About time.

chuffer said:

It's funny how everyone thinks they're a good driver, isn't it? I haven't met one person who thinks otherwise

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lagerlad said:

whilst i am in the same camp as most here and think its dangerous to use a mobile when driving i think its more dangerous to smoke when driving its not against the law as far as i know but if someone drops a cigarette in the motor and their ******** or seat is on fire who knows what type of erratic driving we would see........

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Pope said:

I don't agree with this. Me and the missus ring each other after work and speak for approximately 25 minutes whilst driving. Neither of us have been in an accident whilst doing it.

I'm capable of speaking and concentrating on the road at the same time.

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lagerlad said:

whilst i am in the same camp as most here and think its dangerous to use a mobile when driving i think its more dangerous to smoke when driving its not against the law as far as i know but if someone drops a cigarette in the motor and their ******** or seat is on fire who knows what type of erratic driving we would see........

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Pope said:

1. Confidence is a good thing if you're driving. You should be confident whilst controlling a vehicle. If you're not, then you're a nervous driver...a very dangerous thing indeed.
2. Everyone's brain multitasks. Your brain controls everything your body does at all times. So stating that nobodies brain can multitask is just a lie.
3. I'm happy with my driving whilst speaking on Bluetooth. I'm self-aware enough know my capabilities.

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Pope said:

I disagree that being on a blue tooth device speaking makes a person less alert and visually attentive.

I believe that this can be judged better in actual driving scenarios, in terms of what I have previously stated...the proof being in the pudding that me and countless other drivers do speak on the devices without causing accidents.

So yes, "cracking logic".

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geetee said:

Yes you would disagree. I had a similar argument with my brother in law who although he was a bus driver insisted that alcohol did not affect him as much as other people. He apparently knew better that all of the evidence and all of the scientists but he was just as wrong as you are by insisting that you do not believe what is put before you just because it does not suit you.

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geetee said:

Multi tasking is not the same as sequencing - one think after another. it is a proven fact that people only concentrate on one thing at a time. When you are talking and deciding what film to watch later or discussing what to eat the driving suffers. FACT.lok up multitasking and neuroscientists will tell you that when people think they are multitasking they are not, they are actually switching their attention quicklyfrom one thing to another which is distraction!
There is a level of confidence required for driving but my description of overconfidence stems from the fact that you seem to think that you only need a portion of your brain to perform a potentially deadly task like driving when a I have pointed out you can only focus on one main task as a time. Surely killing someone ( or avoiding doing so) is slightly more important than making social arrangements!
There is a level of subconcious activity going on when driving such as driving the same route, changing gear but this in itself is a danger, do you really want to be subconciously in charge of a car. I would rather be actively aware of where I am and what I am doing and respond to any thing that emerges.

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Chippy_Tea said:

Well Pope you are either deluded or the exception to the rule i think we all know which it is.


The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents

Mobile Phones and Driving - 2015

A substantial body of research shows that using a hand-held or hands-free mobile phone while driving is a significant distraction, and substantially increases the risk of the driver crashing.

Drivers who use a mobile phone, whether hand-held or hands-free:

are much less aware of what's happening on the road around them
fail to see road signs
fail to maintain proper lane position and steady speed
are more likely to 'tailgate' the vehicle in front
react more slowly, take longer to brake and longer to stop
are more likely to enter unsafe gaps in traffic
feel more stressed and frustrated.
They are also four times more likely to crash, injuring or killing themselves and other people.

Using a hands-free phone while driving does not significantly reduce the risks because the problems are caused mainly by the mental distraction and divided attention of taking part in a phone conversation at the same time as driving.

Read more - http://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/drivers/distraction/mobile-phones/

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Doglaner said:

Hello, very interesting thread.

Something missing thus far, I feel, is a brief discussion of what risk actually is.

Increased risk means that you are more likely to suffer or encounter an event. It doesn't mean that you are definitely going to encounter it.

In the case of mobile phones, then the increased risk of an accident appears to be backed up by evidence, in respect of both hands-free and handheld devices. This evidence will have been published openly for peer review, I hope, and used well established and respected scientific and statistical methods.

Individually, therefore, we may not think we are affected, however across a population, it has an effect. We just don't know which specific individuals in that population or cohort of people will experience the event.

Thus, Pope feels, based on his own individual experiences, that he is not affected by using a hands-free. Until something happens to change that view, it is as valid as any other. Using the facts from scientific research about risks across a population and then extrapolating this onto an individual, will not change that view, and is not really a valid technique as it cannot be done at all reliably. Same with smoking and cancer, or skydiving and catastrophic chute failure, which we all accept (I assume) are linked.

Pope, I believe you are wrong, however confess that I also talk on hands-free as I drive about 20,000 miles a year for work, and am all blue-toothed up. I am also an empiricist, however, and know that this is increasing my risk. I am wrong, too. I just choose to ignore that. To a point. I justify it to myself by only accepting incoming calls, and only making outgoing calls that I can voice-dial.

This thread might change my mind, however, as it has caused me to pause and think.

Unless it is legislated for, though, I fear it will not change drastically across the population, and even then there will still be some.....

Safe driving.

Dog.

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Chippy_Tea said:

The evidence on hands-free cell phone devices while driving


Whether it’s a quick call to ask what’s needed from the grocery store or catching up with a long-distance friend " people everywhere talk on cell phones while they’re driving.

It’s long been recognised that talking on the phone while driving increases your risk of being involved in a crash. But in recent years, car and technology companies have marketed hands-free devices as a safer way to talk while driving.

Now a growing body of evidence suggests using hands-free phone devices such as ear pieces and Bluetooth is equally as dangerous as talking on a cell phone normally.

The latest study, commissioned by the American Automobile Association and performed by researchers are the University of Utah, measured the cognitive distraction created by performing a wide variety of tasks while driving. Listening to the radio or a book on tape proved to be the least distracting activities, while performing a verbal cognitive task involving math and word recall proved to be the most distracting. Talking on a hands-free cellular device ranked in the middle of the spectrum " more distracting than talking to a passenger and slightly less distracting than holding a phone up to your ear.

There’s more evidence, as well. A systematic review published in 2009 found talking on the phone " hands-free or not " has a negative influence upon driving performance. And it found that people talking on hands-free devices drive at faster speeds than those using hand-held device possibly because the hands-free device provides a false sense of security, resulting in a greater incidence of car accidents.

In addition, a 2012 white paper by the National Safety Council " which includes references from more than 30 research studies " found that “the cognitive distraction from paying attention to conversation " from listening and responding to a disembodied voice " contributes to numerous driving impairments” including inattention blindness (when drivers look at, but do not “see” objects in their path), slower reaction times and problems staying in a lane. That paper concludes: “Driving while talking on cell phones " handheld and hands-free " increases risk of injury and property damage crashes fourfold.”

Taken together, the evidence is clear: Talking on the phone while driving " even when using a hand-free device " is not safe. So they next time you’re tempted to make that quick call or pick up the phone while you’re on the road, take a moment to think about what the research shows.

http://evidencebasedliving.human.co...-hands-free-cell-phone-devices-while-driving/

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