Would you politely remind a driver using a mobile is illegal?

[spindrift]

Talking on a mobile phone while driving is more dangerous than being over the legal alcohol limit, according to research.

 

Tests by scientists at the Transport Research Laboratory said drivers on mobiles had slower reaction times and stopping times than those under the influence of alcohol.

 

And it said hands-free kits were almost as dangerous as hand-held phones.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1885775.stm

 

 

Texting while driving impairs motorists more than being under the influence of drink or drugs, research suggests.

 

The RAC Foundation found average reaction times slowed by 35% when 17 to 24-year-olds drove in a simulator while writing or reading texts.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7621644.stm

[scottsmith]

For the third time, using a mobile is not like eating an apple.

 

Using a mobile is as dangerous as drink driving.

 

Would you really not report a drunk driver?

 

It may not be the same, but both have resulted in accidents.

 

Is it? Please provide evidence for this.

 

How would I know if someone was drink driving without pulling them over?

[spindrift]

If you saw someone in a pub who was drunk, and you then saw them get into their car, would you really, honestly not report them?

 

There could be an awful weight on your conscience if the driver ends up killing some poor bugger round the corner.

[peak-polly]

If you saw someone in a pub who was drunk, and you then saw them get into their car, would you really, honestly not report them?

 

There could be an awful weight on your conscience if the driver ends up killing some poor bugger round the corner.

 

As a victim of a drunk driver (lost a leg as a result) i would deffo report a drunk driver! But to the police...i would not tackle him/her myself and i certainly wouldnt make any remarks to them like the cyclist did in this case. You just dont know who you are dealing with these days....

[Paul2412]

Someone using a mobile in traffic or whilst stationary poses no risk.

 

On a motorway or high speed road, they do.

 

Drunk drivers are a risk wherever they are.

[spindrift]

Someone using a mobile in traffic or whilst stationary poses no risk.

.

 

It is now well estab-lished that cell phone use impairs the driving per-formance of younger adults (Alm & Nilsson,

1995; Briem & Hedman, 1995; Brookhuis, De

Vries, & De Waard, 1991; I. D. Brown, Tickner, &

Simmonds,1969; Goodman et al.,1999; McKnight

& McKnight, 1993; Redelmeier & Tibshirani,

1997; Strayer, Drews, & Johnston, 2003; Strayer

& Johnston, 2001).

 

 

For example, drivers are

more likely to miss critical traffic signals (traffic

lights, a vehicle braking in front of the driver,

etc.), slower to respond to the signals that they do

detect, and more likely to be involved in rear-end

collisions when they are conversing on a cell

phone (Strayer et al., 2003).

 

 

In addition, even

when participants direct their gaze at objects in

the driving environment, they often fail to “see”

them when they are talking on a cell phone be-

cause attention has been directed away from the

external environment and toward an internal,

cognitive context associated with the phone con-

versation.

 

 

http://pdfcast.org/pdf/a-comparison-of-the-cell-phone-driver-and-the-drunk-driver

[Dozey]

Someone using a mobile in traffic or whilst stationary poses no risk.

 

On a motorway or high speed road, they do.

 

Drunk drivers are a risk wherever they are.

 

See here:http://www.nopenaltypoints.co.uk/legal-use-mobile-phone-stationary-car-with-engine-running.html

[Paul2412]

It is now well estab-lished that cell phone use impairs the driving per-formance of younger adults (Alm & Nilsson,

1995; Briem & Hedman, 1995; Brookhuis, De

Vries, & De Waard, 1991; I. D. Brown, Tickner, &

Simmonds,1969; Goodman et al.,1999; McKnight

& McKnight, 1993; Redelmeier & Tibshirani,

1997; Strayer, Drews, & Johnston, 2003; Strayer

& Johnston, 2001).

 

 

For example, drivers are

more likely to miss critical traffic signals (traffic

lights, a vehicle braking in front of the driver,

etc.), slower to respond to the signals that they do

detect, and more likely to be involved in rear-end

collisions when they are conversing on a cell

phone (Strayer et al., 2003).

 

 

In addition, even

when participants direct their gaze at objects in

the driving environment, they often fail to “see”

them when they are talking on a cell phone be-

cause attention has been directed away from the

external environment and toward an internal,

cognitive context associated with the phone con-

versation.

 

 

http://pdfcast.org/pdf/a-comparison-of-the-cell-phone-driver-and-the-drunk-driver

 

Do you have an opinion or just like to post links to text you've found online?

 

Certain people may be incapable of of keeping alert whilst travelling at 3 mph in traffic but most are.

[spindrift]

Cell phone users have been found to be 5.36 times more likely to get in an accident than undistracted drivers. Other studies have shown the risk is about the same as for drivers with a 0.08 blood-alcohol level.

 

Dr. Strayer says he expects criticism:

 

“suggesting that we are trivializing drunken-driving impairment, but it is anything but the case. We don't think people should drive while drunk, nor should they talk on their cell phone while driving.”

 

Drews says he and Dr. Strayer compared the impairment of motorists using cell phones to drivers with a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level because they wanted to determine if the risk of driving while phoning was comparable to the drunken driving risk considered unacceptable.

 

“This study does not mean people should start driving drunk,”

 

says Drews.

 

“It means that driving while talking on a cell phone is as bad as or maybe worse than driving drunk, which is completely unacceptable and cannot be tolerated by society.”

 

 

 

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/drivingissues/20060830105036.html

 

 

Do you really think a driver like that would put the phone down when the lights change?

[Paul2412]

I'll assume the answer to my question is no.