Yet another DUH! 4695

You have any hard data on that? I mean, the only distraction I can remember that caused me some problem was from talking to someone in the car, not on the cell phone. I went left of center - it was a real low-speed road and there was no one else around, but it was because I was talking to her that I did that.

No, wait - I went left of center shortly after buying and mounting a GPS in the car - about 1994 or so if I remember right - stared at it too long - quickly learned how to deal with it so I don't do that any more - quick glances - but, as I believe, cell phones are only one of a wide variety of possible distractions that can be in a car.

Another incident was my friend, who was talking to his kid and didn't notice the guy that was about to run the stop light. Nailed him in the side, he was off work for about 3 months recuperating. Yeah, it was the other guy's fault, but you have to drive both cars, and can't do it while blabbing at someone else in the car, it would seem.

That's a matter of individual technique. Maybe some people are too hung-up on manners to ignore someone on the phone, but I give high priority to anything that can get me hurt. IOW, this does not apply in my case.

I'm not sure that is right at all. I think it is a supposition on your part. My experience is different.

Yep. You can get in bigger trouble trying to put on a headset in time to answer a call than simply answering the call the normal way.

Maybe that too, but that's just another supposition.

Yep.

I don't believe that there needs to be (yet another) law. There's too many laws already. Getting rid of cell phones in cars would be getting rid of a lot of them in society when people simply stop buying and using them. As I sais, if I couldn't use it in the car, it wouldn't be worth a hell of a lot to me, and I wouldn't be paying $50 a month for the privelege of leaving it laying around the house where I wouldn't be using it anyway. So, after that, if there's a big accident and people bleeding all over the place, with the only people on the scene for the next half hour have given up their cell phones like I would, some people probably bleed to rest. There's some times of the day or night on some roads that there indeed might only be 1 other person to roll up on an accident - if he doesn't have a cell phone, then the injured are probably screwed unless he's also an EMT. Unintended consequences, but real enough, I think.

Dave Head