accident causes.Everything about modern cars are distactions, they are a coccoon with a wheel on each corner, passengers are a distraction, music can distract, comfort and quietness can distract from reality. I would happily let anyone enjoy these luxuries if only they could drive well enough, sadly the majority cannot. So its a good job for all that Im not in charge lol.
Quote:
What we have here, is someone who believes that the dumbest and the most incompetent should be permitted to drive.
No what you have here is someone who KNOWS that people ARE or can become DUMB behind the wheel not dumb in their life outside the car/bike/bus/truck/bycycle just dumb struck on the roads.
If you dont see this every day on the roads you must be dumb lol.( The word DUMB being its common use not the OE version, I find more people understand things nowadays if you use common terms.)


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 16:16 
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Lum wrote:
Herbie J wrote:
all rules and regs should apply to the dumbest and most incompetent.


So you'd support a plan to roll out 20 limits in all urban areas and lowering the :nsl: speed limit to 40 (SC) and 50 (DC/MW) then?

While we're at it, lets ban people from installing software on their own PCs have to take it to a shop and pay them £20 to install the game they just bought

And we can ban people from wiring plugs or changing fuses on their appliances too, in case they get it wrong, again we can pay a shop to do that.

What about cooking, we'd have to ban that too. Everyone can eat microwave ready meals with RFID tags to tell the microwave how long to cook it for, that way nobody will ever get food poisoning from incorrect food preparation.


No, the dumbest and most incompetent need to be identified and either educated or removed from the roads. Mobile phone use should be treated the way driving whilst tired currently is, an aggravating factor in any other charge, such as due care and attention. Of course that would require that we actually start catching people for due care and attention again. Not just after they've had a crash, but when they drive past an unmarked car weaving all over the place with a phone clamped to their ear.

Quote:


I havent got a clue where you are getting this rubbish from but to humour you, I never mentioned speed limits, in fact if I were to it would be to make speed on open roads less of an issue than many would think, also speed within built up areas would be a serious issue to me because thats where the majority of fatalities occur not on open roads.

Installing software...lol. yeah thats gonna stop all the fatalities and serious injuries caused by such a crazy undertaking isnt it! doh!

Its called 'Electrician' not 'Shop' and again you in your wisdom have hit the nail on the head, thats gonna save counless life as only yesterday 3 Brazilians died wiring their TV plug up.It was even brought to George Bush's attention when he said 'My god, thats sad, just how many is a Brazilian?'

Cooking??? Thats a toughy so I'll leave that to the wife.

As your final point which I must say is the only bit appearing sensible
Like so many your sentiments are admirable but you overlook facts and logistics.Do you know how many people we are talking about, are you aware how many poor drivers are out there? Do you know how many police are on duty at any one time? Do you understand how much time/effort would be required to deal with every case of the poorest driving standards when not related to speeding or crashes? Do you know how many people are given very very basic training followed by an inadequate test that does not include high speed driving/braking and does not include motorway driving?( a test that hasnt changed in decades significantly yet the performance and quantity of vehs has) Do you believe that everyone who passes a driving test is actually good enough to be on Britains roads?
I have many years past experience teaching most licence groups and people from all walks of life. You will not stop people scraping through tests and being a complete idiot behind the wheel it can be an Oxford don or Road sweeper. You can only reduce some of the crap on our roads by introducing tougher policing/penalty for clearly identified causes, like mob phone use.You can use the passive softly softly stuff alongside that but the reality is people are being killed, I for one would hapily sacrifice mob phone use for me and everyone if it saved one life,I for one have not used MP on the move for years yet Ive had more training and mileage experience than most . People are addicted to things they feel they need yet dont, like mob phones. Mob phone use has been factually identified as a cause of many crunches ( some horrific ) and everyone using it at the time wasnt thinking that they were doing any harm or that their driving was affected. This should not be worthy of debate but simply accepted. STOP USING MP WHEN DRIVING it wont kill you!


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