Should Cell Phones Be Banned In Cars?

from the beating-an-almost-dead-horse dept

There's been a lot of talk recently about banning cell phones in cars. News.com has an article that talks about some of the backlash to that idea which includes data from the very few studies that have looked into the problem. Of course, I think the answer is pretty simple. We just need cars that drive themselves, which have automatic crash detection systems to avoid accidents. Nothing to it. Then everyone can sit in their cars and chat away. Or even surf the internet on their innovative ricochet... oh wait, forget I said anything.

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  1.  

    Should Cell Phones Be Banned In Cars?

    identicon
    Scott, Jul 3rd, 2001 @ 9:52am

    I think the banning is a good thing for safety's sake. In fact, I think they should add more things on this list of things to ban while driving.

    I drive 6 miles to work on surface streets in a well to do nieborhood and the drivers are very bad. There are 2 high schools and 3 grade schools on the way so the traffic level is high. I have observed both male and female drives with so many distactions going on in the car (talking on the cell phone, reaching in the back seet stopping the kids from fighting, putting make-up on in the rear mirror and even reading the paper) it is a miracle no one is killed every week day.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  

    Cellphones

    identicon
    Dave, Jul 3rd, 2001 @ 11:43am

    Statistically 1.4% of accidents are caused by people on a cell phone, and 11.5% or so are due to people distracted by the radio (source AAA). You're more dangerous and distracted when changing the radio station than you are talking on the phone. Banning cellphone use in a car is an public overreaction that is hyped by alot of people. I think it should be an added fine if you break a motor vehicle law while on the a cellphone, but otherwise people should be able to use them.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  

    Re: Should Cell Phones Be Banned In Cars?

    identicon
    musselduck, Jul 3rd, 2001 @ 12:49pm

    Yes I agree that they should ban even more things while driving, such as:

    Eating
    Talking
    Whistling
    Thinking
    Nose picking
    Breathing........

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  

    Re: Should Cell Phones Be Banned In Cars?

    icon
    Mike (profile), Jul 3rd, 2001 @ 12:55pm

    Yes. Excellent suggestions.

    Maybe they should just ban driving altogether. That would solve the whole accident problem, wouldn't it? ;)

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  

    How to Lie with Statistics

    identicon
    Ed, Jul 3rd, 2001 @ 1:03pm

    Statistics like the one Dave quotes can be misleading unless you know enough to interpret them carefully. 99% of cars have radios, while some smaller percentage of drivers have cell phones. Not much smaller these days, but when was the AAA study done? If more than a few years ago, before cell phones--and especially unlimited calling plans--became ubiquitous, then the results might seriously underestimate the impact (no pun intended) of current cell phone usage.

    Here's something nobody has suggested yet: start making automobiles more like bumper cars than rolling status symbols, so that if you tap another car in stop-and-go traffic nobody even needs to stop. (I don't exactly buy that idea myself, but that shows how much we've all bought into the current car culture.)

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  

    Re: How to Lie with Statistics

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    Mike (profile), Jul 3rd, 2001 @ 1:26pm

    Actually, I always wondered that myself. Why is it that a tiny tap seems to require $2,000 worth of repairs? Why can't they make car bumpers more resilient (and, to make that work, standardize at what height off the ground the bumpers are)?

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  

    Re: Cellphones

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    Jack, May 17th, 2005 @ 10:08am

    What are you on? No one dies from the radio. Where did you get theese obviously Wrong statistics

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  8.  
    identicon
    weston salyards, Oct 5th, 2007 @ 10:19am

    tha tis the gayist idea ever

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  9.  
    identicon
    FrankeyWall, Oct 15th, 2007 @ 9:15am

    I do think that the use of cell phones should be banned while driving.

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  10.  

    should cell phones be banned in cars

    identicon
    bryan middlebrooks, Mar 18th, 2009 @ 8:27am

    reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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