"Hands free" laws?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i think it was twain who said alcohol increases the desire but decreases the performance

[The Annoyed Man]

Wow... thanks for the advice dad. Can I burrow the car sometime?

 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

twain was talking about something you haven't had that much experience with yet at least not with other people

[Otherguy Overby]

When I see a pilot in a light plane flying with TWO hands, I see an inexperienced pilot.  Trust me on this!

[Boomhauer]

When I see a pilot in a light plane flying with TWO hands, I see an inexperienced pilot.  Trust me on this!

Yep. One hand on the yoke or stick, the other controlling the throttle, tuning radios, working the GPS, whatever. Anytime I would put both of my hands on the yoke, my instructor would yell at me.

The pilot's conversations all directly relate to the opeation of the aircraft.  The radio conversations are not taking his brain away from flying.  He's not arguing with his wife/girlfriend, making a sales call, lying to his boss, etc. et yada.

WRONG! I talk to my passengers. I talk to ATC on slow days.

if you are gonna chose pilots as an example you might wanna remember that if there are 2 polots one handles the radios  for a reason.

Uh, I don't have a copilot. I can work the radios, use a chart, use the avionics, communicate with ATC, and fly the plane. And my plane doesn't even have an autopilot. The planes that have two pilots usually have an autopilot, too.

Not only do I use a cell phone while driving, and doing it safely, I also use a ham radio. With a microphone occupying one hand.

[MillCreek]

I don't have a strong opinion either way on the handsfree cell phone issue, but in the bicycling community, I have read of several cyclist deaths caused by a driver drifting off the road while composing or reading a text message on their phone.

[Boomhauer]

I don't have a strong opinion either way on the handsfree cell phone issue, but in the bicycling community, I have read of several cyclist deaths caused by a driver drifting off the road while composing or reading a text message on their phone.

Yeah, texting while driving is extremely stupid. The people that do it are idiots.

[freakazoid]

What is the difference between talking on a cell phone and talking to the person sitting beside you, or better yet in the back seat? Also what is the difference between talking on a cell phone and a trucker talking on his CB?

[LadySmith]

So what about being able to dial 911 to report a drunk or otherwise unsafe driver, or to report that somebody is stopped along the road and needs help?  (the latter for all the people who say they won't stop to help somebody but will just call the HP, etc ...)

The law says it's ok if you use a cell to call 911 the old-fashioned way.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/index.htm

[Jamisjockey]

Paddy, I'm looking forward to the day when old people are banned from driving beyond a certain age because you drive too slow in the fast lane with your blinker on.

[Manedwolf]

Paddy, I'm looking forward to the day when old people are banned from driving beyond a certain age because you drive too slow in the fast lane with your blinker on.

YES THEY DO.

And for some reason, it's invariably a Buick.

(Let's see if he's in favor of banning this?)

[xavier fremboe]

What is the difference between talking on a cell phone and talking to the person sitting beside you, or better yet in the back seat? Also what is the difference between talking on a cell phone and a trucker talking on his CB?

You can talk to someone inside the car with your hands on the wheel.  A trucker only has to hold the mike when talking.  The rest of the audio comes through a speaker.  Someone on a cell phone without a hands free has to hold the stupid thing to their ear.

[wmenorr67]

All military installations are going this route.

[Manedwolf]

Of course, people answer phones in even dumber places. Like an indoor range.

I chose that moment to load .410 shells into the Judge and pick that up instead.

[xavier fremboe]

Like DUI?  Sorry, I'm with Paddy on this one.  I've had to evade too chatty soccer moms drivers to think that operating a motor vehicle with a handheld cell phone is a right.

And a person stopped at a roadblock who was and would have continued driving perfectly safely, but is slightly over an imaginary line in the sand a lawmaker drew in the sand, is a win right?

The point is I don't care why you drive like a moron.  If you drive in an unsafe manner it doesn't matter why, what matters is that you did and did not control your vehicle properly.  Hell I don't really care if you drive with your feet while you use both hands to hold a phone in each ear, if you pay attention to the road and drive safely there is no problem.

Why should I be subject to punishment for doing something I can safely do, just because someone else can not?

Lupinus,

How many drunks have you had to persuade from driving home over their protests? 

It's great that you can drive with your phone in one hand and the wheel in the other.  I'm sure I've never had to avoid you or any of the other exceptional one handed drivers here on APS whilst driving home.  I'm just sick of having to avoid the bad one handed drivers, the vast majority of whom will (IMHO) curtail their use after one or two citations.  I know as a young pup two citations kept me and my 20/10 vision and lightning fast reflexes from exceeding the speed limit...

This thread seems to be taking on a "They can make me stop holding my cell phone when they pry it from my cold dead hand" vibe.  This slope is not that slippery.

[freakazoid]

You can talk to someone inside the car with your hands on the wheel.  A trucker only has to hold the mike when talking.

Therefore using only one hand. I drive with only one hand on the wheel. I talk on my cell phone while driving with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the phone. So what is the difference between driving with one hand on the wheel and talking on the phone and talking to someone in the car with one hand on the wheel?

I'm just sick of having to avoid the bad one handed drivers,

And anti-gunners are sick of having to avoid the bad gun owners.

[xavier fremboe]

You can talk to someone inside the car with your hands on the wheel.  A trucker only has to hold the mike when talking.

Therefore using only one hand. I drive with only one hand on the wheel. I talk on my cell phone while driving with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the phone. So what is the difference between driving with one hand on the wheel and talking on the phone and talking to someone in the car with one hand on the wheel?

I'm just sick of having to avoid the bad one handed drivers,

And anti-gunners are sick of having to avoid the bad gun owners.

CB analogy: If you put your cell phone down to listen to it, it would be more like a CB.  You can drive with a CB about as safely as you can drive while smoking a cigarette.
Anti-gun point:  Huh?  It's been my observation that anti-gunners are against all guns in general, not trying to keep the guns away from the bad guys.  If I were advocating the confiscation of all cell phones, and if the right to use a cell phone was guaranteed by the constitution, you might have a point. 

The point is simple, the proximate cause of many collisions is one-handed cell phone use.

[wmenorr67]

The point is simple, the proximate cause of many collisions is one-handed cell phone use.

Then you should have both hands on the cell phone then.
 

[freakazoid]

Anti-gun point:...

It depends on what you mean by "anti-gun". There are those who wish all guns to be banned, it seems generally that they just don't have an understanding of why firearms are important. And there are those who feel it is unnecessary to have "assault weapons", some can be the same as above but it seems to be usually people who feel that the only purpose a person should have with one is if it is used only for hunting.

and if the right to use a cell phone was guaranteed by the constitution,

Some people feel that owning a firearms isn't a right guaranteed by the constitution.

[xavier fremboe]

The point is simple, the proximate cause of many collisions is one-handed cell phone use.

Then you should have both hands on the cell phone then.
 

I think we finally have a sound compromise!

[The Annoyed Man]

Paddy, I'm looking forward to the day when old people are banned from driving beyond a certain age because you drive too slow in the fast lane with your blinker on.

I agree.  But 'a certain age' shouldn't be the criteria.  Instead, begin requiring annual driving exams at 'a certain age'.   When incompetence sets in (as it surely will), pull the driver's license.

[cordex]

I agree.  But 'a certain age' shouldn't be the criteria.  Instead, begin requiring annual driving exams at 'a certain age'.   When incompetence sets in (as it surely will), pull the driver's license.

We don't have exams to test individual competence for DWIs, vehicular speed or cell phone usage.  Why should we make an exception for dangerous elderly drivers?

[Jamisjockey]

Paddy, I'm looking forward to the day when old people are banned from driving beyond a certain age because you drive too slow in the fast lane with your blinker on.

I agree.  But 'a certain age' shouldn't be the criteria.  Instead, begin requiring annual driving exams at 'a certain age'.   When incompetence sets in (as it surely will), pull the driver's license.

Why not?  You've clearly decided that all cell phone users are dangerous?  Why not all old people?

[lupinus]

The issue isn't one or both hands on the wheel.  Hell I drive WORSE with both hands on the wheel then I do with one hand.  And it doesn't matter if the free hand is on the arm rest changing the radio, or holding a cell phone.

The issue is your focus.  If someones focus is on their conversation instead of the road it doesn't matter one hoot if they have one or two hands on the wheel.  If someone is driving like an idiot, by all means, punish them for it.  If someone is driving like an idiot due to their own introduction of something (cell phone, burger, etc) by all means up the punishment. 

However, punishment on the grounds that they might be more dangerous is ridicules.  Plenty of anti-gunners would love to ban your guns because you might shoot someone.  For you smokers, many out there would love to ban your smokes cause they might give you or someone else cancer.  Bad foods, cars that burn to much gas, etc etc etc.  Plenty are more then willing to ban the things they see as bad whether they have basis for it or not because it makes them feel better.  And it's the same premise used by a lot in this thread.

[MillCreek]

Somewhat related to this thread, but I gave a lecture this morning at our local hospital to the medical staff.  The topic was what conditions to report to the Department of Licensing that may make a person unsafe to drive.  Some common conditions include an active seizure disorder, narcolepsy, unexplained loss of consciousness, severe visual loss, dementia, etc.  Most state departments of licensing have similar requirements, and they will revoke, modify or restrict driver licenses as needed depending on the medical condition of the driver.

Here in Washington, the DOL may require you to be re-tested or have an independent medical examination before making a decision on your license.  Age in and of itself is not cause for restrictions, but at the time of license renewal, the DOL examiner can decide whether to have you tested. 

I was at a national legal convention a couple of years ago, and when I was talking to my colleagues from Arizona and Florida, they said that elderly drivers getting into accidents due to physical limitations was a big problem in those states.  If I recall correctly, and I may not be, at least one of those states did have periodic re-testing after the driver reached a certain age.