About distracted driving

[Southerner]

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financia ... JN7C82.htm

Especially telling:
"And what's more, many drivers don't think it's dangerous when they do it -- only when others do, the survey found."

So the NTSB is urging all states to ban all cell phone use while driving, it seems. Although I agree that voice conversations can cause a problem, texting and internet use while driving are much worse.

And seeing that we 2-wheeled folk (ICE or human-powered) are the most vulnerable, I do keep my eye on the issue, even though I'm not for a flat ban.

[charlie55]

It's a thorny issue, and while I'm not usually in favor of "absolutes", I think that it's been proven that you cannot always rely on people to self-regulate.

Another alternative would be to allow the status quo, but increase the penalties to draconian levels, either by public legislation (forfeiture of propery and privileges, extended imprisonment, exorbitant fines, etc)., or private practices (refusal of insurance coverage for "accidents" resulting from talking/texting).

I know some argue that there are other distractions (radio, eating, reading) and that we shouldn't single out phoning/texting for crackdowns. However, I don't see how you can justify one irresponsible behavior by citing the existence of others. Why add to an already bad situation?

And for the life of me, I cannot fathom the sense of urgency that seems to accompany these forms of communication. Other than an out-and-out emergency, what is so important that you need to be in instantaneous contact 24/7/365? God, I consider it a blessing when people can't get in touch with me.

[TVB]

I don't even like to have voice conversations while I'm driving, and that extends to people in the car with me. OK, they're harmless when I'm just cruising along the interstate, or on a route I know by heart so all I'm looking for are road hazards. But when I'm trying to play both Sulu and Chekov, I don't want to play Spock or McCoy too.

Maybe this would be a good rule: no one may play more than two members of the Enterprise bridge crew at one time.

[ericalm]

Safety laws are tailor made for instances when people don't have the good sense to sacrifice convenience for the sake of others' safety.

I hear a lot of guff about "kids these days" and various cultural causes for these behaviors, but most of it is Monday morning moralizing and finger pointing. The problem is rampant and regardless of sociological or other roots there are very real dangers for those of us on two wheels.

Distracted driving has diminished my enjoyment of riding, that's for sure.

[PeteH]

This is huge in Missouri right now, as we had an incident this past summer where a kid texting while driving his pickup caused an accident involving himself, a semi, and a school bus full of band kids on their way to Six Flags. Numerous fatalities. Very stringent legislation in the works.

[jrsjr]

...even though I'm not for a flat ban.

I wonder how it would actually change things if there were such a ban. There are a lot of occupations, including police, taxi, delivery, truckers, and etc that rely on in-vehicle communications. There would almost have to be exemptions to the law and that would just make it harder to get everybody else to comply. I'm guessing that eventually a ban is where we're headed, but it's going to take a while for folks to buy into the idea. Where we are now is similar to where we were in the late 1950s with drinking and driving. Folks just didn't take it seriously and the laws were lax. It took a very long time for opinion, consensus, and (finally) laws to change the general perception of drinking and driving.

[ericalm]

...even though I'm not for a flat ban.

I wonder how it would actually change things if there were such a ban. There are a lot of occupations, including police, taxi, delivery, truckers, and etc that rely on in-vehicle communications. There would almost have to be exemptions to the law and that would just make it harder to get everybody else to comply.

It's not that hard to filter out police, delivery, trucks, and other services that would be exempt. They're pretty easy to separate from the commuters and others who are the most egregious violators.

[heatherkay]

Or they'll figure out interfaces, like text message to audio, that comply with the law. The ban they're talking about right now would still allow hands-free communication.

[ericalm]

Or they'll figure out interfaces, like text message to audio, that comply with the law. The ban they're talking about right now would still allow hands-free communication.

Here, hands-free means "put the speakerphone on and hold the phone 3" from your head with one hand" or "hold the phone in your lap."

[heatherkay]

No kidding. Plus it sort of ignores all the research that shows that hands-free is almost/just as distracting as just holding the phone to your ear. I do rent a lot of cars for work, though, and more and more of them come with car-based bluetooth systems, and those systems are getting better and better. I think that will be the default soon, and we won't have to deal with the guy holding his speakerphone.

[Syd]

And for the life of me, I cannot fathom the sense of urgency that seems to accompany these forms of communication.

I just don't understand how people can have so much to say. I'm beginning to think that a certain percentage of people have developed a compulsion to communicate - anything.

(Which is why most of my replies here are one-liners!)

[brianwheelies]

Speaking of police, I had the opportunity recently to ride in a police vehicle while the officer was chatting on his laptop and hitting road Braille lane markers that we have here.

I think we should have less rules. Before too long we will not be able to do anything and this country will be the exact opposite of it's original foundation.

[ericalm]

No kidding. Plus it sort of ignores all the research that shows that hands-free is almost/just as distracting as just holding the phone to your ear. I do rent a lot of cars for work, though, and more and more of them come with car-based bluetooth systems, and those systems are getting better and better. I think that will be the default soon, and we won't have to deal with the guy holding his speakerphone.

The problem with some of these in-car systems is that they're integrating them with Facebook, Twitter and other things that are distracting when you're just sitting at a desk, not working. In a car? Sheesh!

[brianwheelies]

Speaking of police, I had the opportunity recently to ride in a police vehicle while the officer was chatting on his laptop and hitting road Braille lane markers that we have here.

I think we should have less rules. Before too long we will not be able to do anything and this country will be the exact opposite of it's original foundation.

[heatherkay]

The problem with some of these in-car systems is that they're integrating them with Facebook, Twitter and other things that are distracting when you're just sitting at a desk, not working. In a car? Sheesh!

Ha! No interest in that. I've actually pulled up next to people who are watching YouTube while they are driving. But I do a LOT of driving on lightly travelled interstate highways between Kansas City and points north. It's nice to be able to call the office and check voicemail when you're driving. Or answer a quick call that will save me hours of work later if I can give someone the correct answer. I don't feel that this is any more distracting than highway hypnosis, which is the real danger for me in those situations. The other problem is that people that know you have a cell phone (read "boss") get annoyed if you don't pick up when there's an emergency. I've used the "I didn't have any bars" excuse more than once.

[teabow1]

I don't even like to have voice conversations while I'm driving, and that extends to people in the car with me. OK, they're harmless when I'm just cruising along the interstate, or on a route I know by heart so all I'm looking for are road hazards. But when I'm trying to play both Sulu and Chekov, I don't want to play Spock or McCoy too.

Maybe this would be a good rule: no one may play more than two members of the Enterprise bridge crew at one time.

I'm a little similar but not exactly. When driving in town I usually have a difficult time having a conversation thought I don't mind passengers conversing amongst themselves. I can easily tune them out. At moments when I find the driving difficult to do when someone is conversing with me, I always make a point of telling them I'm having trouble concentrating so I'll speak to them when I can.

Freeway driving with conversation isn't a problem for me either. It's a much easier form of driving than on city/suburban roads.

[viney266]

I don't even like to have voice conversations while I'm driving, and that extends to people in the car with me. OK, they're harmless when I'm just cruising along the interstate, or on a route I know by heart so all I'm looking for are road hazards. But when I'm trying to play both Sulu and Chekov, I don't want to play Spock or McCoy too.

Maybe this would be a good rule: no one may play more than two members of the Enterprise bridge crew at one time.

^^^ You may be onto something there...

Mr Scott usually has his hands full...


I will agree that we don't need more laws...Just SERIOUS punishments when you do these things and screw up...I have no problem taking a bluetooth call on the way to work or home..Especially if someone at the shop needs me when I'm not there, but its like anything else. Some abuse it.

Lets face it, some folks can multi-task VERY well. Some cannot. My wife, Carol, is one of the few people I know that will admit she cannot. If she gets too many tasks going. She will tell you...so she can focus. Some people think she is being "bitchy", but I see it as honest and am glad when she does it. Me? I can do three things at once and I'm fine. Its all in realizing what you can handle, and we don't need more laws for that.

[Southerner]

Oh, I can handle a voice call without too much difficulty. It would be even easier with an in-car system except when you have passengers and need to keep at least the other half of the conversation private.

But anything that requires you to look down at a screen is bad news. Heck, I don't know if I even like the speedos that are mounted on the tank on Harleys and other cruisers. I think instruments need to be up on the handlebars where they belong.

Now watch some genius invent a bluetooth HUD for texting!

[PeteH]

It must be my Y-chromosome, but I'm such a single-tasker that if I'm looking for a street address, I have to turn the radio off.

[ericalm]

There's a huge body of research that shows that the conversation is most of the distraction, not the use of hands. The nature of talking on the phone and the way our brains are engaged when on the phone is different than for in-person conversations.

Plenty of link to research in the Wikipedia entry here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_pho ... ree_device
"…a Carnegie Mellon University study found that merely listening to somebody speak on a phone caused a 37% drop in activity in the parietal lobe, where spatial tasks are managed."

2003 NHTSA study: "negligible differences in safety relevant behavior and performance between using a hand-held and hands-free communications devices while driving from the standpoint of cognitive distraction."

Much more out there…

(Yes, I just pasted in my reply to the same topic from MV. )

[Silver Streak]

Lets face it, some folks can multi-task VERY well.

No, they can't. They may be able to serially task well.

Brain science has shown that the mind cannot handle tasks in parallel; it can only jump rapidly from one task to another. If one of the tasks is driving or riding, the brain's attention must leave that task to handle another... if only momentarily.

If that moment happens to be one in which something unexpected happens, well...

[Syd]

There's a huge body of research that shows that the conversation is most of the distraction, not the use of hands. The nature of talking on the phone and the way our brains are engaged when on the phone is different than for in-person conversations.

Plenty of link to research in the Wikipedia entry here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_pho ... ree_device
"…a Carnegie Mellon University study found that merely listening to somebody speak on a phone caused a 37% drop in activity in the parietal lobe, where spatial tasks are managed."

2003 NHTSA study: "negligible differences in safety relevant behavior and performance between using a hand-held and hands-free communications devices while driving from the standpoint of cognitive distraction."

Much more out there…

(Yes, I just pasted in my reply to the same topic from MV. )

Unfortunately, actual data isn't going to get someone elected, and the distracted cell-phone driver has gotten to be such a part of our collective consciousness that promising to ban cell conversations while driving can easily be a piece of someone's campaign platform.

For example, I will take/make the occasional cell phone call in the truck, but still, when someone in front of me is driving less fast than I am I'm still likely to mutter 'Get off the damn phone and get on the gas!'

[charlie55]

.....The other problem is that people that know you have a cell phone (read "boss") get annoyed if you don't pick up when there's an emergency. I've used the "I didn't have any bars" excuse more than once.

But unless you're talking about a matter of life and death, that's part of the problem: the availability of instant communication has turned everything into an emergency. I'm also on 24/7 call, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let every aspect of my life be governed by my job. My boss, on the other hand walks around with every known form of comm device hanging off his belt, the BorgTooth permanently implanted in his cranium, and he can usually be found responding to emails at all hours of the night. A perfect corporate lickspittle.

And what constitutes the "emergencies" in my line of work? 99% of the time its some whiney-ass customer bitching that a broadcast failed to reach 1 of 10,000 recipients, or that a scheduled job kicked off two minutes late/ended 30 seconds too soon. Hey, if the systems are down, or the building's on fire - I'm one of the first ones on site. Anything other than that can wait.

Boss gets annoyed? Good! Probably puts him one step closer to the heart attack that'll help him sort out his priorities.

[ericalm]

For example, I will take/make the occasional cell phone call in the truck, but still, when someone in front of me is driving less fast than I am I'm still likely to mutter 'Get off the damn phone and get on the gas!'

Well, at least you admit this.

I stay off the phone in the car. Period. If I need to do anything, I pull over.

Except the iPod. I'm all over that damn thing. I should have gotten the integration kit that would let me skip songs using the controls on my steering wheel. Next car…

[Quo Vadimus]

I don't understand why people think it's important in any way to answer their cell phones. You have voicemail. You have a 'missed calls' database. And in four and a half minutes, you'll be parked and able to give your full attention to the person on the other end. What, do they not deserve your attention? Then we're back to: don't answer the phone.

Actually I believe I have all the evidence I need to add cell phone compulsion to the DSM: I work in a library. And yes, many people talk on their phones in the library (annoying, but in a typical way). What's clearly a mental illness is the patron who answers his phone to say

I'M AT THE LIBRARY! NO. NO, I CAN'T TALK. I SAID, I'M AT THE LIBRARY. THE LI-BRAR-Y!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH. OKAY, YEAH. TALK TO YOU LATER!

[ericalm]

Honestly, I almost never answer my phone even when not driving.

I was considering getting a BT helmet system I saw online for cheap but am now reconsidering. I don't need that any price.

[Roose Hurro]

I don't even like to have voice conversations while I'm driving, and that extends to people in the car with me. OK, they're harmless when I'm just cruising along the interstate, or on a route I know by heart so all I'm looking for are road hazards. But when I'm trying to play both Sulu and Chekov, I don't want to play Spock or McCoy too.

Maybe this would be a good rule: no one may play more than two members of the Enterprise bridge crew at one time.

Heh, this is true... in my car, since I normally (always) travel in familiar territory, I tend to play Sulu and Uhura (man the "helm", and occasionally mess with the radio).

[heatherkay]

I don't answer my phone when I'm in traffic, but when I'm doing a multiple-hour stint on the interstate, I don't feel bad about answering the phone when I'm driving. Isn't this kind of like a debate about how much gear you feel like you have to wear? Sometimes it isn't safe to answer the phone, sometimes it's not that big a deal. I understand why they might have to make a rule to ban it -- Americans generally have a hard time with nuance -- but not all cell phone calls are equal.

[ericalm]

Isn't this kind of like a debate about how much gear you feel like you have to wear?

In some ways, the debate is similar, but the issues are completely different. Your decision whether to wear an armored jacket isn't going to result in injury to anyone but yourself!

In the MV thread on this topic, it's already been suggested that this could quickly become the next verboten "helmet law" topic. That's all up to how people choose to handle it.

[viney266]

I don't answer my phone when I'm in traffic, but when I'm doing a multiple-hour stint on the interstate, I don't feel bad about answering the phone when I'm driving. Isn't this kind of like a debate about how much gear you feel like you have to wear? Sometimes it isn't safe to answer the phone, sometimes it's not that big a deal. I understand why they might have to make a rule to ban it -- Americans generally have a hard time with nuance -- but not all cell phone calls are equal.

^^^ I must admit thats how I feel...I have an hour and 20 minute commute every day, yes 56 miles!...So for me to take a call on the super slab thru my bluetooth I feel is an acceptable MINOR distraction. Would I take a call going 155MPH on the track, no!, but 65-70MPH on a 2 lane superslab where I can see for a mile...Yup, sure do. Don't take calls in town either, too many distractions.
I guess I just feel we need to be adults and be responsible. We really don't need another law.

[viney266]

Lets face it, some folks can multi-task VERY well.

No, they can't. They may be able to serially task well.

Brain science has shown that the mind cannot handle tasks in parallel; it can only jump rapidly from one task to another. If one of the tasks is driving or riding, the brain's attention must leave that task to handle another... if only momentarily.

If that moment happens to be one in which something unexpected happens, well...

^^^ Okay, but now we are discussing semantics...Okay I serial task well then ...I am going to use that next time...Thanks ...And I can juggle,too, while holding a conversation...So how does that work? Is the juggling just "muscle memory" for me? I'm actually curious...Well, if I increase to juggling 5 balls ( yeah workin on that) it would prolly be real hard for me to talk. So that does lead to your serial tasking being correct now that I serial task between typing and thinking about it

[CROSSBOLT]

"Aviate, navigate, communicate" is what I learned in flight school and it applies to road vehicles as well if in only principle. I do not think that another law is really going to solve anything except to give the government more power. I think that a long, steady, obnoxious Buddy horn to hound someone who obviously cannot handle non-driving communication would do more to at least interrupt some dork weaving all over the road while "texting". Maybe if more of us stuck our necks out with horns when someone is talking on the cell and plugging up the highway some of these jokers would get the message and "Hang up and Drive!" Yes, I know it invites road rage so maybe one would not hit 'em with the Buddy horn.....

The kid that caused the pile-up with the truck-tractor and two school busses paid with his life 'cause he had no judgement. Maybe the buses were following too closely.....

Karl

[Uncle Groucho]

I think riding my scooter has conditioned me to not reach for my phone when I'm back in my cage. Being that much closer to vehicles in traffic, I notice how many people are on phones who look very distracted. And they probably think scooters are more of a menace than they are.

I think I'd be okay with a ban for drivers. If you have to take/make a call or text, pull over. Occupants? Let 'em text away and take calls. Hell, if it gets people to consider carpooling, everyone wins!

[Silver Streak]

Lets face it, some folks can multi-task VERY well.

No, they can't. They may be able to serially task well.

Brain science has shown that the mind cannot handle tasks in parallel; it can only jump rapidly from one task to another. If one of the tasks is driving or riding, the brain's attention must leave that task to handle another... if only momentarily.

If that moment happens to be one in which something unexpected happens, well...

^^^ Okay, but now we are discussing semantics...Okay I serial task well then ...I am going to use that next time...Thanks ...And I can juggle,too, while holding a conversation...So how does that work? Is the juggling just "muscle memory" for me? I'm actually curious...Well, if I increase to juggling 5 balls ( yeah workin on that) it would prolly be real hard for me to talk. So that does lead to your serial tasking being correct now that I serial task between typing and thinking about it

Maybe I am getting into semantics a bit, but my main point is: no matter how well you think you can "multitask" (including juggling) your attention is continually being diverted from each task to accomplish the other -- if only for milliseconds. If something unexpected happens during a diversion... we've all seen what happens.

BTW, I'm inclined to believe that -- once you've become good at it -- juggling is mostly muscle memory, much like playing a musical instrument after much rehearsal. I can sing while playing (after a fashion), but very little active attention is required because it is all rote. Neither a cell phone call nor driving is rote, however -- both will throw unexpected things at you requiring your full attention.

[LunaP]

Honestly, I almost never answer my phone even when not driving.

THIS.

I picked up a bad (good?) habit of heavily screening my calls. If I don't want to talk to you that minute or don't have time, it doesn't get picked up. I have an irrational hate for voicemail due to a period in my life where I had bill collectors calling daily.

Not to say I never talk to people on my cel phone, because I do. And I value it HIGHLY for emergency situations, and since for personal reasons I A) have been semi-vagrant for the last 2 years of my life, not staying in the same place for more than 6 months and B) none of those places have had a land line, I would NEVER think of getting rid of it... BUT the vast majority of my communication is texting.

I used to hate texting and thought it was stupid. Back when I begrudging got my first cel phone at 18. Not anymore. Starting in college, in classes and at work, I would text everybody. It's discreet, you can do it places where you couldn't make a call, sometimes you can say what you want more quickly with a few texts than you can in a phone conversation.

So if somebody calls me and I don't answer, I text them back. "Hey, work is busy, what's up?" it's beautiful. I can do it scooting. Feel my phone buzz in my pocket, if I'm expecting an important call and I have time I pull over- missed call... text back... I'll have a reply text by the time I get to wherever I'm going! I love it.

People who text, or worse, on their iWhatevers constantly WHILE DRIVING, however... ugh.

[Southerner]

I try never to leave a voice message and don't like to get them. All too often these days, if I do leave one, I get a callback from somebody saying "whatcha want?" They don't even bother to listen.

Much more discreet to send and receive texts. My wife and I do it all the time so as not to catch each other at a bad time at work.

Although guilty of texting behind the wheel, it's an addiction I'm trying to conquer. I'm glad to say I never use either while on 2 wheels.

[LunaP]

I try never to leave a voice message and don't like to get them. All too often these days, if I do leave one, I get a callback from somebody saying "whatcha want?" They don't even bother to listen.

Much more discreet to send and receive texts. My wife and I do it all the time so as not to catch each other at a bad time at work.

Although guilty of texting behind the wheel, it's an addiction I'm trying to conquer. I'm glad to say I never use either while on 2 wheels.

I was guilty of it occasionally when I was caged, but had limited myself to red lights successfully. I don't even think it's physically possible while actually in motion on two wheels, unless you were a cupcake.

I get that with voicemails too... my mother, and ONE of my friends are the only people who leave me voicemails, and even my mom doesn't listen to mine and just calls me back

But really... distracted driving isn't just cel phone usage. It's the most notorious of course. But I'm sure we've all seen some completely ridiculous stuff.

I've seen people eating, and rather improbable foods, not just a typical burger and fries. I've seen the woman doing makeup. I've seen people READING. What?

[Southerner]

And you can add flailing at the kids in the backseat as well. Especially egregious since the little nips need to be strapped into a car seat.

Incidentally, for all you girls, If you ever want to entice a non-riding boyfriend onto the back of your scoot, don't EVER call it cupcake. If there must be a word, say "pillion." Much more neutral.

[LunaP]

And you can add flailing at the kids in the backseat as well. Especially egregious since the little nips need to be strapped into a car seat.

Incidentally, for all you girls, If you ever want to entice a non-riding boyfriend onto the back of your scoot, don't EVER call it cupcake. If there must be a word, say "pillion." Much more neutral.

If I thought I needed to convince a guy to get on my scoot, I'd just ask if he wanted to "go for a ride" But most people are either very no or yes. The no's are usually heck no's that can't be convinced. Some of my friends will jump on, though.

[ericalm]

And you can add flailing at the kids in the backseat as well. Especially egregious since the little nips need to be strapped into a car seat.

Incidentally, for all you girls, If you ever want to entice a non-riding boyfriend onto the back of your scoot, don't EVER call it cupcake. If there must be a word, say "pillion." Much more neutral.

Most men would be lucky to be the cupcakes of the wonderful scootin' women out there!

[charlie55]

Back in my dating days I got frosted and iced so often that "cupcake" would have been more of a description than an insult.

[teabow1]

And for the life of me, I cannot fathom the sense of urgency that seems to accompany these forms of communication.

I just don't understand how people can have so much to say. I'm beginning to think that a certain percentage of people have developed a compulsion to communicate - anything.

(Which is why most of my replies here are one-liners!)

This is one reason I don't carry a cellphone. I don't want the habit of checking it every few minutes and I don't want to rely on it when there are usually alternative ways to go about handling a situation.

For example, my husband encouraged me to carry his phone with me when I went to take the MSF course. I said, "Nah, don't worry about it. I'll use someone else's phone if I need to call you." Or if I do break down on the ride while riding my bicycle, hey I can always knock on someone's door and ask to borrow their phone. No big deal.

[Southerner]

I would have to take your husband's side in this. I'm not a fanatic about carrying a phone but almost always do. It just makes too much sense to have one when one is out and about alone. I would much prefer to call for help on my own phone than knock on a stranger's door.

If cost is a factor, there are any number of cheap prepaids available. You at least need something in case you need to call 911.

[heatherkay]

Plus, if you get thrown and break a leg, you're not walking anywhere to use someone else's phone. I always have my phone on my person when I ride.

[ericalm]

Or if I do break down on the ride while riding my bicycle, hey I can always knock on someone's door and ask to borrow their phone. No big deal.

This may not be the best idea in many places. Sad comment on the world we live in, sure, but I definitely wouldn't do this in LA… or NC, or anywhere.

[teabow1]

I would have to take your husband's side in this. I'm not a fanatic about carrying a phone but almost always do. It just makes too much sense to have one when one is out and about alone. I would much prefer to call for help on my own phone than knock on a stranger's door.

If cost is a factor, there are any number of cheap prepaids available. You at least need something in case you need to call 911.

I grew up in a country (Ghana) where asking random strangers for help, directions, and what not is very typical and in many ways expected. It's not out of the ordinary. I try to maintain some of that attitude here because I don't see any good reason why we keep to ourselves so much in the U.S. In the U.S., it sometimes feel like we all live in our own bubble. Social attitude is a bit different in Ghana with a lot more social connections made out on the streets.

Cost of the phone isn't as big as a factor as the desire not to want to be tethered and distracted.

Of course, this isn't to say that say if I'm travelling in rural places with nary a person in sight, it would be a good idea to have a cellphone if I already have one. But if I don't already have one, well, we can think back to what people did prior to the 1990s.

[ericalm]

I resisted having a phone for many years. I got my first one in 2000, a prepaid deal, for a cross-country drive. I didn't have another for a year or so after that.

BUT, I've been in a couple crashes now and have broken down or had other issues on the side of the road. I hate talking on the phone—particularly the cell phone—but it's invaluable to me now.

Like any tool, it's not inherently a problem unless you allow it to be. I rarely answer mine and I never let the phone or texting distract me. The ringer is always on silent. (Admittedly, I'm completely dependent on other functions of my iPhone, but that's a separate addiction, ha.) All it requires—from anyone—is some discipline and common sense.

Of course, the lack of those is why legislation is necessary now…

[Silver Streak]

This is one reason I don't carry a cellphone. I don't want the habit of checking it every few minutes and I don't want to rely on it when there are usually alternative ways to go about handling a situation.

While I generally agree with you, I feel obliged to carry one for emergencies.

You can do what I do... get the cheapest pay-as-you-go phone available and never turn it on unless you want to make an outgoing call. That way, you don't develop any bad habits.

[LunaP]

I would have to take your husband's side in this. I'm not a fanatic about carrying a phone but almost always do. It just makes too much sense to have one when one is out and about alone. I would much prefer to call for help on my own phone than knock on a stranger's door.

If cost is a factor, there are any number of cheap prepaids available. You at least need something in case you need to call 911.

I grew up in a country (Ghana) where asking random strangers for help, directions, and what not is very typical and in many ways expected. It's not out of the ordinary. I try to maintain some of that attitude here because I don't see any good reason why we keep to ourselves so much in the U.S. In the U.S., it sometimes feel like we all live in our own bubble. Social attitude is a bit different in Ghana with a lot more social connections made out on the streets.

Cost of the phone isn't as big as a factor as the desire not to want to be tethered and distracted.

Of course, this isn't to say that say if I'm travelling in rural places with nary a person in sight, it would be a good idea to have a cellphone if I already have one. But if I don't already have one, well, we can think back to what people did prior to the 1990s.

That's very neat, and I agree with you, as you have a good point. So does Syd... the younger generations (my generation, and younger... the younger they are, the worse it is) are so attached to technology that instead of communicating because the want to or need to, they do it because they have developed a compulsion. (That was a great way to put it!) Not even just texting on cel phones... social media as well. I'm guilty of it a little, too.

But I have to agree with everybody else here. Lokky hasn't had a cel phone for a while, and he doesn't have a land line at home, either. My personal opinion is that's anywhere between silly/impractical, and not safe. He has internet and uses a Google voice number to receive texts, and calls from Skype on his tablet if he needs to make a call. More often than not, this is just an inconvenience, and mostly just to me, as I'd like to be able to get in touch with him anytime, not just when he's at home and paying attention to Google on his computer, or is as school and on his tablet.

But it also isn't safe for MANY reasons. His Skype/tablet doesn't exactly take incoming calls, and while I am able to call his Google voice, it only takes messages he can check later, just like his texts. So if I had an emergency and needed him RIGHT AWAY, there's little or no chance I'd be able to get a hold of him immediately. When Hurricane Irene hit, I was stuck at my mother's, and he was stuck at his apartment with no internet, and thusly no way for me to contact him. I didn't know for three days for sure whether everything was okay with him or not... he had to scoot across town to my job to see me. If he were to have any other kind of emergency in the house, his communication setup makes it that much more difficult to get help- and doesn't exist if he has no power or no internet, unlike a cel phone.

Lastly, like everyone else has pointed out... if he were to crash and hurt himself, and be in the middle of nowhere, or feel unsafe knocking on a stranger's door, or even be unable to move... a phone is crucial. I believe cel phones are able to make 911 calls, even if there is allegedly no coverage. Every cel phone I have ever owned, if there were no 'bars', said "Emergency Calls Only" on the screen.

It's for these reasons I've semi-insisted we add him to my phone plan, since I already have a family plan with my father and it won't really cost me anything extra. I truly will feel so much better if he carries a phone with him, just in case.

You can always turn it off while you're actually driving- the phone doesn't HAVE to be a distraction.

[TVB]

I believe cel phones are able to make 911 calls, even if there is allegedly no coverage. Every cel phone I have ever owned, if there were no 'bars', said "Emergency Calls Only" on the screen.

Mobile phones still need a decent signal to make 911 calls, but they're programmed to allow them regardless of which carrier the signal is coming from. So if your Sprint phone was set for no "roaming", but the only signal it was picking up was a Verizon tower, you might get "emergency calls only".

If you want an emergency-only phone, you can take any phone locked to any carrier*, without paid service of any kind, turn it off and keep it charged (turn it on periodically to see how well the battery stays charged when not in use), and keep it in your purse or pet carrier or coat pocket. It won't let you call home, but if you need police or medical aid, you can make the call.

*AT&T and T-Mobile use one kind of phone, Verizon and Sprint use the other. Most cities have coverage with both, but if you live in the boonies, you should check to see which has coverage and use the matching kind of phone. For example, any AT&T phone will work like this in an area with good T-Mobile coverage.