I am getting increasingly ambivalent about cell phone use while driving. Three things drive me to that:
- More and better studies, such as this one, which point to increased accident rates from cell phone use in cars (even with hands-free phones).
- Anecdotally, noting that when I see someone doing something really stupid or oblivious in a car (not stopping or slowing when they should), I usually see a cell phone crammed into their ear.
- Knowing, from my own experience, that dialing a cell phone in the car is distracting work, and leads to sub-optimal driving patterns. Knowing also that having a phone conversation, even hands-free, leads to distraction when called upon to do something non-standard (looking for a landmark or someplace I’ve not been, etc.). (And, no, there’s no one particular or recent incident that comes to mind.)
My company has a policy forbidding cell phone use while driving on company business, even with hands-free sets. Given our safety emphasis, that’s not surprising, even though it’s a policy that gets a lot more lip service than adherence. Corporate life seems too hectic to be out of touch, and life in a multinational company means that phonecons often need to be scheduled during drive times.
Still, it’s making me seriously reevaluate my own driving and cell use. Seriously.
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I’ve been largely cell phone free until just recently. The freelancing work I’ve done has more or less necessitated having a cell phone on hand so I can be reached while out in the field. Even then I try very hard to ensure that I do my calling when at a standstill and any calls I answer while moving are as short as possible while still being coherent. I’ve never liked trying to drive and talk into a phone at the same time. I’m ADD and so minimizing distractions is always a good thing when driving.
I actually don’t find the conversation part all that much of a problem — as long as I feel I can interrupt, say hold on, etc. But the peripheral bits are a lot more problematic.
I should probably look at some voice-dialing options.
As my job requires me to spend much time behind the wheel, I see this a lot.
The first thing people do when the get in the car is dial the phone. They then try to back out and turn with only one hand on the wheel. It’s awkward, time-consuming, and dangerous.
Why must people be in such constant contact? Is everybody afraid to spend two minutes alone with their own thoughts?