How do you treat your 'friends' that use their phones when driving?

[Drago]

That's interesting, thank you. I wonder if there's similar research on talking to passengers?

Yes, there has been, and the difference itmcauses to raction times doesn't come close to speaking on handsfee, which is on a par with drink driving in terms of reaction times.

If you're driving a car, leave the blummen phone alone. That so many the pilots of large kinetic weapons have such poor psychological control is scary.

 

[dodgy]

That's interesting, thank you. I wonder if there's similar research on talking to passengers?

I guess we've all been in a discussion with a passenger in a car before, notice how they generally are aware when the road ahead gets a bit more complex (junctions, a car looks like it's going to pull out etc) and shut up? People on the other end of the phone don't see this so just keep talking.
You don't even need to have a driving license to recognise when the road is becoming more cluttered/dangerous.

 

[dodgy]

A neighbour of mine initiates a call every single time she leaves the house, door slams, engine starts then you can hear "brrrr brrr" as she rings her friend/lover/doctor/whatever. For some they do it just to pass the time, forgetting that their primary duty is to drive the car properly, you can't do that on the phone.

 

[straas]

That's interesting, thank you. I wonder if there's similar research on talking to passengers?

I read a study a few years back where it was shown to be much more distracting being on hands free than talking to passengers for a few reasons.

A passenger can see if there's a junction / hazard up ahead and is likely to stop talking as a result. If you pause on the phone when making a quick decision around lane changing etc. you might get a "hello, hello, are you there, hello?" so there's a lot more demand on your concentration than with a passenger.

I was on the phone to a colleague and he managed to take the wrong lane out of bristol and headed to london instead of manchester - only an annoyance for him in that case, but he wouldn't have made the same mistake if he hadn't been on the phone.

Our workplace, and a lot of others now explicitly ban mobile phone use in the car excepting for navigation or to keep emergency alerts on in the event of a crash.

 

[Archie_tect]

A passenger should be able to sense an approaching hazard/driver workload/decision making and wait before annoying their driver.

You've clearly never met my mother.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Yes you're right obviously but life isn't like that. Just because there's a risk involved in an activity- even to other people potentially- doesn't mean it shouldn't happen at any cost.

But it does in this case. It’s as bad as drinking a few pints before driving.

 

[byegad]

I read a study a few years back where it was shown to be much more distracting being on hands free than talking to passengers for a few reasons.

A passenger can see if there's a junction / hazard up ahead and is likely to stop talking as a result. If you pause on the phone when making a quick decision around lane changing etc. you might get a "hello, hello, are you there, hello?" so there's a lot more demand on your concentration than with a passenger.

I was on the phone to a colleague and he managed to take the wrong lane out of bristol and headed to london instead of manchester - only an annoyance for him in that case, but he wouldn't have made the same mistake if he hadn't been on the phone.

Our workplace, and a lot of others now explicitly ban mobile phone use in the car excepting for navigation or to keep emergency alerts on in the event of a crash.

Makes a lot of sense!

 

[mjr]

Well hows about mandatory signal jammers in cars then. If the government was arsed about it they'd sort it in a shot. It's not a black and white issue.

Why punish passengers of careful drivers?

 

[classic33]

Why punish passengers of careful drivers?

Is your call that important?

 

[IaninSheffield]

Coupled with legislation against the use of phones, perhaps motor manufacturers ought to be ... encouraged(?) to design out hands-free technology?
My last two cars had hands-free systems; in seven years, never felt the need, let alone desire, to use it.

 

[DRM]

You can send an automated text to say "Can't talk now I'm driving I'll call back later", but it still involves touching the screen! surely if the designers had a setting you could switch on that would send the text if you rejected the call (using the steering wheel control on hands free) that would be better all round, and easier than blocking signals in the car.

 

[Deleted User]

'Used the big stick'?
You really have got a high opinion of yourself mate, I pity your missus, I really do.

 

[steve292]

Our workplace, and a lot of others now explicitly ban mobile phone use in the car excepting for navigation or to keep emergency alerts on in the event of a crash

Where I work it is forbidden and treated as gross misconduct if you are reported using a phone at the wheel of a company vehicle. If I take a call in the Control Room and the driver is moving and on the phone , I am required to tell them to hang up and call back from a stopped vehicle.

 

[cougie uk]

My employer banned use of phones whilst driving. Even hands free. If we rang someone and they were driving we told them to let us know when they were stopped and return the call then.

My wife still used her hands free right up until the minute we saw a woman sail past us stopped at a red light and screech to a halt in the middle of a busy junction. She was distracted talking on hands free.
She could have killed someone just for the sake of a chat.

Just don't do it kids.

 

[Drago]

'Used the big stick'?
You really have got a high opinion of yourself mate, I pity your missus, I really do.

I pity his missus too - he has a 14 inch winky