Cell phones and driving

[pflaming]

This afternoon, our 19 year old granddaughter looked down to read a text, grove off the road onto the shoulder on a narrow winding country road, overcorrected and "flew" across the road and crashed in the opposite ditch. She was not physically hurt, but the car will require some cosmetic work.

 

People just do no listen and refrain from cell phone use while driving.  Her mother always has her phone to her ear. I refuse to ride with someone who uses the cell phone, I just politely request to be let out of the car and I mean it. That always stops the use at that time. I have lost three acquaintances because of such disregard. 

 

A word to the wise! 

 

Edited June 23, 2018 by pflaming

[plymouthcranbrook]

While driving my school bus I see probably 60+% of drivers looking at a phone either at a stop or driving down the road.  Once saw a motorcyclist looking at one doing about 50 mph in the opposite direction. And if there is more than one person in a car the ratio approaches 100%. I sadly believe that this is one of those problems that will never completely go away(Like drunk driving).  That said I am glad she wan't hurt and can only hope this one learned something.

Edited June 23, 2018 by plymouthcranbrook

[Dodgeb4ya]

I've been rear ended 3 times over the years by idiots on their phones.... should be a $1000.00 minimum fine using a phone while driving..

[nonstop]

I am glad your granddaughter was not hurt!

 

I think the problem is MUCH bigger than just cell phones. I am always seeing people doing the “red light prayer” with their head down, but even with the hands free stuff people are way too caught up in conversations. Distracted driving in general is a problem! Personally, i think people are more apt to drop a cell phone while driving to get both hands on the wheel than they would be to drop food or coffee in a panic situation.

 

And one of my big pet peeves is people who drive with their dogs on their laps.....not looking forward to the collision where the air bag goes off sending the dog into the drivers chest.

 

And to top it off, everyone has an excuse for it.....

 

Sorry for the tangent.....

[40plyrod]

I think cars are too easy to drive now. I occasionally take my dad's 1927 Chrysler out for a drive and there's so much work involved shifting, steering adjusting spark etc that there's no time to be distracted by the phone.? Glad your granddaughter was ok.

[greg g]

Well in my eyes, there is nothing demanding more instant attention than driving.  But as slaves to technology, we have become addicted to instant.  Instant news, instant messages, instant phone calls, instant texts. And we feel compelled to react to these things without regard to other activities.  Perhaps ask your granddaughter if she was free climbing a rock wall and her phone went off what would she do?? I don't have a cell phone, but due to health concerns,my wife has me carry hers when I am out away from home should I need to call 911.  If it goes off, I ignore it, figure if its important, the opportunity to communicate will occur again, and hopefully when its back in my wife's hand.

[BigDaddyO]

You, or your kids and or grandkids can just turn the damn thing off when ya'll get in the car ...or do this: https://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/how-to-set-up-auto-respond-texts-when-youre-driving-1794911685    

My daughter uses this type of app, much to her credit. I believe it works off of your 'location services' on the phone and when it senses movement (driving) it activates the message and 'turns off' the ringer and ability to text.

 

Glad your granddaughter is okay.

Let's hope she learned a valuable lesson.

Edited June 23, 2018 by BigDaddyO

[Frank Elder]

I wonder if someone texting and driving has run someone over while they were texting and crossing the street...............

[greg g]

Don't know but I saw a pedestrian, who was texting, walk right into the side if a car.  Pretty funny but not really.

[greg g]

Don't know but I saw a pedestrian, who was texting, walk right into the side if a car.  Pretty funny but not really.

 

Should be plenty of Subie parts up in that neck of the woods.  Grab your Uncle Henry's Swap sheet and get to dickering!

[plymouthcranbrook]

Does anyone else remember the vid from a shopping mall several years ago where a woman walked right into a fountain while staring at a phone. I heard the guard that posted it got fired but the best part is that although no one could see who she was she later got a lawyer and went of TV to announce she was going to sue. People....

Edited June 24, 2018 by plymouthcranbrook

[pflaming]

What kind of a fountain?  Soda? "

[Plymouthy Adams]

10 hours ago, plymouthcranbrook said:

Does anyone else remember the vid from a shopping mall several years ago where a woman walked right into a fountain while staring at a phone. I heard the guard that posted it got fired but the best part is that although no one could see who she was she later got a lawyer and went of TV to announce she was going to sue. People....

sounds like a case of "walking while blonde"

[plymouthcranbrook]

5 hours ago, pflaming said:

What kind of a fountain?  Soda? "

This one:

 

 

[MackTheFinger]

Glad she's okay! Maybe she'll learn some better driving habits from this. My wife's car has all kinds of gizmos for distracted drivers, collision avoidance systems and the like. I'm kinda dumb and those would distract me. I like the phone deal that works through the radio, though. I really can't see how talking on that would be much more distracting than talking to a passenger. OTOH Abe, a guy I useta run around with some; drove with two fingers on the steering wheel, a cigarette in the other hand, and would always look straight at you when he was talking. Scared the heck out of me.?

[pflaming]

. . . and probably had one arm out the window also. 

[MackTheFinger]

Natcherly.. Looking cool's far more important than being safe! ?

[T120]

Lucky your granddaughter was not hurt. To add to the existing distracted driver problem, here in Canada we are now looking forward to the use of mind numbing substances being legalized...hopefully without an increase in traffic accidents . Possibly  looking to the future, fully automated vehicles may be safer on the highways.?

 

Edited June 27, 2018 by T120

[MackTheFinger]

Statistics are an uncomfortable thing because they so often run counter to what we believe. While the last few years show an uptick in auto accident fatalities in the U.S. the number of fatalities per 100k population is about half what it was fifty years ago. In fact, there are more licensed drivers than the entire population of the U.S. in the year I started driving! While impaired driving is an important issue that needs attention, it is at least partly mitigated by vehicle safety improvements. 

Edited June 27, 2018 by MackTheFinger

[Flatie46]

Glad she's ok.  I've always felt you learn more from mistakes than not making one at all .  Sometimes mistakes like this you don't get a second chance on.   I worry about this scenario often.  My kids are 25, 21 and 13,  You preach and preach and hope they hear it. 

[ptwothree]

Mount the drivers seat over the front bumper.....watch the accident rates and cell phone usage go down. 

[JBNeal]

One of my elder neighbors who had been retired for over 20 years took me to town for lunch as gratitude for cutting down a dead tree that was about to fall on his house...it took a tall ladder and several strategic wedge cuts to make the thing fold down, clear the supply line to the house, and lay on his yard without tearing it up...he watched me do my magic and was amazed at the end result, which included hauling off the timber... the alternative was to hire some pros who were more than likely gonna tear up his yard that he took great pride in, but for the last few years I was maintaining ...he was so grateful that I did all of this, after work one day before an approaching storm, that he insisted on taking me to lunch one Saturday...he picks me up in his car, and every 5 miles or so is fishing his cell phone out of his shirt pocket to deal with it, and because he can't see well, he's holding the phone on his knee...this was on a wide 2-lane that crossed thru one interchange cloverleaf and several suburban highway controlled intersections, so he reeeally needed to be paying attention... I thought I was in a Mr. Magoo cartoon at the close calls he was totally oblivious to surviving...by the time he returned me home, I needed a slug off of the JD cough medicine to calm down...within a year, he and his wife moved into a retirement community in town to be closer to the VA, and he doesn't drive any more cuz of his diabetes... which is probably better for all of us ?

[Mike36]

I have crossed Wyoming, where the speed limit on I-80 is 80 mph, many times in a semi truck. While driving at 75 mph, I have been passed several times by cars with the driver looking down at a cell phone. New definition of insanity? Passing a 80,000 pound truck at 80 mph and not looking at the road while steering with one hand. I have seen this several times.

[FlashBuddy]

While the Wyoming speed limit is posted 80, like everywhere else in the country, most add 8-10 mph to it. I know, I commuted between Cheyenne and Fort Collins once a week. Love that drive. So little traffic - unless there is a rodeo going on.

Edited July 3, 2018 by FlashBuddy

[nonstop]

I was half expecting to see a phone in the rider’s hand!