Ignoring the Perils of Driving and Talking? You May Be Addicted, Prof Says

David Bartlett
Jul 21, 2009 8:45 PM CST

It looks like NHTSA may be getting ready to regulate the use of cell phones in cars, following other federal regulators in demonstrating that it is willing to flex its regulatory muscles. In today’s political and regulatory environment, cell phone companies need to read the writing on the wall and move beyond simply denying that there is a problem with cell phone use behind the wheel. Instead, they should engage in the conversation and make sure they have a seat at the table when new regulations are written. I wrote more on this topic at BulletproofBlog.com: http://www.bulletproofblog.com/2009/07/21/cell-phones-and-driving-a-cold-reception-likely-on-capitol-hill/

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Wats
Jul 22, 2009 7:26 AM CST

Heck yeah, pass regulations.  But if you’re going to do it, you sure as heck better regulate everything that is distracting to drivers, not just cell phones.  I agree cell phones can be problematic if a person isn’t paying attention to what they’re doing However, I would contend that talking on a hands free device is no more distracting that talking to the passengers in your car, singing along with the radio, dealing with screaming kids in the back seat, etc., etc.  Where are all the studies on those distractions.  I’ve seen cars full of teenage girls singing to the radio and dancing around while they’re driving (basically having a party in the car) and they’re clearly far more distracted than I am on my blue tooth—why not regulate that?  When my kids are bickering the the back seat that’s 15 times more distracting than the phone.  When you’re on a hands free device, how is that different than talking to a fellow passenger in the car?  Have there been studies on this?  Maybe there should be.  If it’s equivalent, then talking in the car should be banned all together.

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Catherine
Jul 22, 2009 7:46 AM CST

I agree with #3 about discouraging attorneys from using cell phones while driving and that this has to be done in the private sphere—by the employer.  Personally, I find that chatting with a friend on the phone (who can be frequently put on hold if traffic calls for it) is much less distracting to me then trying to do business while driving because I have to be “on”, so to speak.  Government regulations however, as some other posters have pointed out, if they are to regulate talking on the phone, have the potential to be over-inclusive and regulate mere talking or listening to the radio in the car, and then we’ll have the problem of drivers being bored to sleep while driving!  I think that the matter of acceptable levels of distraction while driving is highly specific to each person.  Since attorneys and other employees can’t be expected to regulate themselves AND keep their jobs, it’s up to employers to assume the responsibility of ensuring the safety of their employees on the road.

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John
Jul 22, 2009 8:45 AM CST

The problem with a cell phone is that when you cannot see the speaker’s lips to help decode what they are saying, your heavily tax the portion of the brain which monitors your spatial relations, ie your speed and the cars around you.  Watch on the highway, whenever you find traffic bunched up, look for someone at the front of the pack on their phone and oblivious to everyone behind them.  I can glance at a passenger to see what they are saying while still seeing traffic with peripheral vision, but not so when on the phone.

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df
Jul 22, 2009 8:54 AM CST

I have problems with the nanny state, but this is not protecting me from myself, it’s protecting me from OTHERS. So go ahead, ban cell phone use while driving.

As for those who complain there are other things that distract drivers, yes there are. But are they as ubiquitous as cell phones? When e.g. there’s a rash of women breastfeeding while driving or something (there was one case a few years ago, she claimed religious reasons that she was required to obey her husband…), regulate that. But right now it’s phone use that’s a prevalent problem.

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eichler1
Jul 22, 2009 10:38 AM CST

Interesting comments. #8, you scare me, and I hope you don’t “drive” in California. If you do, please move immediately. #9 pretty much has it. I would only add that the main reason that the logical safety choice—ban on using a cell phone in any way while driving—is that the cell phone companies have WAY too much money at stake and simply won’t let that happen. That said, the public overall probably likes the option of using the phone while driving, and especially for those with long commutes it can be a real time saver.

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Wats
Jul 22, 2009 12:21 PM CST

Mark—If laws are passed banning cell phone use in the car, at most you’re boosting the business of makers and sellers of blue tooth devices, the Billy Mays hands free contraption, etc.

Point is, how come the same people clamoring for outlawing cell phone use in the car aren’t clamoring for banning eating your drive thru meal while driving or banning fiddling with the radio, singing along with the radio, joking around with your buddies in the car, etc.?

I work in a government agency, and when we promulgate regs, we’re expected to have supporting information for why we’ve created the rule the way we have.  Much the same, I would expect law makers to commission studies on all forms of distracting activities if their goal is truly to make roads safer.  Commission studies on smoking while driving, eating while driving, drinking your coffee while driving and find out what the true culprits are and go after those.  Maybe if they took the time to do that they might learn that eating while driving is 5 times more likely to cause an accident than talking on a blue tooth.  If it is, the efforts should be focused on outlawing that, not the phone.  Whatever the case, at least take the time to find before trying to convince me that banning cell phones is going to make the roads significantly safer for me and my family.

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Jamie Conrad
Jul 22, 2009 3:22 PM CST

Oooh, touchy subject here.  #7 is spot on—the difference between talking on the phone while driving and talking with a passenger is that the passenger normally is also aware of surrounding conditions and will stop talking or understand when the driver does, neither of which the person on the other end of the phone will.  And it’s silly to keep citing other distractions as a basis for not regulating phone use.  Obviously, people have to drive their kids around.  On the other hand, I hope cops will stop people who are driving with their knees while they eat, put on makeup, etc.  Finally, as #10 points out, banning phone use while driving doesn’t violate the John Stuart Mill rule, since it’s not so much protecting the phone-talking drivers from themselves as it is about protecting the rest of us from them.  The bottom line for me is that we all got along fine without phones in cars until 10-15 years ago, and we could do so again.

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Charlotte Hardwick
Jul 28, 2009 10:08 AM CST

I was in Hollywood, California last month and my host admonished me from using my cell phone in his vehicle while he was driving, saying it was a ticketable offense.

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