NTSB recommendation: no cellphone use of any kind, not even handsfree

[vdeane]

Ditto, I don't use a hands-free device either in the rare cases I'm on the phone while driving.  Speakerphone is good enough for the amount of times I've needed it.

[1995hoo]

Just because the average dopey motorist can't "drive and chew gum at the same time" doesn't mean that MY responsible driving and reasonable use of my cell, which i need for work, can't be used at the same time.  Just another example of a few dummies ruining the gig for the rest of us. Screw the NTSB, their recommendation, and their lobby in Congress. I have a bigger problem with people who text and drive. That should be banned. Not simple talking on a hands-free device. What next? Banning eating and drinking while driving? PISS OFF NTSB!

Problem with that argument is that everyone else says the same thing.

[corco]

It's collective overestimation- in polling, just about everybody says that they are a good driver, but nearly as many think most of the people on the road are bad drivers. Everybody is satisfied with their congressman, but nobody is satisfied with congress as a whole.

I think that's the logic behind a ban- people always think they're the one that's doing it safely despite that just about everyone isn't. Since people aren't smart enough to self-filter, it's easier just to ban. That's why I favor exaggerated penalties for those who choose to engage in that sort of behavior and fuck up- if you're actually good at it (and I do believe there are people who are good at it, but it's impossible to know by asking people "Are you good at it?"), you'll never get in trouble. If you're not, well, you're screwed.

[hobsini2]

I am not really for a cellphone ban, but if you were on the phone driving and you hit me, you can't really expect me to give too much of a shit about whatever Penski file or the Glamrocker account you were working on. Frankly, if my boss wanted to converse with me while I was driving, I'd tell him to piss off and wait until I get to wherever.

Unfortunately Scott in my line of work, I don't have the luxury of tell my boss to piss off. As a chauffeur, i sometimes have to take those calls esp when it is the boss or dispatch.

[Scott5114]

I am not really for a cellphone ban, but if you were on the phone driving and you hit me, you can't really expect me to give too much of a shit about whatever Penski file or the Glamrocker account you were working on. Frankly, if my boss wanted to converse with me while I was driving, I'd tell him to piss off and wait until I get to wherever.

Unfortunately Scott in my line of work, I don't have the luxury of tell my boss to piss off. As a chauffeur, i sometimes have to take those calls esp when it is the boss or dispatch.

Slightly more understandable than if you were an office worker, but it still wouldn't be enough to excuse you if you cut someone off or had a wreck because of it...

[Sykotyk]

Who said he would. Drivers that are doing it as part of their job are much different than someone who is only in their car to/from work, or purely leisure activity.

It's like saying nobody is allowed to cook food in  your apartment because you might burn down the whole building and put others lives at risk. But, the chef at a fancy restaurant has to abide by the same law. It's an activity that is ingrained in his very occupation.

[corco]

How in the world did taxis/car services function before cell phones?

Now, I could be wrong on this (I've used radios for work while not driving and I worked as a driver for an on-call shuttle at the first university I went to for two years and had to communicate over the phone while driving as business loads were too light to warrant a dispatcher), but I'm fairly sure communication over CB is a lot more succinct and less conversational than communication over cell phone, lessening driver distraction- certainly the process to answer phone/receive dispatch/reply to dispatch/end conversation is simpler over radio than cell phone.

[J N Winkler]

How in the world did taxis/car services function before cell phones?

Two-way radios (hence the term "radio taxi" for a private-hire vehicle booked in advance).  And private hire vehicles still depend on two-way communication between dispatch and the driver even in jurisdictions where the driver's cell phone usage is otherwise banned; the systems used just have to work a little differently from regular cellphone conversation in order to survive licensing and safety reviews.  For example, private hire vehicles in Britain tend to have a message display next to the driver, which he can consult for details of a booking (street address, name of passenger, etc.) when the car stops, but which is otherwise ignored.  If he has to contact dispatch for any reason, he can simply pull over and place a cell phone call.  This avoids difficulty with the traffic commissioner, who in Britain has the authority to put the entire taxi company (not just the driver) out of business if systematic safety faults are found in the vehicles, the drivers, or the operating procedures.

To address Sykotyk's comparison of home and restaurant cooking, there is a world of difference between the two.  Restaurant cooks are trained and, for the most part, know what they are doing:  that much is true.  But they work in kitchens which are regularly inspected and are required to have exits, easy access to fire safety appliances, etc., so the environment in which they work is also different.  Many home fires are caused by certain kinds of cooking appliances, such as portable hotplates, which would simply not be used in restaurant kitchens.

[corco]

Who said he would. Drivers that are doing it as part of their job are much different than someone who is only in their car to/from work, or purely leisure activity.

I disagree with that- I work at a resort and was a bellman for a good while, so I know pretty much every car service driver in Tucson. While you could convince me that they are good drivers, you'd be hard pressed to convince me that they're magically better at talking on cell phones than people who are not car service drivers. Oftentimes when I'd call them with a fare they'd wait to get to a light or pull over before they'd talk to me, which I'd consider the safe course of action.

[hobsini2]

How in the world did taxis/car services function before cell phones?

Now, I could be wrong on this (I've used radios for work while not driving and I worked as a driver for an on-call shuttle at the first university I went to for two years and had to communicate over the phone while driving as business loads were too light to warrant a dispatcher), but I'm fairly sure communication over CB is a lot more succinct and less conversational than communication over cell phone, lessening driver distraction- certainly the process to answer phone/receive dispatch/reply to dispatch/end conversation is simpler over radio than cell phone.

Yes i even started out in "those radio days" back in 1999. And some of the problems with the radios were the limited range, the having to pause a couple of seconds so that no one else would "walk over" you while trying to talk to dispatch, and if an arguement started on the radio, which was nearly every 2 hours or so, the customer would hear it. As far as the range goes, my former employer had 3 towers that was to "control" the Chicagoland area. Ch 1 was for the city of Chicago and near west suburbs like Berwyn and La Grange. Ch 2 was for the North and Northwest Suburbs. Ch 3 was Far West and South Suburbs.  The radios were useless north of Wisconsin 50 in Kenosha, west of Illinois 47 in Sugar Grove, and south of US 30 in Chicago Heigths.  We had customers in Lake Geneva, Rockford, Morris, Kankakee and NW Indiana that were all out of range. Joliet was just barely able to be understood as long as you were not in Downtown.