on 28/11/00 9:22 pm, Julia Thompson at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
>
> On Mon, 27 Nov 2000, Kristin A. Ruhle wrote:
>
>> THere are studies that say "it's just as dangerous as driving drunk,"
>> but are there statistics on traffic deaths that can be directly
>> attributed to cell phones?
>
> I'd check to see if CDC has anything. Of course, I have time to fire off
> a quick e-mail, but not browse the web for the info, as we have to take a
> dog in to the vet. (She's got patches of skin that apparently itch, and
> she's gnawed all the fur off one of them, so we're a little concerned....)
>
> I sometimes observe erratic driving behavior, and when I get to where I
> can actually see inside the vehicle in question, fairly often the driver
> is holding a cellphone in one hand and the steering wheel in the other.
> At 65 MPH (over 100 KPH for Alberto) in wet weather on highway that has
> curves in it, this isn't too smart. (At least the part about only having
> one hand on the wheel isn't smart; some mobile phone providers are pushing
> "hands-free" kits to reduce *that* part of the problem.)
AFAIK using a mobile phone handset whilst driving is already prima facie
evidence of careless driving in the UK, as is eating a sandwich or reading.
But most vehicles in the UK are manual transmission which probably
exacerbates the danger of one-handed driving.
There is a push to ban hands-free phones for drivers too since there is
evidence that a phone call is more distracting than a conversation with a
passenger (since the passenger can see when to shut up and let the driver
concentrate according to the traffic situation.)
--
William T Goodall
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk
