Have you ever felt the compulsion to just reach into the car that is on the road next to you and yank that cell phone that is glued to the driver's ear and toss it out the window? If not, you should probably check your ears to see if there is a phone there. Seriously, get off that phone and drive. You do not need to be using any phone services while you are controlling a 1500 kilo hunk of metal. Think about it. Either way here is an interesting article I found:
States should ban all driver use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices, except in emergencies, the National Transportation Board said Tuesday. The recommendation, unanimously agreed to by the five-member board, applies to both hands-free and hand-held phones and significantly exceeds any existing state laws restricting texting and cellphone use behind the wheel.
The board made the recommendation in connection with a deadly highway pileup in Missouri last year. The board said the initial collision in the accident near Gray Summit, Mo., was caused by the inattention of a 19 year-old-pickup driver who sent or received 11 texts in the 11 minutes immediately before the crash.
The pickup, traveling at 55 mph, collided into the back of a tractor truck that had slowed for highway construction. The pickup was rear-ended by a school bus that overrode the smaller vehicle. A second school bus rammed into the back of the first bus. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old student on one of the school buses were killed. Thirty-eight other people were injured in the Aug. 5, 2010, accident near Gray Summit, Mo. About 50 students, mostly members of a high school band from St. James, Mo., were on the buses heading to the Six Flags St. Louis amusement park.
The accident is a “big red flag for all drivers,” NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said at a meeting to determine the cause of the accident and make safety recommendations. It’s not possible to know from cell phone records if the driver was typing, reaching for the phone or reading a text at the time of the crash, but it’s clear he was manually, cognitively and visually distracted, she said.
“Driving was not his only priority,” Hersman said. “No call, no text, no update is worth a human life.”
The board is expected to recommend new restrictions on driver use of electronic devices behind the wheel. While the NTSB doesn’t have the power to impose restrictions, it’s recommendations carry significant weight with federal regulators and congressional and state lawmakers.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
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8 comments:
I agree driving and phone services don't mix. Even listening to a voice mail is dangerous.
Penalties should be severe for using phone services while driving including voice mails.
Some states have laws against using phone services while driving. Great idea.
Using hands free phone services in cars is o.k. because you can use both hands for driving.
These people using phone services and listening to voice mails are causing serious accidents.
I think if the penalties for using phone services were harsher people wouldn't even use them.
Everyone is using phone services and driving like leaving a voice mail because of convenience.
Driving and using phone services takes lives. hang up the phone until you have stopped.
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