OK. Cell phones - I have a question.

[Katie E]

There was a report on our evening news tonight. It reported about talking on a cell phone and driving and the frequency of accidents because of same. Mostly among our youth. It saddens me that we, well not me, that our young folks have become so dependent on cell phones that their use is the cause of serious accidents.

Now...my question. What is sooo important that makes us HAVE to talk/answer our cell phones when we are driving? We seemed to get long pretty well before cell phones came long.

[sattie]

I agree Katie!!! I am dissapointed with the manners that have developed over the use of cell phones.

[Katie E]

I'm so confused/disappointed, sattie. Buck and I have had a TracPhone for about 5 years. We only use it when we are away from each other or when we are traveling (together) in unfamiliar territory. Otherwise, it's turned of and on the shelf in the cabinet. At this time, I believe we may have over 3 hours of unused minutes. Omigosh! What shall we do?!

I don't understand the constant telephone connection with people. I simply don't have the need to be talking to someone 24/7. This might be an indication of my "age."

[buckytom]

sadly k.t.e., it's one of those things that's going to have to be learned at a high cost. much like the wearing of seatbelts was just a few decades ago.

when police started ticketing people for no seatbelts, it helped.

i drive a lot in heavy traffic, and can always pick out who's doing something other than paying attention to their driving. slow moving traffic, for some reason, makes people think that it's time to read papers, or text message, put on make-up, drink and eat, or even use laptops. even in flowing traffic, you can tell when they're dialing their phones or using their crackberry because they don't move at the same irregular rates of the rest of traffic, holding back then speeding up, and often swerving a little on top of that. you can pretty much extrapolate the effects at higher speeds, and therefore the increased danger.

i'm normally not in favor of lowering the bar for "probable cause" for the police, but i think it is going to become necessary with cell phone usage and driving.

or, for the younger set: see dick drive; see dick talk on cell phone; see dick crash and kill a mother and 2 children. do you know what the motto is?

[Barbara L]

I don't get it either. Even sadder is that when everyone finally gets home, they can't even sit and have a conversation longer than 3 minutes. Talk, talk, talk, text, text, text all day, but sit and have a conversation with your family? No time for that.

Barbara

[sattie]

I don't either Kaite. And I work for a cell company. Get cell usage for free and I don't even use it. But then you are talking to someone that can't chew gum and drive at the same time either. I have to FOCUS when I am driving. Even when I am running at the local trails, I'm always dodging someone yappin or texting on the phone.

[NAchef]

I work in retail and the one thing I hate is when you are talking to someone and giving advice and they get a call and tell you to hold on a minute! Grrr....

I walk away and go back to my work, when they finish their call I keep working for a minute and then get back to them.

[Maverick2272]

I never drive and talk on the cell phone, and get upset when DW does it. I had thought they had made a law against that out here... maybe it didn't pass?
We have no home phone, just our cell phones, and most of the minutes are used my DW for her business. I have mine set so there are different rings for different call groups, and DW has her own personal ring. When I get a call from DW I don't even have to look at the cell phone to know it is her. I just pull over next chance I get and return her call.
Anybody else, I wait till I get where I am going. I fail to see what is so important that you have to jeopardize your life over it. Even if it is an emergency, its not like I am the first call (911 better be the first call they make), or likely that there is anything I can do from across town.

[quicksilver]

N.J. started enforcing that law about 1 month ago, that it could be primary cause for pulling someone over. Hooray!
I wish Florida would do it. With so many out of towners not knowing where they are going and talking on the phone, redlight running is epidemic. And it's not just women drivers folks. Knowing men can only do one thing at a time....Ha Ha Ha. Seriously. Then you add no seatbelts on, eating, playing CDs, checking out your do in the mirror. The brain is not that good.
I drive a stickshift and refuse to have one of those earpieces. I've been in stores and thought someone, a total stranger, was talking to me, I go to talk back and realize the phone piece is on the ear I can't see, and the person gives me a look like "who are you? What do YOU want. I feel like an idiot and kick myself every time.
I agree with BarbaraL.

[miniman]

Over here it is a £60 fine and points on your licence (12 points gets your licence revoked for 12 months)