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And yet more bad cell phone news



 
 
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Old July 13th 05, 05:08 AM
Sarah Czepiel
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On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 14:30:55 -0700, "Me" > wrote:

>That's a great idea!
>
>One of my cell phone stories: I was driving back to work one afternoon on a
>two lane highway, 55 MPH Speed limit. Following a white 1/2 ton Chevy
>pickup. The guy was going about 45,drifting around the lane quite a bit
>(Thought he might have been drinking.) The road curved to the left and the
>guy was drifting toward the center line. Coming the other way was a guy
>driving a white 2 1/2 ton Chevy truck, also drifting toward the center line.
>It really looked like they were going to meet, head on, at the apex of the
>curve. They both had about half of their vehicles across the center line
>when they simultaneously woke up and jerked their steering wheels to the
>right, missing each other by scant inches. By this time, I had pulled over
>and was almost stopped. As the guy driving the big truck passed me going the
>other way, I saw that he had a cell phone in his ear. I speeded up and
>caught the Chevy truck ahead of me, and, you guessed it, he also had a cell
>plastered in his ear. (Cell phone stupidity is not restricted to one
>particular gender)


Great although scary story. No stupidity using cell phones
isn't limited to one gender. I've seen both men and women do some
pretty stupid things. Funny thing though now that I think about it, I
rarely see young males driving and using a cell phone. Teen age girls
yeah but not the guys, At least in my neck of the woods.


>"Sarah Czepiel" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 09:48:53 -0700, "Me" > wrote:
>>
>> Every time I am confronted with a "rude and intrusive use of a cell
>> phone " I take a great interest in their conversation. Last year a
>> woman in a doctors office proceeded to make all her business and
>> personal calls while waiting for her appointment. Of course she was
>> sitting next to me. I turned and started to nod and smile and look
>> genuinely interested in her conversation...which was the last one she
>> made in the office before she went outside to finish the remaining
>> calls. It unnerves them. If they insist on sharing the
>> conversations with the rest of us we can participate too.
>>
>>
>>
>> >You would sure think that there would be no difference between talking to

>a
>> >passenger and a cell, but apparently, there is. I have seen so many

>drivers
>> >do stupid things while on cell phones that I thought about investing in a
>> >jammer. At least I could enjoy a meal in a restaurant without being

>having
>> >to listen to, first the f**king phone ring, then 1/2 of the conversation.
>> >The only thing that keeps me from buying one, (besides the fact that they
>> >are very illegal) is the thought of cutting off someone's call, and

>having
>> >them hit someone (me) while fiddling with their phone.
>> >People who can not drive and use a cell phone should be allowed to do
>> >either.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >"razz" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> >> What's the difference between talking to a passenger or a hands free

>cell.
>> >> They going ban passengers too!
>> >> "RichA" > wrote in message
>> >> ...
>> >> > (CNN) -- A study released Tuesday said drivers who use cell phones --
>> >> > even hands-free models -- are four times as likely to be involved in
>> >> > wrecks involving a serious injury than are drivers who do not use

>cell
>> >> > phones.
>> >> >
>> >> > "There was no safety benefit whatsoever from using a hands-free
>> >> > phone," said Anne McCartt, one of the authors of the study, which was
>> >> > published in the British Medical Journal and paid for by the

>Insurance
>> >> > Institute for Highway Safety.
>> >> >
>> >> > Researchers for the institute compared information on 456 crashes

>with
>> >> > driver cell-phone records and interviewed the crash victims shortly
>> >> > after they were treated in hospital emergency rooms.
>> >> >
>> >> > "Our findings indicate that laws that still allow drivers to use
>> >> > hands-free devices will not eliminate the crash risk of phone use,"
>> >> > said McCartt. "In fact, to the extent that drivers perceive that
>> >> > hand-free phone use is safer, in some sense, these laws could have a
>> >> > detrimental effect if drivers increase their use of hands-free phone
>> >> > use."
>> >> >
>> >> > Connecticut and Chicago are the latest locales to ban cell phone use
>> >> > while driving unless it's hands-free.
>> >> >
>> >> > In the study, neither gender nor age affected risk.
>> >> >
>> >> > The study was conducted in Perth, Australia, which bans driving while
>> >> > using cellular phones that are not hands-free.
>> >> >
>> >> > McCartt said she had wanted to carry out the study in the United
>> >> > States, but phone companies would not release customer billing
>> >> > records, even with a customer's consent.
>> >> >
>> >> > Still, she said she saw no reason why the findings would not apply
>> >> > equally to drivers in the United States.
>> >> >
>> >> > The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, a
>> >> > Washington-based trade group, downplayed the findings, saying the
>> >> > distractions associated with mobile phones are no different from

>those
>> >> > encountered by drivers who eat or talk with passengers as they drive.
>> >> >
>> >> > "Hands-free is a matter of convenience, a matter of comfort," said
>> >> > John Walls, vice president of communications for the association. He
>> >> > called for education and heightened awareness about any problems to
>> >> > driver safety that might be posed by distractions. "That's the way to
>> >> > change behavior," he said.
>> >> >
>> >> > The CTIA contends that following these guidelines can minimize risk:
>> >> >
>> >> > # Assess whether a given call can wait.
>> >> >
>> >> > # Do not take notes while driving.
>> >> >
>> >> > # Do not talk while in heavy traffic.
>> >> >
>> >> > # If possible, pull off the road and park in a safe location to use a
>> >> > mobile phone.
>> >> >
>> >> > The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety disagrees, maintaining

>that
>> >> > its study shows that the simple act of talking on a cell phone while
>> >> > at the wheel significantly raises the risk of a serious crash, and
>> >> > following those guidelines will not lower that risk.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >

>>

>


 




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