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People driving while talking on cell phones  A rant by: duckgirl I can't STAND seeing this. I mean really, what phone call is THAT important that you can't just wait until youre stopped somewhere or better yet wait until you get home? When is this going to be illegal? What do you all think of this? Does it make anyone as mad as me/ I want to get one of those "Hang up and Drive" bumper stickers for the back of my car. << Back Add a Comment Comments ( Add a Comment ) gottalovebill says: 2006-05-31 23:52:16 hmmm lets see, what phone call could be that important? How about your child is ill, or maybe a parent had a heart attack or maybe your spouse was in a car accident. These arent things that I wouldn't want to wait to find out. People can be just as distracted in their car looking for cd's to play or changing the radio if your issue is with cell phone use and driving safety. What about parents who have screaming or fighting children in the back seat that can also be a distraction, should they be illegal??? scrumtrulescent says: 2006-06-01 07:37:51 Well, if you read some of the comments in the welfare topic, it's obvious that some people do think kids should be illegal....But I have to agree with the cellphone haters. Just last weekend I was hiking with some friends, and two of them brought along their cellophones. Each of them got at least 3 calls, and they spent a good portion of the hike talking on the phone. The thing that really gets to me it that fact that a lot of cellphone users cease to really be 'present' wherever they are, because they're always looking at their phones, checking for messages, and taking calls that are typically unimportant. I love my friends, but I'm a busy person and when I have a chance to hang out with them I want to hang out with MY FRIENDS, not their cellphones. Anonymous says: 2006-06-01 11:03:46 ^ Sounds like your friends are real losers. No offense. I can't STAND people like that... being a non-cell phone user, you really see how dependent people are on their phones. Who's controlling who? Anonymous says: 2006-06-01 12:22:44 I agree, too. One day I was crossing the street with my daughters and someone went through the red light narrowly hitting us. Sure enough, they were chatting on a cell phone. It was rush hour traffic. If it is so imprtant for people to reach you, get voicemail and check it soon as you are done driving. Don't risk my children's lives! NM says: 2006-06-01 13:17:35 I agree with gottalovebill, people on cell phones are just talking, most people have hands-free sets on their phones, so they are just having conversations, just like most people do with passengers. Should passengers be illegal? They can be distracting too. Maybe you think that cars should just have the one seat for the driver? And kids, dogs (people that drive with their dog in their lap, now THAT's not safe!) CDs, changing radio stations, that is ALL distracting stuff, but all of it is legal. So why should phones be any different? Felix says: 2006-06-01 15:07:50 I think cell phones are distracting. I saw a lady in front of me order three large coffees at Tim's, and after she paid she drove off without the coffee, still talking on the phone, very similar to the A&W commercial, except this lady didn't come back, she just drove away. The waitress just shook her head in disbelief. BigB says: 2006-06-01 23:22:23 Before ppl claimed about cell ph's they complained about woman putting on makeup while driving. Lets go back to making fun of asian woman drivers. It was much more rewarding. Only chums pull over to talk on their phone. 1/2 the ppl that are against cells while driving do it themselves. Talk about double standards will ya... Anonymous says: 2006-06-02 12:38:53 Any distraction in the car should be discouraged. Bratty kids in the car? Toss 'em out on their ear. With the weight restriction on children and car seats, it seems just about any kid up to age 14 would be in one!! It's an interesting fact that the majority of drivers who feel the need to turn and look at the passenger as they're talking are in fact women. Don't believe me? Have a look. Women rely on facial responses more so than men and so are much more inclined to turn their head when talking to passengers next to them. Dangerous. My all time favourite though has to be smoking, with a cigarette in one hand and a coffee on the dashboard. Talk about multi-tasking! Anonymous says: 2006-06-02 12:42:04 As for why cell phones themselves are a problem and not other things, like passengers, changing radio stations, etc. is that you're holding a phone. It's like having a coffee in your hand. You can't (or don't) just throw it aside when you have to grab the steering wheel with both hands. So combine that with the distration of talking to someone, it adds up to a dangerous combination. Is it 100% lethal 100% of the time? Of course not, but it can be and sometimes is a factor in accidents. BigB says: 2006-06-15 20:35:02 was almost ran off the road 4 times by the same speeding driver while talking on his phone. Literally wavering across 2 lanes of traffic. ENNS BROS JOHN DEERE plastered across the side. Don't businesses have policies against such antics? If not for the employees safety think of others, plus the fact that the next time i need a combine ill go to guertens instead now! Mitch says: 2006-06-16 09:17:10 I'm a firm believer that people that use cell phones are one of two types of people. Either they are incredibly insecure and feel that if they aren't in constant communication with people that they will miss out on something. The other is that people are incredibly unorganized. People forget that world wars were fought and huge multi-national corporations were successfully started and run without a single cell phone. People with cell phones never have to make a decision. If you're not sure what to do or where to go or how to solve a problem they can just call someone else. This entire generation will grow up not knowing what it's like to stand up on their own two feet and make decisions for themselves. BigB says: 2006-06-16 11:11:46 An interesting idea. Unfortunetly I can't agree entirely. Cell phones give people opportunity to work more effectively. Realtors for example can make appointments more convienent. I have driven by a house w/ a sign called the number and within 20mins the realtor was there to show the house. Also with my company having a cell phone gives me the flexibility to go see customers, run errands and even take a day at home while running my business from my back yard. Technology isn't all bad. It just has to be respected and known how to use it properly. If you can multi-task then i don't see a problem w/ talking on the cell while driving. But hands-free is a better way of doing it and pulling over is the best. # Mitch says: 2006-06-16 11:45:26 Hey BigB, I don't entirely disagree, I just think it's part of a bigger trend in society that everyone has a sense of immediacy and urgency to everything that is unrealistic. It all started with the drive-through window and has gone down with each technological advancement ever since. As great as it is that you can call someone and meet them 20 minutes later, is it a realistic and necessary thing. I work from home all the time and it infuriates my staff to no end that I don't have a cell phone. However people don't understand anymore that if you're organized then you can get along just fine with very few modern conveniences. It requires a lot more planning on my part, but I wouldn't change it for anything. BigB says: 2006-06-16 12:16:19 You are a dying breed mitch. Comparing business practices of the past with the present is like apples to oranges though. I respect a person that can function without a cell phone. But you have to trust your employee judgement in the event that you are not in your office. I trust my employees to a certain extent. But there is a reason I am the boss and they are my employees right? Everyone has their own business practices. Personally i feel a cell phone helps me be more successful. If you can eliminate that vice and not sacrifice success then good for you. As for me i'll keep my communication tool. If it gets overwhelming i still have the power to turn it off. # NM says: 2006-06-18 10:18:48 I just want to say to "Anonymous says: 2006-06-02 12:42:04" that most people are NOT holding the phone, they have headsets/BlueTooth, so they are JUST talking, that's why I made the comparison to passengers or children. So that's why I think that talking on a cell phone should stay legal. If anything, make it a law that you HAVE to use a headset. That way, the only thing that you do with your hands is dial, which is NOT different from changing the radio station or changing a CD. Rigel says: 2006-06-24 16:17:31 The government better wake up regarding the use of cellphones in moving vehicles. Studies in the US have shown over 30% of car accidents are due to driver inattention, and cellphone users play a major part in these. Several countries---Germany, Brazil, Sweden and Israel, among others---have banned the operation of these devices in non-stationary vehicles.Anyone that has to use these merely has to pull over and do so rather than being distracted even at low speeds. I've had numerous close calls in city driving when people who have enough trouble driving even with two hands on the wheel are fiddling with cells, CD players, cupholders, etc. And even hands-free communications devices have been shown to be sources of distraction. Winnipeggers aren't the only ones who seem to be overly dependent on cellphones. When I was in a restaurant in Phoenix last March, not more than two minutes would pass without one of these going off. Not only are people seemingly more insecure and need these to assure them someone cares about them, but plenty think that if they're getting such calls others will think they're important. Maybe in the early days they could play this role, but when I see some 14-year old using one on the street, the real facts are revealed. Anonymous says: 2006-06-25 09:41:55 I'm not in favor of cell phones while driving, but what about the people on the highway, who are reading their newspaper or book while driving, and slowly swerving into my lane. BigB says: 2006-06-26 13:48:52 I read while i drive and dont swerve into your lane. Some of us can multi-task, should we all be punished for some ppls inability to chew and walk? Anonymous says: 2006-06-27 08:16:20 NM, I disagree with your assertion that the majority of drivers have hands-free devices. They're just not that common yet. I see far too many people holding up cell phones and talking while driving. But I agree, hands-free is much safer and I wouldn't have as much of a problem with that. BigB, are you serious? You can read and drive? I call B.S. and hope that whatever you're reading is more important than the risk you take of getting in an accident and possibly injuring or even killing someone. It's not about the ability to "multi-task" or "walk and chew gum". You might as well say you have no problem having a few drinks and then getting behind the wheel. You're a big man, you're a grown up, you can handle it. Not really much of a different argument, is it? Anonymous says: 2006-06-27 08:18:38 Oh, and BigB, regarding the need to do business on the road, I have no problem with that, but pull over. Don't be driving and trying to close the sale at the same time. If you can't take an extra minute or two to pull over and focus solely on the conversation, I suggest your life is too busy. Either get a chauffeur or stay in your office. Anonymous says: 2006-06-30 14:28:36 I have a cellphone, and I own it for two reasons. 1. In case of emergency. 2. So my wife and I can communicate if need be. During the day, my phone's turned off. If I'm in my car, I only use it if I absolutely *have* to. Common sense, people. Something that it seems that as a society we're much shorter on these days. 30something says: 2006-06-30 16:28:05 Just wanted to add to this: yesterday morning at 9:40 am I was walking down Portage and crossing Smith street and saw a guy almost get hit by a younger dude driving an SUV while talking on a cell phone. It was pretty scary. We could have been witness to someone's death or serious injury and it upset me for the whole rest of the day how close that guy came to being made into a pancake or being in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, all because some young dude had an important call to make. BigB says: 2006-07-06 12:24:32 before cell phones it was woman putting on makeup, men shaving and picking their noses. Come on ppl. The problem isnt the cellphones, its the people that cant multitask. These are the same ppl that smash up their cars bcs they drop a smoke on the floor or look down when they change the radio. Was this person at a controlled intersection with a walk light on? BigB says: 2006-07-06 12:26:28 btw, being a garbage man you have the luxuries of only using a cell in emergency. Some of us make our money off of communication. Anonymous says: 2006-07-06 23:30:44 BigB... that last comment of yours was priceless. Seriously. You're wasting your time in real estate is it? Do us all a favour and get a nightclub gig. Maybe then you'll get off your frickin' cell phone. Occasional cell phone use is one thing, conducting business is quite another. And yeah, I have a problem with people shaving, putting on makeup, picking their nose, reading, writing, filling out tax forms, etc., etc. But we're discussing cell phones here so that's what I'm talking about. You want to drive, drive. You want to do work, get yourself back to the office or pull over. BigB says: 2006-07-10 16:55:23 I have a business that requires me to be on the road meeting with important customers. I also run a business. Due to the nature of the business, and the fact that i don't trust anyone else to make costly decisions i have to be available to make calculated decisions on the fly with knowing the facts. Conclusion: I need to be available. As for the real estate disco bar, Sounds good perhaps i could buy a cat house and trik ur mom out while shes dancin around a pole. #! Anonymous says: 2006-07-11 08:30:23 Real estate disco bar?!? B, you gotta lay off on the stuff on the school nights, guy! SOLMoFo says: 2008-01-06 18:03:26 I feel more concerned that these people are alive. Please visit Darwinawards.com to read stories of other people who should not be alive! Help the gene pool! I think it should be mandatory to talk on the cellphone, apply eyeliner or eat a hot apple pie from McDonalds while driving as part of the test. If your brain can't handle more than one thing at a time, you probably shouldn't be operating heavy machinery anyhow. |
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I agree with this 100%. Actually I hate most cell phone users IN GENERAL. I'm in college and there are students/teachers getting calls at 10 or 11 am! Who are these people? Drug dealers? And don't even get me started about going to the movies and hearing a cell phone ring... 99% of the people who own a cell phone aren't imporant enough to need them! I don't own one; never will. But all those cell phone companies are laughing all the way to the bank - sooo many "suckers" out there, especially in this lousy town of Winnipeg!