Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Riding Technique An interesting safety study

This is a study on cell phone use and traffic accidents resulting in hospital visits. Copy and past the entire address.
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/rapidpdf/...;resourcetype=1,2,3,4

I have pretty much much operated under the assumption that the only behavior I can change is my own. Largely as a result of the observations posted on this board, I nearly always pull over when using the antiquated bag phone in my pickup. Be it side of the road, a parking lot, whatever works. Now I notice how few people take the time to get out of traffic.

I have to drive around so much for work, I consider it a "risk mgmt" precaution.

I am not going to dispute that using a non-hands-free phone while driving can be a little bit more dangerous and distracting. But the claim "Driver's use of a mobile phone up to 10 minutes before a crash was associated with a fourfold increased likelihood of crashing" and "Using a hands-free phone is not any safer." is ridiculous, especially since they only studied people that were in accidents. What about all the people that were not in accidents? Of course that would mean they would have to study every person on the planet to get real numbers and statistics; those that use phones while driving and did get into accidents vs. those use phones while driving and didn’t get into accidents; those that do not talk on the phone while driving and got into accidents vs. those that do not talk on the phone and do not get onto accidents.

Their report makes it sound like cell phones are the ultimate evil and the only cause for accidents. What about other causes of accidents, like the ones that it was the other guys fault? I also did not notice anything about the driving records of the participants. Some people are more accident prone than others.

Following the logic of studies like this, that cell phones are extremely dangerous and that even after getting off the phone 10 minutes (a long time) earlier, you will get into an accident (they only said using a cell phone upto 10 minutes earlier, nothing about if that was while in the car or not), they may as well say that doing anything besides driving while you are driving is hazardous. While driving, you should drive alone, if you can’t drive alone do not talk to any passengers in the car. Do not use the radio, if you use the radio, do not listen to it (I remember a similar study about radios in cars when I was a kid).

I view reports like these bogus paranoia propaganda crap. I am not saying that using a phone while driving can't distract you a little bit, but that just means you have to be more cautious when using the phone, making driving and focusing on the road and traffic primary and passengers, phones, radios, etc secondary.

At least they excluded motorcyclists. So, we are safe no matter what.

Soren

Ever see some idiot driving along with a hands off phone blabbing, making faces and flapping both their hands around? Or some hothead screaming and yelling and wishing they could get their hands on the throat of the person they are talking to? Not much safer than a handheld, maybe not as safe. I suspect there are unsafe psychological effects of phoning on the road that go well beyond the immediate distraction of operating a phone.

MD has a law that goes into effect Oct 1st that prohibits anyone under 18 yrs old from talking on a cell phone will driving. It's a start.

Unfortunately, there are more idiots every day. I think it was Mark Twain who once said, "The amount of intellegence alloted to mankind is fixed, but the population keeeps increasing". I am beginning to believe that.