Do you feel that your driving is affected if / when you text or talk on your hand-held cell phone?

Yes.

I don’t do this because:

- It’s 2015 and the technology to go hands-free is ubiquitous.
– It’s against the law in NH (I live near here and drive in the state frequently).
– Of course it’s distracting. I also try to minimize all of the other things that were the prime source of distraction prior to cell phone use (when it was more dangerous to drive).

I’m a little surprised that you posed this question as a spin-off of the rant thread that’s currently going on. Curious to see where you go with this.

Well, I don’t ever use my phone in the car, but then I’m old enough to not want to, as I’ve never needed it. I have a Bluetooth option now, but I don’t remember to turn it on.
And what @DoNotKnow said about you posting this.

I just wanted to see if there is anyone who feels that it doesn’t affect their driving when they text or talk.

I think listening to audio books while driving is probably more distracting than hands free talking, as one tends to concentrate more on a book than a conversation. Maybe business conference calls would be bad, as it’s harder to say “just a minute” to a business circumstance than to a friend…

@Dutchess_III: “I just wanted to see if there is anyone who feels that it doesn’t affect their driving when they text or talk.”

That was my concern. You’re not going to find anyone who would assert that they are not distracted when texting or talking on the phone. Re-read that rant thread and you’ll see that the people the OP is arguing with are the very people who feel that distraction is a huge problem with driving, and it needs to be taken seriously. But his approach to the topic of distraction has been to isolate cell phones. This is the equivalent of holding a forum on drunk driving and proposing ways we could reduce Budweiser consumption while driving (instead of the real problem, which is all alcohol and intoxication). It’s fairly arbitrary, represents the current object of distraction, and is outrage that is not driven by the data. If it were 1988, the OP would have chosen a different object of distraction and called us all “car stereo apologists” or something.

I had people defended themselves in the past, on another site, @DoNotKnow, when I asked this same question. It was several years ago, though.

But I have to agree…no one in their right mind today would say it doesn’t affect their driving, even if they believe it doesn’t. They won’t say a word here.

Just wanted to see.

Texting yes. Talking with the phone at my ear, yes.

Talking on th phone with my hands free device, no. But I will get off the phone if the road conditions are bad, like have rain or snow.

I feel that my walking is affected when I’m on the phone. When I’m out with kids or dogs, my phone gets very little attention. I do return important calls, but only after any kids/dogs are safe.

So, yes. Of course phones distract. So do audio books, billboards, other drivers, thoughts, sandwiches, cigarettes, screaming children in the backseat, spouses, and insects.

I’d vote cars off the Earth in a heartbeat.

Would affect our chauffeur because i’d fire him, not that he’d dare.

Ok, @Dutchess_III, so you agree that you probably won’t get any pushback here regarding distraction and cell phones. Is that all you wanted to see? Is the cell phone thing still your biggest concern? Is the act of driving a car an otherwise safe activity?

I hope you don’t mind me expanding the scope of this thread to ask you a question about your overall concerns with driving, safety, and distraction.

Have you ever driven after not getting a full 8 hours of sleep. Driving while sleepy can be as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.

Have you ever driven while emotionally upset? Maybe you broke up with a partner, were depressed, had recently lost a job, were stressed about something, or had just lost a parent?

Have you ever daydreamed while driving? Or have you ever thought about an event in the past or planned something for the future?

Have you ever driven with passengers in your car? Have you heard them talking to each other or talking to you? Have you been asked questions and had to think about a response and respond?

Have you ever driven with an infant in the car? Did the infant ever cry for 15 minutes straight as you attempted to sing a song or calm him/her down from the front seat? Have you ever tried to peak a view of the baby in the rear-view mirror?

Have you ever had young children in the car? Did they ever yell or start fighting?

Have you ever listened to music in your car? Have you ever changed the stations?

Have you ever had a cup of coffee while driving?

Have you ever eaten a snack while driving?

Have you ever driven while you had a headache? Toothache? Arthritis?

There are just so many distractions, and it’s no wonder that (while getting safer) there are still 30k people per year in the US that are killed in motor vehicle accidents. Note: of course, they are all not due to distraction. There are other issues about poor driving and aggressive drivers.

It seems arbitrary that yet again, and older generation has identified the bogeyman (cell phones) and decided that this is why driving is so dangerous. “Cell phones”, mobile devices, integrated auto systems (Android Auto and Apple Carplay), and other technologies are part of modern life. They are fairly new, so we will have a period of adjustment, as we’re seeing now as hands-free laws spread and cars with older technology get replaced with safer options. But it makes little sense to identify on object of distraction as the reason for auto accidents – especially when distraction has always been a huge problem.

And just to give you an idea how new technology is being used: When I am driving home from work and I happen to remember that I have something I need to remember to do when I get home. I could…
a. Pull over on the side of the road or at the next exit (a risky maneuver) in order to create a reminder for myself.
b. Spend considerable brain cycles on constantly repeating, “I have to remember to ___” over and over again.
c. Just say, ”Ok Google, remind me to _____ when I get home.”

Obviously, c is the safest. It’s also the way things should be. This is the world we live in. Older generations have been fighting off the new and scary forever.

I agree with @longgone that the real problem is the car itself. This is a toy that nobody seems willing to part from. But there are technological advancements that could make this whole car absurdity more tolerable and safe. Self-driving cars and trucks are here, and will hopefully make their way to the masses soon. We’ll see if people are truly concerned about distraction (a human problem), or are only exhibiting technophobia.

I did get distracted and now I either use voice control or Bluetooth. But honestly, my singing distracts me more than anything. I get really into it sometimes and I forget I’m driving.

Texting yes. Phone in the ear yes. Hands free, somewhat but no more than when someone in the car is having a conversation with the driver (presumably I’m the driver). Casual conversation, not so distracting. Conversation where they want me to respond about something important, more distracting. Child playing in back seat or asking some question that is important to her: distracting.

Add to the list from @DoNotKnow: Being lost. Looking for street signs or house numbers. Looking for someone to ask for directions or a place to stop and ask directions. Looking at the GPS, no matter where it’s located.

I cannot find a link to corroborate this, but I think it’s something that most of us, who have been driving for awhile, anyway, know, that some distraction is a good thing, as it keeps us from totally zoning out with the monotony of driving. Trying to concentrate fully on a simple task (and really, unless you are 16 and just learning how not to hit stuff, it is simple) is trance inducing. What with those white lines going by your peripheral vision <whoosh woosh>, and the white noise of the tires and the unchanging sitting position… <yawn>.
It is the problem of total distraction that needs to be addressed. Like phones. And distressed children. And @tinyfaery‘s singing. ;-)

I’ve never texted while driving (I send about 8 texts total per year), but yes, I feel that my driving is negatively impacting when I am operating a hand-held cell phone.

Even with a hands-free device, your odds of having an accident are the same as a drunk driver.

Greatly impairs you’re ability to drive safely, did any of you watch this video?
https://youtu.be/H3D9dF3vPCU

I will admit there are other distractions but the damn cell phone is still one of the worst, I will admit there are others as well as @DoNotKnow took the time to point out.
But to say smart phones are making the highways safer(BARF) I log just under 200,000kilometres a year and in every kind of condition,have seen things that make the worst horror film look like Mr Dressup.
Now look no ranting if ya got to talk on the damn thing while driving than hands free is the safest way to go, but please look at the video.
If driving is so distracting maybe we should revert back to manual transmissions, manual steering, and so forth that you had to actually drive the vehicle not just point it in the direction you want to go.
maybe that would work,and people would be way to busy actually driving than to get distracted playing and talking on their phones, or other technology gadgets in their cars.

I totally agree @kritiper .

My Boss was saying he was thinking of trying an automatic tranny on the next truck he bought for my run,I said great and look for another driver while at it,my cross shift told him the same exact thing he quickly dropped that idea.
I would find an auto transmission in a big truck so Fn boring I might find myself texting while pointing.

That is it, newer vehicles are so easy to drive people become distracted and are tempted to do other things while at the wheel, maybe vehicles do need to be harder to drive just so people pay attention?

Absolutely it affects my driving—and that includes hand-free_ which, no matter what anyone says, is only barely less distracting than hand-held. Anyone who says using a phone in the car doesn’t distract them is kidding themselves. I always have my phone with me in the car. but I never use it to talk or text when I’m driving.

I think listening to audio books while driving is probably more distracting than hands free talking, as one tends to concentrate more on a book than a conversation.

@canidmajor, you really think listening to a book is more distracting than being engaged in a conversation?! With respect, I TOTALLY disagree. I think both activities are perilous in the car, which makes me ask… why do either when you’re supposed be watching out for road conditions, traffic signs/lights, and other drivers (many not paying attention because their on on their own phones )?!

Thanks @Pachy I agree as we’ll, but I am just ranting oh and lecturing , I understand that a lot do agree with me as cell phones are a major distraction no matter how they are used in the vehicle,and I agree again there are other distractions as well,but the cell is one of the worst that I see on a day to day basis.

While I take calls in my car over speaker-phone, the fact that I use my cellphone as a GPS and MP3 player as well means I am physically interacting with it while behind the wheel about as much as those who text and drive.

I find it distracting enough that I will only mess with it at a red light unless it’s a totally mindless task like “Skip to next song”. There’s too much going on outside my car to really be able to afford paying much attention to things inside the car.

@Pachy, yes, I do. A casual conversation can be interrupted easily, as we are used to conversing as we do so many things, but being immersed in a book takes a great deal of attention. Consciously concentrating on every aspect of driving would be a distraction in and of itself. After 45 years of driving there are so many things that I can do with little attention bursts. If I approach an intersection, one glance is enough for me to assess the traffic in all directions. I don’t need to concentrate on the turns I make to familiar places, or be checking my speed all the time.
When I was 20, I sneezed and ran into a parked car on a side street.
When I was 50 someone stopped suddenly right in front of me and I bumped them, small fender bender, no one was hurt. (No phone, alone in the car, and the radio was broken, so no music).

Not a bad driving record.

So do you keep a greater distance now than you did before you bumped the guy who stopped suddenly @canidmajor? Car accidents are great teachers!

That is true just like the time I reached for my over turned water jug and almost hit the ditch all those years ago.

An ex of mine always used to text and drive and it drove me crazy. He was adamant that it was fine and nothing would happen. Until he rear ended someone while at a light because the person in front of us had started going but then had to stop for someone reason. He assumed that it was safe to look at his phone after the light turned green. Wrong. I saw it coming, but even my warning wasn’t enough to get him to stop on time.

So yes, I think that my driving would be different, because I think everyone’s driving is different, if they’re texting. I’ve never done it and I never will.

*For some reason, not “someone”...

Yep @SQUEEKY2 . And early on I learned the hard way that just because a person has their left blinker on doesn’t mean they’re turning left.

Don’t you hate that, @DrasticDreamer, when, as a passenger, you see situations developing, and the person in charge, the one driving the car, is clueless?

Yes using my phone without it being on hands-free would affect my driving. I don’t know how it couldn’t. You have to hold the thing and press buttons etc. I personally prefer not to use my phone at all, hands-free or otherwise, while I’m driving. I think it’s distracting.

Totally agree earthbound misfit,when trucking mine is off in with my paper work,if the boss has to get in touch he can leave a voice mail,or wait til I phone in for my load number.

Relevant Watch Mythbusters Season 17 Episode 4.

I know @cazzie I saw that one, but people still use the damn phone while driving.

And they argue that handsfree is so safe… blah blah blah… No. It isn’t.

I know it’s still legal for now,but as for safe don’t fn think so,and as for the highways have become safer since the the introductions of smart phones, good grief really??

Just wait until we do away with smartphones and go with something like Google Glass. When AR becomes ubiquitous, they may do away with physical road signs. I mean, if everyone is constantly connected to a global computer network then adding/removing/editing road signs can be done with a couple lines of code, so why go through the hassle and expense in sending a work crew out to place physical signs?

Even now, being able to get real-time updates on road conditions, including congestion, accidents and other road hazards, has had benefits. While a Magellan or TomTom may be able to convey the same information, the truth is that a lot of people who use GPS in their car do so not from a dedicated unit, but rather with an app on their smartphone. Usually those apps are far faster and better at updating than the dedicated units. The app I use, Waze, is a social network that updates rapidly and has options to flag hazards appropriately (accident, object in road, icy roads…) with a couple of taps; about as much mental effort as hitting the wipers to remove that bug that just hit your windshield.

Admit it, when someone drops a sofa in the middle of the road ahead of you, it’s safer when motorists know about it at least half a mile ahead of time so they can slow down rather than let it be a sudden surprise that causes fishtailing and pile-ups. GPS makes things safer, and many use their smartphone for GPS, so yes, really!

I have seen the freeway backed up for miles because there was a couch cushion in the middle of the right hand lane and everybody had to come to almost a complete stop to look at it.

I have seen the freeway come to almost a complete stop because a semi hauling lumber pulled over on the side to tighten a few load straps and everyone had to stop or damn near stop and look to see what he was doing.

I will admit it is nice to know what is going on down the road but we truckers use VHF radios for that.

@jerv in your theory what happens when someones computer crashes?
Or someones app screws up and they see a wrong sign and have an accident because of it?
The things you are describing I will admit are probably coming but I do hope I am long dead before they become a reality .

@SQUEEKY2 History isn’t theory; it’s been happening for years.

But that is not a positive thing, we are losing the ability to think for ourselves, while computers and smart phones have made our lives easier, but we are relying on them way to much these days.
People can’t seem to function without them any more,one example was a coworker of Mrs Squeekys ,this woman realized she forgot her cell phone, and without telling anyone drove home a twenty minute drive one way just to get it, the boss wasn’t impressed with her being forty minutes late.
I forgot my phone when I left the house today, and you know what, the world didn’t end went the whole day without it.

@SQUEEKY2 Yep. This is only part of why I don’t think driverless cars, or relying on computers for traffic signs, is something we’re anywhere near ready for. I also don’t think removing manual control is a great idea for most things.

I am also very much looking forward to the first great pranks of driving databases…

As for the original question, yes it takes way too much attention to use a phone or text while driving, so I avoid doing that. I even have a hard time talking to people in the car and driving, if any navigation is required.

I have a hard time holding any kind of conversation with people in the car, because I want my attention to be on the road, so I don’t say much.
When the kids were little, and I came upon something unusual or needed to navigate in a complicated way, I’d tell everyone to stay quiet until I let them talk again.

A couple other things that will distract you from the road:

1) When you glance in your rear-view mirror (kid checker) and see your 4 year old’s face, and it’s covered in blood!

2) When you glance in the kid checker and see that your 2 year old has slid down in the car seat and was about to strangle on the straps!

(Both situations, same kid.)

Of course, it always happens when you’re going 65 mph.

Distracted driving is keeping people from finishing 5,000 texts per year. Read on:

http://www.theonion.com/article/report-distracted-driving-results-more-5000-unfini-51120

Tragic, @jca.