RSA switch off before you dive off

starbelgrade

The RSA give advice on Road Safety, the same way the likes of Health Boards give advice on health issues. No-one is saying that you have to turn your phone off whilst driving, the same way that no-one is saying that you have to eat healthy food, but if you do turn your phone off & eat healthy, your more likely to live a healthier life.

If you don't, then that's your choice.

we'llallhavetea_old

probably gonna get hassle for this but,

i use my phone while driving all the time.

if it is safe to pick up my phone and answer it when i'm driving, i will. it's not like i am going to crash the car rather than drop the phone. i know my own limits, if i'm not able to manage the phone and driving at the same time, i will drop the phone on my lap and pick it back up when i'm able.

its not rocket science people.

/rant

Cookie_Monster

General Zod wrote: »

That's sensible. however, do you disagree that looking at your phone to see who is calling is a distraction? Do you disagree that reducing the amount of distractions would reduce the amount of accidents?

should we ban car radios then, they're distracting

or taking to a passanger, just as distracting as talking to someone on the handsfree

starbelgrade

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

probably gonna get hassle for this but,

i use my phone while driving all the time.

if it is safe to pick up my phone and answer it when i'm driving, i will. it's not like i am going to crash the car rather than drop the phone. i know my own limits, if i'm not able to manage the phone and driving at the same time, i will drop the phone on my lap and pick it back up when i'm able.

its not rocket science people.

/rant

I hate seeing people driving whilst using their phones.

It's never safe to pick up your phone whilst driving - it might seem so, but that means nothing. By using your phone, you are not only endandering your own life, but also the life of others, which is just downright selfish.

Get a handsfree kit.

we'llallhavetea_old

starbelgrade wrote: »

I hate seeing people driving whilst using their phones.

It's never safe to pick up your phone whilst driving - it might seem so, but that means nothing. By using your phone, you are not only endandering your own life, but also the life of others, which is just downright selfish.

Get a handsfree kit.

do you think the same of people who change the channel on their radio?

if not, why not?

its just as distracting, the only difference is that its not illegal.

starbelgrade

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

do you think the same of people who change the channel on their radio?

if not, why not?

its just as distracting, the only difference is that its not illegal.

It takes about as much time to change the radio station as it does to check your rear view / side mirrors or check the speedometer. Yes - it is a distraction, but in terms of safety, it is a very minor one.

Using your phone whilst driving, dimishes your capacity to react to road conditions or the actions of other road users - your concentration is diminished & you've only one hand on the wheel.

Look, people used to say the same thing about having a few pints & getting into a car. You could substitute drink for mobile phones in your other post..

"i drink & drive all the time.

if it is safe to have a few pints before i'm driving, i will. it's not like i am going to crash the car. i know my own limits, if i'm not have a few pints & go driving, i will have a coffee and drive when i'm able.

its not rocket science people."

Now, I'm not saying that drink driving is as dangerous as using a phone whilst driving, but it is still dangerous & it causes accidents. The degrees of dangerous are really irrelevant. The problem is that a lot of road users have the attitude that it's completely safe to do so & that is an attitude that needs to be changed.

we'llallhavetea_old

starbelgrade wrote: »

It takes about as much time to change the radio station as it does to check your rear view / side mirrors or check the speedometer. Yes - it is a distraction, but in terms of safety, it is a very minor one.

i have to disagree here.

have you listened to the shoite on the radio? it takes aaaages to find anything, not just a second.

Using your phone whilst driving, dimishes your capacity to react to road conditions or the actions of other road users - your concentration is diminished & you've only one hand on the wheel.

yes you have only one hand on the wheel, the same applies to changing gears/ radio/ hill starts etc

like i said, if i need my two hands, i drop the phone.

Look, people used to say the same thing about having a few pints & getting into a car. You could substitute drink for mobile phones in your other post..

"i drink & drive all the time.

if it is safe to have a few pints before i'm driving, i will. it's not like i am going to crash the car. i know my own limits, if i'm not have a few pints & go driving, i will have a coffee and drive when i'm able.

its not rocket science people."

Now, I'm not saying that drink driving is as dangerous as using a phone whilst driving, but it is still dangerous & it causes accidents. The degrees of dangerous are really irrelevant. The problem is that a lot of road users have the attitude that it's completely safe to do so & that is an attitude that needs to be changed.

yeah, drink driving is not a very good argument tbh. you cannot turn off drunkenness, like you can drop your phone.

ejmaztec

Dunjohn wrote: »

The typo honestly made me think the Water Safety Authority was cautioning against the dangers of electrocution by going swimming with your mobile switched on.

I thought it was a Father Larry Duff thread, the one who should have been recruited for the campaign, if he isn't still dead.

--Kaiser--

Studies have suggested driving while using a phone is similar to driving after a few ales in the detrimental effect it has on driving skills.

Study

I once saw a girl driving at 100 kph on a dual carriageway with a phone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, disgraceful.

ejmaztec

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

I once saw a girl driving at 100 kph on a dual carriageway with a phone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, disgraceful.

I wonder where she put the Mars Bar.

Indubitable

moonpurple wrote: »

on the radio the road safety authority are telling us to

'switch off before you drive off'

did a transition year student write this ad....do they think we would turn off our mobile phones during car journeys

cop on rsa

Transition years are not that stupid.

General Zod

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

should we ban car radios then, they're distracting

actually, car radios (or at least, changing the station/track etc) have a comparible distraction rate in accidents to mobile phones. Hands free kits were less (where handfree were actually handsfree, ie activated by voice or bluetooth headset).

However, noone is talking about a ban. they are talking about people taking steps themselves to improve their safety while driving.

or taking to a passanger, just as distracting as talking to someone on the handsfree

Studies show this isn't actually true, as passengers are better able to regulate conversation based on traffic conditions than a person at the other end of a phone, so the risk is almost negligible.

I'll quote the wiki for this one

A study by a University of South Carolina psychology researcher featured in the journal, Experimental Psychology, found that planning to speak and speaking put far more demands on the brain’s resources than listening. Measurement of attention levels showed that subjects were four times more distracted while preparing to speak or speaking than when they were listening.[22] The Accident Research Unit at the University of Nottingham found that the number of utterances was usually higher for mobile calls when compared to blindfolded and non-blindfolded passengers across various driving conditions. The number of questions asked averaged slightly higher for mobile phone conversations, although results were not constant across road types and largely influenced by a large number of questions on the urban roads.[23] A 2004 University of Utah simulation study that compared passenger and cell-phone conversations concluded that the driver performs better when conversing with a passenger because the traffic and driving task become part of the conversation. Drivers holding conversations on cell phones were four times more likely to miss the highway exit than those with passengers, and drivers conversing with passengers showed no statistically significant difference from lone drivers in the simulator.[24] A study led by Andrew Parkes at the Transport Research Laboratory, also with a driving simulator, concluded that hands-free phone conversations impair driving performance more than other common in-vehicle distractions such as passenger conversations.[25]

starbelgrade

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

yeah, drink driving is not a very good argument tbh. you cannot turn off drunkenness, like you can drop your phone.

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.

Source ; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1885775.stm

There are numerous other studies which indicate similar results. Look, the basic fact is - and you can deny it all you want, though you will never be right - is that using a phone whilst driving is dangerous.

It may take a couple of penalty points & a fine for people to wake up to this fact, because the last thing you'd wish on anybody is to have an accident before they cop the hell on.

we'llallhavetea_old

starbelgrade wrote: »

Source ; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1885775.stm

There are numerous other studies which indicate similar results. Look, the basic fact is - and you can deny it all you want, though you will never be right - is that using a phone whilst driving is dangerous.

i'm not saying its not dangerous, i'm just saying i do it and i'm fully capable of driving safely at the same time. others, maybe not.

starbelgrade

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

i'm not saying its not dangerous, i'm just saying i do it and i'm fully capable of driving safely at the same time. others, maybe not.

You sound exactly like the oul man at the bar who says he's perfectly capable of driving home after 5 or 6 pints coz he's been doing it for years & never had any problems.

we'llallhavetea_old

starbelgrade wrote: »

You sound exactly like the oul man at the bar who says he's perfectly capable of driving home after 5 or 6 pints coz he's been doing it for years & never had any problems.

maybe i do.

i don't think i have anything else to say. i'm not gonna change your mind/ you're not gonna change mine.

starbelgrade

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

maybe i do.

i don't think i have anything else to say. i'm not gonna change your mind/ you're not gonna change mine.

Well let's hope that it's not a car crash that makes you cop the f*ck on.

Pace2008

starbelgrade wrote: »

You sound exactly like the oul man at the bar who says he's perfectly capable of driving home after 5 or 6 pints coz he's been doing it for years & never had any problems.

My granda as well. Everyone overestimates their own abilities to some extent, but more so when it comes to assessing their own driving capabilities - 80% of people consider themselves to be above average motorists.

we'llallhavetea, see illusory superiority. Funnily enough, people guilty of this bias often think it doesn't apply to them.

dr.bollocko

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

i'm not saying its not dangerous, i'm just saying i do it and i'm fully capable of driving safely at the same time. others, maybe not.

starbelgrade wrote: »

Well let's hope that it's not a car crash that makes you cop the f*ck on.

This TBH. No offense but it's a well dodgy tactic.
Stuck in a stream of unending traffic chattering on a phone whilst slowly edging forward, not so much of an issue. Intricate inner city driving, much bigger problems. Just get yourself a hands free. They cost feck all and are legal. It's that simple. That way you have both hands to indicate and change gear, properly work the steering wheel. It's not rocket science that you can see that it's going to have a negative result on your ability to drive.

we'llallhavetea_old

Pace2008 wrote: »

My granda as well. Everyone overestimates their own abilities to some extent, but more so when it comes to assessing their own driving capabilities - 80% of people consider themselves to be above average motorists.

we'llallhavetea, see illusory superiority. Funnily enough, people guilty of this bias often think it doesn't apply to them.

i never said i was a better driver than anyone, i said i can drive and talk on the bloody phone fine.

i can't parallel park to save my life.

can i just reiterate, that i do not think that i'm always capable of doing both and when that situation arises, i drop the phone.

starbelgrade

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

i never said i was a better driver than anyone, i said i can drive and talk on the bloody phone fine.

i can't parallel park to save my life.

can i just reiterate, that i do not think that i'm always capable of doing both and when that situation arises, i drop the phone.

You are ignoring the fact that all studies indicate that driving when using a phone is worse than driving over the limit for alcohol. Your reaction times are worse. You say that you drop the phone if the situation arises, but let's say for example, you're on the motorway & a car swerves out in front of you, or you're in slow moving traffic & an idiot pedestrian runs out in front of you just as you're about to pull off.... you'd have a better chance of reacting to the situation, of not being involved in an accident, of not physically damaging yourself or anybody else, and of not killing or being killed, than you would if you were over the legal alcohol limit....

So my only question is - is that worth it to have a natter on the phone? Is it? No. And if you think it is, do you really think that your phone conversation is soooooo much more important than the safety of other road users around you? Could you really be that self important?

Pace2008

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

i never said i was a better driver than anyone, i said i can drive and talk on the bloody phone fine.

You said you said your driving abilities aren't affected when talking on the phone though others' might be. I don't believe you; I think you're overestimating your abilities. Try playing a game of Whack-A-Mole while yakking away with your phone to your ear and see how you get on.

we'llallhavetea_old

dr.bollocko wrote: »

This TBH. No offense but it's a well dodgy tactic.
Stuck in a stream of unending traffic chattering on a phone whilst slowly edging forward, not so much of an issue. Intricate inner city driving, much bigger problems. Just get yourself a hands free. They cost feck all and are legal. It's that simple. That way you have both hands to indicate and change gear, properly work the steering wheel. It's not rocket science that you can see that it's going to have a negative result on your ability to drive.

i know what you're saying. as i said, i know my limits, i would never even touch the phone / radio / windows if i'm driving in the city centre, christ, i barely breath.

starbelgrade wrote: »

You are ignoring the fact that all studies indicate that driving when using a phone is worse than driving over the limit for alcohol. Your reaction times are worse. You say that you drop the phone if the situation arises, but let's say for example, you're on the motorway & a car swerves out in front of you, or you're in slow moving traffic & an idiot pedestrian runs out in front of you just as you're about to pull off.... you'd have a better chance of reacting to the situation, of not being involved in an accident, of not physically damaging yourself or anybody else, and of not killing or being killed, than you would if you were over the legal alcohol limit....

i'm not ignoring anything.

i'm don't drive and use the phone in areas like that, i know not to.

So my only question is - is that worth it to have a natter on the phone? Is it? No. And if you think it is, do you really think that your phone conversation is soooooo much more important than the safety of other road users around you? Could you really be that self important?

you people think i'm driving around like a psychopath on the phone, i'm not.

if my phone rings in the car and i'm in a situation where i am able to answer it and talk, i will. i'm driving down the same, straight, quiet roads all the time, i am not going to be shocked at an unexpected curve in the road, and i can see way ahead of me. if i can't, i won't be on the phone.

Pace2008 wrote: »

You said you said your driving abilities aren't affected when talking on the phone though others' might be. I don't believe you; I think you're overestimating your abilities. Try playing a game of Whack-A-Mole while yakking away with your phone to your ear and see how you get on.

i have no idea what whack-a-mole is

what i am saying is that i have the common sense to know when i can talk on the phone or not. maybe others don't have that. that's all.

saltandpepper10

whats the gardai policy on answering there own mobiles walkie talkies etc when driving or are there reaction times much quicker than general drivers.10 plus garda vehicle crashes per week wouldnt suggest so

SugarHigh

I don't think we'llallhavetea deserves such a hard time but the big flaw in your argument is saying that you know your limits on when to use a phone. The problem is that everyone who was ever in an accident caused by talking on a phone obviously thought the same thing. This is also true for speeding, people like to set their own limits and as has already been said they often overestimate themselves but I don't believe that the people on their high horse don't also do this from time to time.

starbelgrade

We'llallhavetea - you are using the exact same excuses for using a phone when you drive as those who choose to drive home from the pub.. "I know my limits", "I know when it's safe", "ah shure I only do it on backroads".

The simple fact is that there is no excuse just as there is no safe time to use a phone whilst driving. If you think otherwise, you are deluded.

The fact that it's you - a poster who I like a lot from your posts on AH - and not some randomer, actually surprised me a lot. I would have thought you would have more sense than to do something that all the facts & statistics prove to be even more dangerous than drink driving.

My only hope is that you read up on the statistics & reports and reconsider your behaviour on the roads. There is absolutely no reason for using a phone whilst driving. Either pull over & take the call, or let it go to voicemail & call them back. I would hate to think that you would only learn this lesson after you have blood on your hands.

we'llallhavetea_old

starbelgrade wrote: »

a poster who I like a lot from your posts on AH

*blushes*

sorry wha? :pac:

i'm not gonna fall out with you over it and i hope you can say the same. i'm sure there's things you do that i wouldn't agree with or like.

starbelgrade

SugarHigh wrote: »

I don't think we'llallhavetea deserves such a hard time but the big flaw in your argument is saying that you know your limits on when to use a phone. The problem is that everyone who was ever in an accident caused by talking on a phone obviously thought the same thing. This is also true for speeding, people like to set their own limits and as has already been said they often overestimate themselves but I don't believe that the people on their high horse don't also do this from time to time.

You have a point. Part of the reason I speak so strongly on the subject of dangerous driving is that I know from experience that the "I know my limits" argument is really complete & utter boll*x.

I used to regularly drive home from the pub, thinking the same thing - sure it was only a short run up a back road, never anybody on it & I'd only have a had a few drinks. Then one night I ran over something as I went around a bend. Hadn't a clue what it was - it could have been an animal, it could have been a child for all I know - but I never saw what it was until I'd run over it.

It turned out to be a traffic cone. Thank f*ck for that. But it taught me a lesson - if you think you're OK to drive without having all your wits about you - be that through drink, drugs or using a phone, then you are taking your life & even worse - the life of others into your own hands.

You never know what's round the bend & you never know your limits and to think otherwise, is not only foolish, but idiotic & arrogant.

SugarHigh

starbelgrade wrote: »

We'llallhavetea - you are using the exact same excuses for using a phone when you drive as those who choose to drive home from the pub.. "I know my limits", "I know when it's safe", "ah shure I only do it on backroads".

Have you ever gone over the speed limit on an empty road?

Did you use the excuses that "I know my limits", "I know when it's safe" by any chance?

Everyone takes slight risks on the road that they decide are so low risk their worth it.

donkey balls

i use a nokia ear piece that came with my phone when the phone rings i press the button and talk away while some time having a 45ft trailer on tow:D.
also my phone with the headset is voice activated even text messages can be read out while im driving its the dogs b*ll*x.