STOP Cell phone use while driving!

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Expand view Topic review: STOP Cell phone use while driving!

Re: STOP Cell phone use while driving!

by brian » Mon Jan 04, 2010 11:55 pm

For additional infromation on cell phones and driving be sure to also see the new McHenry Software forum topic: 2010 News on Cell Phones and texting while driving

Re: STOP Cell phone use while driving!

by brian » Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:30 am

Dec 31, 2009,Train victim was on her cell phone,News & Observer, BRUCE SICELOFF:
Erin Brett Lindsay-Calkins was talking on her mobile phone when she crashed through an Orange County rail crossing gate into the path of a train that struck her car, killing her and her 5-year-old son, the state Highway Patrol reported Wednesday.
It was the second deadly crash this month at a Triangle rail crossing.
From Dec 9, 2009: Rail crossing horror: Trapped by traffic, mom backed into train by Bruce Siceloff, News & Observer, RALIEGH, N.C. — Hemmed in by cars on both sides of the railroad tracks, Deborah Bingham backed into the path of the speeding Amtrak train that killed her sleeping sons at an East Durham rail crossing, according to a police report released Tuesday. No charges were filed in the Dec. 9 crash. Two Durham boys died and their mother was hurt Dec. 9 when the Amtrak Carolinian struck their SUV, hemmed in by other cars and trapped between crossing gates, on the Ellis Road crossing in East Durham.
Both crashes are being investigated by the Federal Railroad Administration and state transportation officials.

Re: STOP Cell phone use while driving!

by brian » Wed Dec 09, 2009 8:33 pm

Here's Lawyer J. Russel Jackson's take on the class action suit against the cell phone industry. Various Defenses Should Make Cell Phone Suit Untenable

Re: STOP Cell phone use while driving!

by brian » Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:51 am

Dec 7, 2009: New York Times, Promoting the Car Phone, Despite Risks, by Matt Richtel. Part of the Driven to Dsitraction Series, this article documents that since the early 1960s, industry pioneers were aware of the risks of multitasking behind the wheel. Their hunches have been validated by the many scientific studies which demonstrate the dangers of talking, or texting, while driving. Studies show that a driver talking on a cellphone is four times likelier to crash. Using a hands-free device does not eliminate the risk. The article includes examples of auto industry and cell phone companies marketing campaigns which emphasize the convenience of using cell phones while driving. See the Full Story
Also today, A Victum's Daughter Takes the Cellphone Industry to Court. The lawsuit, filed in October, involves a crash in Oklahoma City on Sept. 3, 2008. Ms. Smith’s mother, Linda Doyle, 61, died after her Toyota Rav4 was hit by a Ford pickup driven by Christopher Hill. Mr. Hill, then 20, told the police he was so distracted by a cellphone call that he ran a red light at 45 miles an hour, hitting Ms. Doyle’s car as it crossed in front of him. Mr. Hill was talking on a Samsung UpStage phone on the Sprint Nextel service. Samsung declined to comment. Sprint Nextel said that it “rejects the claims of negligence” in the suit and that it includes safety messages on packaging and user manuals, on its Web site and in its advertising. See the Full Story.
Also see the New York Times Driven to Distraction Series: Articles in this series examine the dangers of drivers using cellphones and other electronic devices, and efforts to deal with the problem.
Also see the McHenry Forum "Intexticated Drivers" for additional information and links related to the dangers of texting while driving.

Re: STOP Cell phone use while driving!

by brian » Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:13 pm

The following is a map of states status on Handheld CellPhone Banning:
cellhandheldban.jpg
cellhandheldban.jpg (51.75 KiB) Viewed 14283 times
Also see our thread "intexticated" drivers
For details on cellphone and texting bans in all states, go to list of Cellphone laws

Re: STOP Cell phone use while driving!

by brian » Tue Nov 10, 2009 10:35 am

Driving while conversing: Cell phones that distract and passengers who react
Samuel G. Charltona,Traffic & Road Safety Research Group, University of Waikato
Abstract: The research systematically compared the driving performance and conversational patterns of drivers speaking with in-car passengers, hands-free cell phones, and remote passengers who could see the driver's current driving situation (via a window into a driving simulator). Driving performance suffered during cell phone and remote passenger conversations as compared with in-car passenger conversations and no-conversation controls in terms of their approach speeds, reaction times, and avoidance of road and traffic hazards. Of particular interest was the phenomenon of conversation suppression, the tendency for passengers to slow their rates of conversation as the driver approached a hazard. On some occasions these passengers also offered alerting comments, warning the driver of an approaching hazard. Neither conversation suppression nor alerting comments were present during cell phone conversations. Remote passengers displayed low levels of alerting comments and conversation suppression, but not enough to avoid negative effects on driving performance. The data suggested that conversation modulation was a key factor in maintaining driving performance and that seeing the road and traffic was not sufficient to produce it. A second experiment investigated whether a cell phone modified to emit warning tones could alleviate some of the adverse effects typically associated with cell phone conversations. The modified cell phone produced discourse patterns that were similar to passenger conversations and driving performance nearly as good as that of drivers who were not conversing. This latter finding supported the argument that conversation modulation is a key ingredient in avoiding adverse effects of conversations with drivers, rather than the physical presence of an in-car passenger.

Re: STOP Cell phone use while driving!

by brian » Thu Nov 05, 2009 11:10 pm

WWU researcher says cell phone users are more oblivious than others
Study: Most did not notice clown on unicycle
Oct 20, 2009: BELLINGHAM – Would you expect to notice a unicycling clown if you were walking down the street near one? If you are talking on your cell phone, then you probably wouldn't see the clown. People talking on their cell phones are more than twice as oblivious as those not on their phones, according to a recent study conducted by Western Washington University Psychology Professor Ira Hyman.
In his research, Hyman documented real-world examples of people who were so distracted by their cell phones that they failed to see the bizarre occurrence of a unicycling clown passing them as they walked. The study is published in an upcoming issue of the journal “Applied Cognitive Psychology.”
“If people experience so much difficulty performing the task of walking when on a cell phone, just think of what this means when put into the context of driving safety,” Hyman said. “People should not drive while talking on a cell phone.”
In Hyman’s study, just 25 percent of people talking on their cell phones saw the unicycling clown, whereas more than half of people walking alone, people listening to portable music players and people walking in pairs saw the clown.
Journal reference:Ira E. Hyman Jr., S. Matthew Boss, Breanne M. Wise, Kira E. McKenzie, Jenna M. Caggiano. Did you see the unicycling clown? Inattentional blindness while walking and talking on a cell phone. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2009; n/a DOI: 10.1002/acp.1638

Re: STOP Cell phone use while driving!

by MSI » Tue Sep 22, 2009 3:32 pm

please also see the McHenry Software Forum thread on "Itexicated" Drivers

Re: STOP Cell phone use while driving!

by brian » Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:57 am

Some additional resources on the subject:
From Consumer Reports: NHTSA witholds Cell Phone driving dangers

Documents: Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The following body of research, conducted by the Department of Transportation and completed in 2003, has not been made public until now. The documents pertain to the safety of using wireless communication devices while driving. The New York Times obtained the research from the Center for Auto Safety and Public Citizen, two consumer advocacy groups that earlier this year acquired more than 250 pages of undisclosed material through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit
A local copy has also been uploaded to the McHenry Software site.

Re: STOP Cell phone use while driving!

by brian » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:28 am

August 17th, 2009: I sometimes stay in North Raleigh, NC over the weekend and drive back my offices in Cary, NC via US 50/Creedmore Road. The road is a busy roadway with 2 lanes in each direction and a center dividing median. There are lights every mile or so. And every day I witness vehicles weaving all over the place. Normally when I honk to make them wake up and pay attention, I notice that they have their nose in the cell phone either dialing a number or texting.
WE HAVE TO STOP CELL PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING!
Details of one particular 'soon to be subject to Darwin's law' individual I saw this morning did the following: When i first noticed him he was straddling the line between his lane and my lane and appeared to be moving over to my lane (without a signal). All of a sudden the vehicle jerked back to its proper lane (I hadn't even honked yet, i merely was backing off to give them space). I then looked over at the driver of the other vehicle and in one hand, the palm of which was steering the vehicle, he was also holding a business card, and in the other hand which he was looking at, was a cell phone which he was either dialing or texting. The MORON apparently was reading and typing a number. I passed the vehicle and noticed in my rearview that approximately a mile later the individual made an abrupt movement across 2 lanes of traffic and swung a u-turn. Narrowly missing several vehicles. Apparently once the individual made their connection on the phone they found they were going the wrong way so they immediately moved to correct it (with a blatant disregard for other traffic).
One of the most dangerous reasons to restrict or eliminate cell phone use while driving is that it takes the drivers mind off of the driving task. They are busily engaged in a conversation and they are not paying attention to the roadway ahead (and behind). Very dangerous!

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