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SmellyCat

Should it be illegal to talk on cell phones while driving?  

31 members have voted

  1. 1. Should it be illegal to talk on cell phones while driving?

    • No - this is a freedom all drivers are entitled to
      10
    • No - but young drivers should be banned
      6
    • Yes - ALL uses of cell phones while driving, including hands free, should be banned
      5
    • Yes - but use of a hands-free device should be allowed
      10


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Cell phones play an integral role in our society. However, the convenience they offer must be judged against the hazards they pose. Inattentive driving accounted for 6.4% of crash fatalities in 2003. A survey found that the number of drivers using cell phones increased from 6% in 2002 to 8% in 2004. The jump was most noticeable among women (up to 6% from 4% in 2002) and young drivers ages 16 to 24 (up to 8% from 5% in 2002). Usage by men was steady at 4%.

Laws against cell phones come in different varieties. New Jersey, New York and the District of Columbia require drivers to use a hands-free cell phone. And teen drivers are banned from talking on cell phones in the District of Columbia, Maine and New Jersey. Both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly now have voted to bar teens from using cell phones for the first 18 months after they earn their license, but a measure hasn't yet been sent to the governor. As many as 40 countries outside of the U.S. already restrict or prohibit the use of cell phones while driving.

Other studies have shown that using hands free devices are just as much of a distraction as holding the cell phone. A study found that drivers who talked on hands-free cell phones were 18% slower in braking and took 17% longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked.

What do you think should be done in North Carolina?

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Cell-phones still aren't one of the top distractions for drivers. Cell phones cause far fewer wrecks than many other gadgets and things we load cars up with. It is just that many people find cell phones generally annoying which pushes the phones into the scapegoat position. The radio and CD players cause way more accidents then phones yet no one wants radios banned from use in the car. Eating in the vehicle is also responsible for more wrecks than cell phone usage, should we ban drive-thrus and ticket eating drivers? I agree, cells are annoying, rude in some cases, but I think they

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i voted, 'yes, but allow handsfree', but i'm not necessarily for simply creating a ban in localities or states. I actually think it would be more interesting if there were a national ban, that would be set up for with a grace period, and a simultaneous requirement that all cars be outfitted with a universal handsfree system, such as a bluetooth, wifi or usb connection, that both the cellphone and car industry could work toward (bluetooth handsfree is available in Acura TL as an example).

I think if an easy alternative were ensured for a majority of vehicles, then a ban would work and not negatively impact people's ability to communicate. Honestly, i do 90% of my phone talking when i'm in the car. If it were banned, i probably wouldn't talk to my distant friends and family. I confident that i remain at attentive to my driving (you may imagine that my phone conversations are nothing like a teenage girl's where i'm hyper-involved).

I am tempted to get the TL simply for that handsfree feature :).

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I am tempted to get the TL simply for that handsfree feature :).

I can vie for this and say it's absolutely a great reason to get the TL. It works quite well. Note that it doesn't work with EVERY bluetooth phone out there, but it does work with most. Acura has a list of compatible phones and what may not work with certain ones on their website. :)

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Mercedes has a wired connection to phones that cracks me up. It is proprietary and only works with 2 motorola phones on the market. It costs something like 1200 bucks, too!!!! I can barely imagine why anyone would purchase into that option, but there are dozens of buttons on the dash dedicated to the phone, even if you didn't buy the 1200 connector. nutty.

I honestly think that fcc or someone should simplement national standards for cell phones. It is just crazy to me that they all have their own proprietary connectors for power and data connectors. I guess some carriers, like sprint, are starting to have a universal power jack, but these kinds of standards are what government is for. They did it for a/c power in the home, and old-skool telephones a hundred years ago for the same reasons of incompatibility.

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Mercedes has a wired connection to phones that cracks me up.  It is proprietary and only works with 2 motorola phones on the market.  It costs something like 1200 bucks, too!!!!  I can barely imagine why anyone would purchase into that option, but there are dozens of buttons on the dash dedicated to the phone, even if you didn't buy the 1200 connector.  nutty.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This sounds like a scam BMW used to also employ, except they only had one phone option, also north of $1000. If I decided to go that route 4 years ago, I'd still have to use a relic Motorola StarTac phone to be compatible with the car. To add insult to injury, I'd also be carrying around a phone with big silver block BMW letters printed on it for the whole world to notice. How tacky.

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I think for some drivers, cell phones are a disctraction. I personally use my cell phone all the time while I am driving. I am accustomed to doing two things at once, so it is not a big deal to me.

If this were passed, would NC ticket out-of-state drivers who may notbe familliar with this obsurd law?

I think that government does not have the right to control what you do inside your car. If I want to eat or talk or smoke, or heaven forbid- NOT wear my seatbelt, its my business.

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I think that government does not have the right to control what you do inside your car. If I want to eat or talk or smoke, or heaven forbid- NOT wear my seatbelt, its my business.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree so long as it doesn't affect other drivers. I wouldn't consider people on their cell phone driving slow an affect to another driver. Drinking and driving, however, is a different matter altogether. A cell phone can be used properly while driving.

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