We Still Can’t Drive AND Talk On The Phone
It’s almost a given that if you notice a driver over-using brakes, starting to turn and then not turning, standing at a green light, or blocking intersections, they are probably talking on a mobile phone. For whatever reason all our intelligence as a species still doesn’t seem to make us able to drive AND talk on the phone at the same time.
According to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), dialing a cell phone leaves the driver less attentive than when they are talking or listening on a cell phone. The University of Utah published a study in 2006 that claimed people using cell phones while driving were as impaired as if they had a 0.08 blood alcohol level.
It’s no wonder companies, especially construction companies, are establishing new procedures for their employees when it comes to cell phone use while driving. The National Safety Council has put out a call for employers to ban cell phone use while driving. They even include the use of hands-free devices. Of the 45 percent of firms that have policies prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving, 85 percent claim no loss of productivity because of those policies.
There are those who argue that people manage to talk to other people in their vehicles while driving and that doesn’t seem to be distracting, so why should it be any different with cell phones? For whatever reason it apparently is though because we haven’t had a big push in all the years there have been cars on the road to make it illegal for the driver to be talking to passengers. So something is different about interacting with a phone versus a real person.
I’ve often wondered just what all these cell phone motorists are talking about. Are they like giving a blow-by-blow report about every trivial aspect of their lives? Here’s what I’ve imagined one side of a typical conversation going like:
I’m just passing the Burger King on Marble Drive. Oh really. So have you been to that Burger King before? Wait. Okay. Some idiot must have just run a red light right in front of me cause it was definitely yellow for me. So that’s happened to you before too, huh? I’m passing the city park now. wow, it looks really green. I think I’m going to have to eat something pretty soon. Are you still there? Maybe later I’ll have to take a crap too. I’ll call you and let you know how everything comes out.
Yes, please do, then I can add it to my list of things I don’t like about people who drive and try to talk on the phone.
